TARANTULA is one of those classic '50s monster movies that are beloved of anybody with any affection for the genre whatsoever. These films all had the same template: a huge beastie, brought about by scientific experiments gone wrong, a natural disaster or simply from outer space, wreaks havoc across the world to the desperation of the army who are powerless to stop it. This film ticks all the boxes and remains a camp gem despite having a distinctive lack of 'monster action'; indeed the first hour is all build up, with the giant spider hijinks restrained to the last fifteen minutes. But what a great fifteen minutes they are!
Even though the effects are poor (the giant tarantula is clearly see-through) they make one heck of an impact as we watch humans and vehicles chased by the absolutely massive marauding insect. There's death aplenty, along with plenty of explosions and a cameo from a pre-stardom Clint Eastwood as a fighter pilot called in to bomb the beast. Who knew that Eastwood began his career by bombing the heck out of a tarantula? The first hour retains interest thanks to the storyline surrounding misguided scientist (are there any other?) Leo G. Carroll, who's attempting to devise a means of feeding an increasingly growing global population (just think, he tells us: by the year 2000 there will be six billion people on the plant! Yeah, tell me about it!). In effect this means he's injecting the hell out of all manner of critters, turning guinea pigs into the side of pigs. Then there's one of those laboratory brawls that I love; this one reminded me of the one in THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, as Carroll is attacked by a deformed colleague. He ends up being injected with his own serum, which causes his face to swell and distort rapidly in some pioneering, horrifying special effects work glimpsed towards the climax.
Investigating the mayhem is B-movie staple John Agar, who delivers his lines with aplomb and proves to be a solid leading man. Pretty Mara Corday is the female lead, who naturally strikes up a relationship with our handsome hero and proves to have a bit more about her than most leading women of the period. Carroll is excellent as the doomed scientist. The proceedings are helmed by Jack Arnold, no stranger to the genre for his Universal classic CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, and he does a fine job at crafting suspense and choreographing the mutant mayhem. This is a B-movie gem and what the '50s were all about.
Even though the effects are poor (the giant tarantula is clearly see-through) they make one heck of an impact as we watch humans and vehicles chased by the absolutely massive marauding insect. There's death aplenty, along with plenty of explosions and a cameo from a pre-stardom Clint Eastwood as a fighter pilot called in to bomb the beast. Who knew that Eastwood began his career by bombing the heck out of a tarantula? The first hour retains interest thanks to the storyline surrounding misguided scientist (are there any other?) Leo G. Carroll, who's attempting to devise a means of feeding an increasingly growing global population (just think, he tells us: by the year 2000 there will be six billion people on the plant! Yeah, tell me about it!). In effect this means he's injecting the hell out of all manner of critters, turning guinea pigs into the side of pigs. Then there's one of those laboratory brawls that I love; this one reminded me of the one in THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, as Carroll is attacked by a deformed colleague. He ends up being injected with his own serum, which causes his face to swell and distort rapidly in some pioneering, horrifying special effects work glimpsed towards the climax.
Investigating the mayhem is B-movie staple John Agar, who delivers his lines with aplomb and proves to be a solid leading man. Pretty Mara Corday is the female lead, who naturally strikes up a relationship with our handsome hero and proves to have a bit more about her than most leading women of the period. Carroll is excellent as the doomed scientist. The proceedings are helmed by Jack Arnold, no stranger to the genre for his Universal classic CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, and he does a fine job at crafting suspense and choreographing the mutant mayhem. This is a B-movie gem and what the '50s were all about.