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Tarantula
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Tarantula (1955) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   2,439 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Robert M. Fresco (screenplay) and
Martin Berkeley (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Tarantula on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 December 1955 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Even Science was stunned! more
Plot:
A spider escapes from an isolated desert laboratory experimenting in giantism and grows to tremendous size as it wreaks havoc on the local inhabitants. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Clint Eastwood: The Musical?
 (From Cinematical. 2 February 2009, 11:35 AM, PST)

List: 2008's Most Covetable DVD Box Sets
 (From IFC. 18 December 2008, 8:21 AM, PST)

User Comments:
A Good Edition To The DVD Sci-Fi Ultimate Package more (72 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
John Agar ... Dr. Matt Hastings
Mara Corday ... Stephanie 'Steve' Clayton
Leo G. Carroll ... Prof. Gerald Deemer
Nestor Paiva ... Sheriff Jack Andrews
Ross Elliott ... Joe Burch
Edwin Rand ... Lt. John Nolan
Raymond Bailey ... Townsend
Hank Patterson ... Josh
Bert Holland ... Barney Russell
Steve Darrell ... Andy Andersen
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Giant Tarantula (USA) (informal title)
more
Runtime:
80 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
UK:PG (re-rating) (2006) | UK:X (original rating) | Germany:12 (re-rated) (video) | West Germany:18 | Australia:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #17651) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The tarantula was an actual live spider. Air jets were used to make it move in the desired way over a miniature landscape. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The jets that take off to attack the tarantula at the end of the movie are F-84 "Thunderjets"; however, the attacking jets are F-80 "Shooting Stars". more
Quotes:
Andy Andersen: [viewing what's left of his dead cattle] I never saw anything like it! No footprints! No blood! No sign of a struggle! The bones just stripped clean like peeling a banana! more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
A Good Edition To The DVD Sci-Fi Ultimate Package, 21 October 2006
8/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This is one of those films which starts off with a bang, slows down with a big lull in the middle section, and then finishes strong.

Kudos to the special-effects people to make the giant tarantula scenes look pretty good, even by today's standards some 50 years after this was made. Many times, the huge spider looks real while it's crawling down the road. I would like to have seen one or two more scenes of it in that middle section which would have kept viewers on edge throughout the film. Instead, it got a bit talky in spots.

Anyway, it still entertained and it was fun for me to see Leo G. Carroll, a guy I saw each week growing up watching "Topper" on television. Carroll played, by far, the most interesting character in this movie.

The acting was good in here, too, once again above '50s sci-fi standards. It was one of the better entries in the recently-released Sci-Fi Ultimate DVD set, offered at Best Buy. A pretty good transfer, too.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Tarantula (1955)
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Why? Veletaa
Tarantula (1955) Kcrpg400
6.3? Are you sure? (spoilers) billyfish28
Feel Bad for the Spider mdami75602
Use to scare me haha (still does) nygiants016
Tarantula - Back On TV!! steveegide
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