Barnes & Noble

A campy throwback to the "giant bug" movies of the '50s, Eight Legged Freaks employs top-flight special effects and tongue-in-cheek humor to bring this sci-fi subgenre up to date. And while director (and co-writer) Ellory Elkayem employs the self-referential dialogue and corny sight gags modern moviegoers have come to expect, he doesn't permit the buffoonery to take center stage. Eight Legged Freaks actually provides more scares and thrills than the drive-in-era "classics" it satirizes. The story unfolds in the sleepy desert town of Prosperity, Arizona, which is menaced by giant arachnids that have mutated through exposure to toxic waste. The local sheriff (Kari Wuhrer) and her teenage daughter (Scarlett Johansson) work to prevent a complete takeover by the bloodthirsty spiders, getting valuable help from Prosperity's prodigal son (David Arquette), who's just returned to his embattled hometown. Producer Dean Devlin, whose previous blockbusters include Independence Day, brings to this film considerable technical expertise, love for old-fashioned sci-fi flicks, and affection for the genre. The script follows a tried-and-true path but occasionally takes unexpected, hilarious detours. Elkayem walks the tightrope between humor and horror with perfect balance, and his actors go through their paces without condescending to the material, trusting the neophyte director to inject laughs where they'll be most effective. He succeeds admirably, making this medium-budget monster movie a rollicking romp you'll enjoy over and over again. The DVD edition sports a feature-length commentary by Elkayem, Devlin, Arquette, and supporting player Rick Overton; it also includes eight spider scenes deleted from the final cut, Elkayem's award-winning short film "Larger Than Life," and a featurette titled "Creepy Crawly Giants." Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

In this throwback monster movie from producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Godzilla), David Arquette plays the son of a deceased mine owner, returning home to the economically depressed hamlet of Prosperity, AZ, after a long absence. His arrival coincides with a toxic waste accident in the local water supply, the result of a barrel jostled loose from the back of a passing truck. Unfortunately, said water source abuts the region's least-popular attraction: an exotic spider farm. The farm's owner (Tom Noonan) becomes the first victim when the spiders, already possessed of keen predatory abilities, grow to the size of small automobiles. Laying in wait underground, they begin picking off the town's pet and ostrich population, and soon it's all the local sheriff (Kari Wuhrer) can do to raise the alarm before the siege begins. Eight Legged Freaks was produced under the working title "Arac Attack," but the politically conscious producers, concerned the title sounded too much like "Iraq Attack," went with Arquette's brainstorm as a safer alternative. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Washington Post

Classic '50s monster stuff. Stephen Hunter

Boston Globe

As green-guts monster movies go, it's a beaut.

Product Details

• UPC: 085392324026
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
• Presentation: Pan & Scan
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:39:00
• Sales Rank: 37,931

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