GamerTab That was an excellent one.

VividSimon Simply Perfect

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Mark Turner Let me say up front that this movie is not a cinematic achievement that film historians will be discussing over the next 100 years. No, it is not the CITIZEN KANE of giant critter flicks. What it is though is a lot of fun and thanks to VCI it is now available on blu-ray.Film has changed with each passing decade and the most wonderful thing about movies in the 60s, 70s and into the early 80s was that low budget independent movies could be made and actually be found playing in theaters, mostly drive-ins, across the country. A small group of talented (or not talented) individuals could come together on a relatively small budget and make an actual movie. But times changed with the advent of video and now DVD and those movies rarely show on a big screen and almost always go straight to video if they get made at all. But those gems of the past are now making their way to this new format for movie fans to enjoy.The movie opens with a meteor crashing in the field of farmer Dan (Robert Easton) and his wife Ev (Leslie Parrish). Talk about a dysfunctional family, Dan is a philandering husband hitting the local hooker at night, Ev is an alcoholic and Ev's sister Terry is a teenage tease who's dating local newspaper reporter while taunting Dan. Dan and Ev see the meteor in the sky and decide to check it out the next morning.At the same time local scientist Dr. Jenny Langer (Barbara Hale) has noted some strange readings and contacted NASA who send out Dr. Vance (Steve Brodie) to investigate. Most of their time is spent discussing the scientific questions revolving around the strange readings Langer got as well as those from NASA before they go out to investigate at Dan's ranch.It's not long before we discover that what seemed a meteor was actually a method for an invasion of spiders that start normal size but eventually grow to the size of a small car (a Volkswagen draped in a welded frame and outfitted to look like a giant spider was used). In addition to plenty of webbing walked through we get the giant spider eating any and all it comes in contact with while both doctors try and find a way to get rid of the pesky critter.While this may not qualify as a classic such as THEM it does have a certain amount of charm to it. Those who would make note of the bad acting here are missing the point. This is not an award winning film and never intended to be. Instead it was a low budget horror film that was intended to open doors and be a part of a resume. The fact that it made so much money on such a miniscule budget (by Hollywood standards) shows that there was a definite market for movies like this at the time. As noted in the extras even Johnny Carson mentioned the film on his show due to the amount of money it made.VCI has dusted off the movie to offer the cleanest presentation available for fans of both the film and of low budget horror flicks. If you fall into those categories you won't be disappointed. Not only do you get the best reproduction of the film there are plenty of extras as well. Included are a new documentary on the film by Daniel Griffith, a super-8 version of the film transferred to HD, a behind the scenes gallery if photos, the original trailer and TV spots, interviews with members of the cast and crew, a newsreel, an 18 track recording of the upcoming stage musical based on the film and more. VCI have gone out of their way to satisfy the fans of the film.This is the sort of movie that you put on after popping a bowl of popcorn, grabbing your favorite beverage of choice and plopping your feet up in the recliner to sit back and have a laugh with. It won't alter your life or ask you to join some misguided organization that wants to save spiders. What it could possibly do is have you consider buying a home theater projector to sit up on the back porch come summer so you can watch movies like this they was they were intended, under a starry night listening through a tinny speaker and having a blast. One last note is the appearance of Alan Hale, the Captain of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, playing the town sheriff in what amounts to a cameo role. Just another great reason to pick up this movie.

Scott LeBrun Bill Rebane is in the directors' chair for this endearingly tacky 1970s continuation of 1950s monster movie themes. It's the kind of thing that you simply have to see for yourself. It may not be "Them!" or even "Tarantula", but its sincerity combined with its utter schlockiness makes it pretty hard to resist. The special effects (yes, this viewer knew going in that the titular creature was "played" by a car) are just as wonderfully absurd as a person could want. Most of the actors put on their best poker faces, which only makes the silliness of the proceedings that much more enjoyable.Somehow or other, a black hole has opened up a path, on Earth, to another dimension, and from it emerge geodes that give birth to tarantulas, as well as one enormous mother of a super tarantula that rampages to the best of its ability. Among those trying to figure out the cause of the creatures' existence, and the means of destroying it, are scientists J.R. Vance (Steve Brodie) and Jenny Langer (Barbara Hale).It's the lack of quality filmmaking in rural productions like this (it's set and filmed in Wisconsin) that makes them quality entertainment. "The Giant Spider Invasion" does not disappoint, and lives up to its reputation. What's even more amazing is that veterans such as Brodie and Hale roped their families into participating: Brodies' son Kevin plays young newspaperman Dave Perkins, and Hales' husband Bill Williams plays the barman Dutch. Character actor and dialect coach Robert Easton, who wrote the dopey script with producer Richard L. Huff, co-stars as thick headed farmer Dan Kester. Alan Hale Jr. portrays our obligatory lawman character, and he offers the most blatantly comedic performance out of anyone here, jovially hamming it up at every turn. "The Skipper" references his most famous role and even breaks the fourth wall. Diane Lee Hart ("Cannonball"), Leslie Parrish ("Crash!"), and Christiane Schmidtmer ("The Big Doll House") also appear.This one is a good deal of fun, and it's not surprising to read that Stephen King is a fan.Five out of 10.

Chase_Witherspoon A giant gamma-mutated tarantula besieges a small Wisconsin community following an unexplained meteorological phenomenon, interrupting the drinking and fornicating of the local inbreds. Spicy script and a few suspenseful moments are the only redeemable features to this otherwise bland imitation of countless 50's creature craze films, most of whom did it better in all departments.Interesting cast (of who must be said where has-beens when this little payload rolled past their agents' desks) led by Steve Brodie and Barbara Hale as intrigued ring-ins, desperate to understand the peculiar scientific phenomenon, debating astro physics and using lots of five-syllable words, while the locals are just barely managing to avoid being devoured on mass by the colossal arachnid. The still-beautiful Leslie Parrish delivers some class in her performance as a neglected, alcohol-dependent house-wife to Robert Easton, who also, contributes a watchable, if stereotypical performance as a rugged farmer, suitably concerned about the inexplicable mutilation of his cattle.The pace is creditable, and there are some moments of suspense, though for the most part, this is a C-grade science fiction that looks like it was made in the late fifties (cast included) rather than 1975. Only a brief (and admittedly amusing) reference to "Jaws" reminds the viewer that it's a product of the mid-seventies (although that's not a compliment when you consider the production values, a limitation that director Rebane laments in the DVD extras, discussing the making of the film). As for the (anti) climax, it's both brief and disappointing, but then by that stage, no one would expect any better. Brodie and Hale come out looking like Teflon heroes, while only a handful of hapless locals are left to thank them for taking so long to do so very little.

bensonmum2 Realistically, I can see the same problems in The Giant Spider Invasion as most anyone else. But what I see in the movie that some people appear to be missing is a whole lot of fun. A VW Beatle doubling as a giant spider, spider puppets jumping out of dresser drawers, Wisconsin rednecks with buckets of diamonds, Alan Hale Jr's take on being a sheriff, Barbara Hale and Steve Brodie spouting some incredibly ridiculous scientific nonsense, mutilated cattle, pantsuits, and a farmer wearing a girdle – what's not to like? Some people (and I'm often guilty of this) take movies too seriously. I mean if you have fun with it and find yourself entertained, what more do you really expect from a movie? Call it a guilty pleasure of mine or a sentimental remembrance of my youth, but I'm rating this one a 6/10.Alan Hale, Jr. really cracks me up in The Giant Spider Invasion. For starters, the first line he utters is to call someone "Little Buddy". How original? Next, his character is never at a loss for a bad joke. Whether it's a concerned citizen on the phone, cutting up with a bartender, or discussing the grave situation his town faces, he's full of lame one-liners. Where else are you going to hear someone say, "I used to take physics, but I find prunes do a better job for me" to a NASA scientist? Finally, and as I alluded to earlier, I like Hale's take on being a sheriff. The Giant Spider Invasion would have you believe that sheriffs in Middle-of-Nowhere, Wisconsin, spend their days either sitting at their desks or eating in a local diner regardless of the carnage and destruction going on around them. Hale seems particular suited for the job!