Earth vs. the Spider (1958)

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writers:

László Görög (screenplay) and
George Worthing Yates (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

September 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It Must Eat You to Live!

Plot:

Teenagers from a rural community and their high school science teacher join forces to battle a giant mutant spider.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Cave | Night | Ddt | Giant Spider

Cast

Ed Kemmer	...	Professor Art Kingman
June Kenney	...	Carol Flynn
Eugene Persson	...	Mike Simpson (as Gene Persson)
Gene Roth	...	Sheriff Cagle
Hal Torey	...	Mr. Simpson
June Jocelyn	...	Mrs. Jack Flynn
Mickey Finn	...	Sam Haskel, Road Foreman
Sally Fraser	...	Mrs. Helen Kingman
Troy Patterson	...	Joe
Skip Young	...	Sam the Bass Player
Howard Wright	...	Jake
Bill Giorgio	...	Deputy Sheriff Pete Sanders
Hank Patterson	...	Hugo the River Falls H.S. Janitor
Jack Kosslyn	...	Mr. Fraser, Camera Club Teacher
Bob Garnet	...	Springdale Pest Control Man

Also Known As:

Earth vs. the Giant Spider
The Spider (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (Certificate #19120) | USA:Not Rated (DVD) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

This was filmed as "The Spider". Prior to completion, the title was changed to "Earth vs. The Spider" and that was used for the main title on the film itself. When The Fly (1958) became a blockbuster for 20th Century Fox, American International decided to ride on their success by changing the title back to simply "The Spider" on all advertising material. The main title on the film itself was never changed.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Carol gets out of the car to look for her missing father. As she gets out of the passenger side door you can see the film crew and movie camera reflected in the car's black paint.

Quotes:

Mr. Kingman: Well, speaking of spiders - are you sure rifles are just the thing? Insects have a pretty simple nervous system, sherriff. You could plug holes in one all day and never hit a vital spot. If you want to be on the safe side, call the pest control people in Springdale and have 'em send out all the DDT they can find.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) (VG)

Town vs the Spider

The title may be a little misleading, as it's not the 'Earth' that goes against the spider, but a small town. I'm sure this film is compared to the 1955 film, Tarantula and I know Earth vs the Spider receives a lot less love, but I seem to have an affinity for 'B' films and Earth vs the Spider fits right into my love of 'B' films. It has almost 40 year-old people playing teens in some scenes, it has a squealing arachnid and in the director's chair, it has the original Mr B.I.G. himself, Bert I Gordon! Sure, the film has so much going against it, if I want to be perfectly honest, but I just can't help myself.....I adore these classic horror films and the as bad as they can be, the more I love them.