Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
Directed by Ellory Elkayim
Written by Jesse Alexander
Starring David Arquette, Scarlett Johannson, Scott Terra, Doug E. Doug Rick Overton
Release Date July 17th, 2002
Published July 16th, 2002
I've never been afraid of spiders, well, except for that first Spiderman script to hit the net, that was pretty scary. Other than that though I have no fear of these disgusting creatures. Not that being afraid or unafraid of spiders will affect your viewing of the movie Eight Legged Freaks, I just needed an opening paragraph for this review.
Freaks stars David Arquette, a freak in his own right, as Chris Mccormick. The long missing son of a small town miner who recently passed away, Chris has returned to takeover his dad's mining business in hope of finding the gold his father swore was in those mines. Upon his return Chris once again strikes up a relationship with his high school crush Sam Parker who is now the town's Sheriff.
It's been over ten years since they have seen each other and a lot has changed. Sam now has two kids a daughter named Ashley played by Scarlett Johannson and a son named Mike played by newcomer Scott Terra. It is Mike who sets the story in motion after visiting a friend who runs a Spider museum (an uncredited Tom Noonan) Mike discovers that the grasshoppers his friend has been feeding his spiders have been mutated by toxic waste spilled into the local creek. Mike soon finds his friend dead and giant spiders are the culprits.
At first no one believes him, no one believes little kids in these situations. Soon however pets begin disappearing, then local residents and finally the town is completely overrun.
The film is a modern take on the cheesy sci-fi of the 1950's and the film’s cheesy effects are a nice touch, making the film more comedy than horror film. The spiders look as fake as they would have in the 1950's. I hope that was what they were going for because if it wasn't then this film has serious problems. Working under the assumption that this was all intentional Eight Legged Freaks comes off as an often funny but plodding movie.
The supporting characters, most notably Doug E. Doug and Rick Overton, provide the film’s best laughs. But of course the movie’s best asset is the spiders, and when they aren't onscreen the film suffers. Eight Legged Freaks isn't bad but it's far from great. The spiders, while totally cheesy, are very funny. Unfortunately, they do wear out their welcome after the first hour or so. Simply, I liked this movie but I won't be seeing it again.
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