2011 Movie #30: Arachophobia (1990)
by admin on Oct.04, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web
Reposted from Family-Friendly Halloween Movie Countdown | Go to Original Post
“Come on, let’s go find that spider. And let’s find your mom to take care of that spider. Honey, we’re in the living room. We need you to kill a spider.”
We jump from totally kid-friendly “Winnie the Pooh: Frankenpooh and Spookable Pooh” to a movie that’s somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, family film age range-wise. Today’s movie does feature some shocks and jumps, but also a generous helping of mature language. See below for specifics. If you’re OK with that, sit back, relax, and enjoy watching your kids squirm…
Family-Friendliness
- Rating: PG-13
- Minimum Recommended Age: 12 (Common Sense Media: Ages 12 and up)
- Quality Rating: 73% (Rotten Tomatoes Average Rating: 6.7, Common Sense Media rating: 4 stars)
- Recommended by Lists:
- Sex/Violence/Profanity: See screen caps below for details
Sex: 2/10
No full toplessness, but female flesh as a spider in a
shower crawls between a girl’s exposed cleavage. Science discussion of the sex organs possessed by the species of spider involved. Suggestion that (married) humans and (unmarried) spiders are about to have sex.Profanity: 3/10
“Damn,” “hell,” the s-word, “SOB,” “God-damned.”Violence: 6/10
Spider bites, a few in closeup, resulting in seizures and death. A sight of hideously withered human and animal corpses. Spiders are squashed and burned; human victims include a nice old lady and a high school athlete. Climactic incendiaries and explosions, and even a projectile weapon.“I’m not ready to retire, Doctor. And if my wife can’t rush me into it, you sure as hell can’t, either.”
“In my opinion, Dr. Metcalf isn’t aware of the difference between his ass and a hole in the ground.”
“Ross, you’re a fine doctor. I’m sure you knew exactly what you were doing when you took her off those pills.” “Ah, like I knew what I was doing when I chose this town, with the country doctor from hell.”
“Damn!” “What’s wrong?” “Some damn thing bit me!” “It’s just a spider.” “Spider? Felt like a damn cougar! Damn! Damn!”
- Running Time: 103 minutes
- What does it have to do with Halloween? Nothing, except for spiders
Summary
Referring to the fear of spiders, Arachnophobia features a particularly deadly species of spider that manages to make its way from the Venezuelan rain forest to a small California town, thanks to the many oversights of entomologist Julian Sands. Yuppie doctor Jeff Daniels, fed up with the dangers inherent in big-city living, has resettled in this town on the assumption that nothing untoward could ever happen here to himself and his family. Before long, however, Daniels is trying to make sense of a series of sudden deaths-and to figure out why each of the corpses has been drained of blood. The audience, of course, knows that the culprits are those pesky South American spiders, which grow larger with each kill. To make matters worse, Jeff Daniels suffers from a profound case of arachnophobia. John Goodman supports the cast as a slovenly exterminator, and Frank Marshall, longtime producer of Steven Spielberg’s films, makes his directorial debut in Arachnophobia.
Watch Out For
Common Sense Media
Parents need to know that this horror-comedy features spider-bite-seizure deaths of likeable characters, including grandparent-ish types and imperiled house pets, and there is one particularly hideous corpse. Dialogue includes swearing (at the PG-level), and there is some naked female anatomy strategically revealed in a shower sequence. Needless to say, young (and old) viewers with a morbid fear of spiders may find some of the visuals uncomfortable or nightmare-inducing. There is the use of a nail gun as a weapon that may encourage unwise copycat behavior among kids.
Talk About It
Common Sense Media
Families can talk about spiders in real life, including the bird-eating spiders of the tropics (that obviously inspired the fictional species here). Why are spiders so creepy? Ask children if they fear spiders or can tolerate them.
For responsible opposing viewpoints, study up on the beneficial aspects of spiders, or read pro-spider storybooks such as Charlotte’s Web.
Discuss how this movie doesn’t go the giant-mutant-bug route of sci-fi thrillers like Tarantula and Eight Legged Freaks; spiders here are realistically sized. Talk about the “inverse square law,” a scientific truth oft violated by Hollywood, in which the larger an animal is, the heavier its supporting anatomy has to be. Therefore invertebrates like the ones in giant-insect flicks would be squashed by their own massive exoskeletons.
Of Note
- This was film maker Frank Marshall’s first directorial effort, and the first picture released by Hollywood Pictures
- Marshall meant for the film to be like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, and added, “People like to be scared but laughing, like a roller coaster. No one wants to be terrified.”
- The film made use of 374 Avondale spiders, from New Zealand, which were picked for their large size, unusually social lifestyle, and because they are essentially harmless to humans. They were guided around the set by the use of heat and cold, but the large “queen” was an articulated model.
- To create the sound effects of spiders being stepped on or squished, Foley artists stepped on mustard packs or squashed potato chips.
On TV
Tue. Oct. 4, 2011 at 5:30 PM on SYFY
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