Today was going to be a busy day with BBQ's and stuff and I didn't want to be watching my movie of the day late at night so i decided on a Saturday morning feature. I wanted to pick a movie that might have played on one of the Saturday morning shows when I was a kid, so I chose Tarantula, because it also fits in with my current Clint Eastwood themed movie program. Eastwood, at the age of 25, makes his first movie appearance as a fighter pilot.
The film is one of the many giant monster pictures of the 1950's including Them! (ants), Black Scorpion (scorpion), Attack Of The Crab Monsters (crabs), It came From Beneath The Sea (octopus) and The Beginning Of The End (grasshoppers). This time the monster was created by scientific experiments rather than a nuclear explosion. A scientist is attempting to create a nutrient that can help feed the world's population. The nutrient he makes using and atomic isotope causes the animals to grow abnormally large. When there is an explosion in the lab the tarantula receives an accidental dose of the isotope as it escapes from it's cage. Loose in the desert it continues to grow bigger and bigger feeding on horses, cattle and men.
The film is a hoot and utilizes some sophisticated make-up and special effects techniques for it's time. What I really enjoyed was researching the poster for this film. they show the spider carrying a woman off in it's jaws or destroying a large city. I also like the pose of John Agar with the machine gun right out of the film Sands Of Iwo Jima.
At the Movie House rating **1/2 stars ( 1/2 star extra for nostalgia)
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