Arachnophobia | | Cast : | Jeff Daniels, John Goodman, Julian Sands | | Director : | Frank Marshall | | Studio : | Hollywood Pictures | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | July 18, 1990 | | DVD Released Date : | May 21, 2002 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 19, 2005 | | Summary | a nifty creature feature | Content
 | This often amusing, sometimes suspenseful film about killer spiders starts out in the dense jungles of Venezuela, with bug-O-maniac Julian Sands, as he tracks down a new species of lethal as well as big and hairy arachnid. One of these hairy creatures finds its way to sweet suburbia in California, using a wooden coffin as transport, and starts mating with the local spider population, causing havoc and rigor mortis.
City transplant Jeff Daniels, a doctor with severe arachnophobia, who wants the quiet country life as long as he doesn't have to see a spider, finds himself the center of controversy because of the deaths, and his newly bought house infested with the critters. Daniels, one of Hollywood's more underrated actors, gives a terrific performance as Dr. Jennings, as he tries some hands-on therapy for his phobia.
John Goodman is hilarious as the town exterminator, who if he can't kill 'em with insecticide, uses his big boots, and others in the fine cast are Harley Jane Kozak as Molly Jennings, Henry Jones as old Dr. Metcalf, and Stuart Pankin as stubborn Sheriff Parsons. This was the feature film directorial debut for Frank Marshall, who has been known mostly as a producer, mainly for Stephen Spielberg's films. A good score by Trevor Jones (with songs like Jimmy Buffett's "Don't Bug Me") adds to the overall enjoyment of this fun creature feature, which takes us back to the days when the bugs were filmed in black and white.
Total running time is 103 minutes.
|
| Rating | | | Date | June 06, 2005 | | Summary | Can't watch it with out twitching and having skin crawl | Content
| Snakes don't scare me, worms don't scare me, centipedes don't scare me, but put me in a room with a spider, and I am the first to admit that I will turn in a sissy begging my wife to kill it. In fact the ONLY thing I am afraid of is spiders, (and LARGE waterbugs)
I was always afraid of spiders since I can remember, but seeing this movie for the first time in the theatre multiplied my fear of these eight legged creatures 10 fold. In fact even writting this review, I am twitching imagining that I am feeling a spider crawling up my back.
This movie though not oscar material is actually quite good. Thankfully it was not ruined by special effects or sensless gory deaths like newer spider movies like Eight Legged Freaks.
This movie starts off in South America. A LARGE spider (Wanderering Spider) ends up in the sheets of someone who is about to go to sleep. He feels something crawling on him and lifts up the cover only to discover that eight eyes are looking back at him. Before he could do anything, the spider jams its fangs into the poor soul killing him almost instantly. The man is placed into a coffin that ends up in the states. The spider eventually escapes the coffin and ends up mating with a house spider creating hundreds of deadly spiders that wreak havoc on a small town.
When people start dying mysteriously, the new doctor who is severely arachophobic figures out it is spiders that are causing all of the deaths. Something must be done before the spiders take over the small town.
Like I said before not oscar material, but given what they had to work with this movie was very good. It wasn't all scary, and had a few bits of comedy espeically with John Goodman playing the exterminator.
However as good as this movie was, I can never watch it again because it has indeed made my arachophobia worse. The only spider movie to do so I might add. This is probally because everything seemed realistic and believable; no spiders laying eggs inside peoples bodies, no spiders the size of buildings, no spiders attacking cars, etc etc. I have no problems watching other spider movies because when they get all big, I know its fake. But in Arachnophobia, these are normal looking spiders that are small but deadly. Even though the parant spiders are huge, it is still very believable because spider DO get that big in real life. Certain parts of this movie scared the bejesus out of me especially the scenes with the huge "momma" and "daddy" spiders. Now I can't even look at a picture of a large spider without cringing. If this movie was made to make people even more afraid of spiders, it has done its job! |
| Rating | | | Date | April 29, 2005 | | Summary | Frank Marshall's best directed film. | Content
| This is a very good movie.
I live in house full of spiders. This movie makes you think twice about that harmless spider crawling across your floor right now.
The movie takes a little while to get going and has a anoying charactor but it makes up for it. John Goodman is great in it. It is very underated. Watch it!
|
| Rating | | | Date | April 03, 2005 | | Summary | Great blend of Humor and Suspense... | Content
| I really love this film. I don't think a whole lot of people are crazy about spiders, me included, but director Frank Marshall has crafted a film that defies any category. A very smart, literate script cleverly layered the tension as we, the audience, learn along with the characters. We are given a head-start, and that makes it fun.The acting is very fine overall, especially Jeff Daniels as our not-so-wimpy hero. Henry Jones (the old doctor) and Harley Jane Kozak (I'd like to see her more often) were excellent, and John Goodman was a treat. More than the absolute fun that this movie offers, I was particularly overwhelmed by the Score of Trevor Jones, and was equally impressed with the crisp cinematography of Mikael Salomon; his magnificent shots of the Amazon as well as the attention to detail regarding the creepy crawlies is admirable. I find this is a film I like to watch over & over again. Humor and suspense have rarely been blended so well. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 20, 2005 | | Summary | If you're afraid of spiders, watch out! | Content
| "Arachnophobia" is a clever comedy/thriller sure to scare the spider-phobes out there. Jeff Daniels and Harley Jane Kozak star as Dr. Ross and Molly Jennings, a young couple who have moved to the country to start his medical practice. Little do they know that a huge, deadly spider has arrived from South America and is reproducing - a lot! One by one, town residents start dropping like flies, until Ross figures out they were all bitten by spiders. This brings back memories of a childhood trauma that left him with a paralyzing fear of spiders - and the spider's nest is right in Ross' barn.
There are many creepy scenes of menacing spiders that will have you looking around to make sure none are near you. They must have used some robotic spiders, but they all looked very real to me. The idyllic rural setting contrasts nicely with the intensely scary stalking spiders. Daniels is perfect as the dedicated doctor, and John Goodman has a small but funny part as an exterminator. The movie may be too scary for very young children, but others will giggle a little and gasp a lot.
Kona |
|
