Earth vs. the Spider (1958)

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writers:

Bert I. Gordon (story)
László Görög (writer)
(more)

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:

Grief | Child In Peril | Giant Insect | Monster On Display | Father Daughter Relationship

Cast

Ed Kemmer	...	Mr. 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 Sanders
Hank Patterson	...	Hugo the River Falls H.S. Janitor
Jack Kosslyn	...	Mr. Fraser, Camera Club Teacher
Bob Garnet	...	Springdale Pest Control Man
Shirley Falls	...	Switchboard Operator
Bob Tetrick	...	Deputy Sheriff Dave
Nancy Kilgas	...	Dancer
George Stanley	...	Man in Cavern
David Tomack	...	Power Line Foreman
Merritt Stone	...	Jack Flynn, Carol's Dad
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dick D'Agostin	...	Pianist (uncredited)

Directed by
Bert I. Gordon

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Bert I. Gordon		story
László Görög		writer
George Worthing Yates		writer

Produced by
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	producer
Bert I. Gordon	....	producer
James H. Nicholson	....	producer
Henry Schrage	....	assistant producer

Original Music by
Albert Glasser

Cinematography by
Jack A. Marta

Production Design by
Walter E. Keller

Set Decoration by
William F. Calvert

Costume Design by
Marjorie Corso

Makeup Department
Kay Shea	....	hair stylist
Allan Snyder	....	makeup artist (as Allen Snyder)

Production Management
Marty Moss	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marty Moss	....	assistant director
John W. Rogers	....	assistant director (as John Rogers)

Art Department
James Harris	....	property master (as Jim Harris)

Sound Department
Al Overton	....	sound recordist
Bruce Schoengarth	....	sound effects editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Calvin A. Maehl	....	chief set electrician (as Cal Maehl)
Del Nodine	....	key grip

Editorial Department
Ronald Sinclair	....	editorial supervisor
Paul Wittenberg	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Albert Glasser	....	conductor
Dr. Samuel Hoffman	....	musician: theremin (uncredited)

Other crew
Jackie Blaisdell	....	special designer
Paul Blaisdell	....	special designer
Jim Dannaldson	....	spider handler
Elayne Garnet	....	script supervisor
Bert I. Gordon	....	special technical effects
Flora M. Gordon	....	assistant technical effects
Thol Simonson	....	special devices

Production Companies

• Santa Rosa Productions

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Video Film Express (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Ryder Sound Services  sound

Also Known As:

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

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Santa Rosa Productions

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:

Revealing mistakes: When the spider is walking down Maple Street to the Kingman's house, you can tell that the set is a miniature. The houses are all tilted to the right and there is a big shadow in the foreground, which is out of focus. In the shot of the real street seconds before, all of the houses are straight, the foreground is in focus, and there is no shadow.

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:

Featured in Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962)

Chilling AIP programmer which succeeds in investing its proceedings with a definite air of spookiness.

When EARTH VS. THE SPIDER crawled onto theatre screens nationwide in 1958 and first appeared on television in 1963 it was under the title THE SPIDER. Thus its current label is somewhat of an enigma. Perhaps the additional prefix of EARTH VS. was part of its original intended title (with actual prints struck as such) but was deemed too ambitious for what actually transpires in the movie. Possibly because of this title's similarity to the Ray Harryhausen epic EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS (released a few years earlier) it was feared to be an infringement on the Harryhausen work (or it could be mistaken as a re-release of same) and was shortened to the more appropriate THE SPIDER.

EARTH VS. THE SPIDER has the handicap of being a steal of Jack Arnold's TARANTULA (1955) and like all giant mutation films of the 1950's following in the wake of the 1954 sci-fi masterpiece THEM! (trying to emulate its distinctive qualities and commercial success) but taken on its own terms it successfully establishes its own eerie atmosphere and excitement that makes it popular today.

Comparison with TARANTULA is unavoidable but while both films utilize an actual tarantula spider (for practical purposes) EARTH VS. THE SPIDER usually manipulates the title protagonist in confined, claustrophobic surroundings when pursuing its intended prey to great effect (the expansive yet enclosed underground caverns, the high school gymnasium and the climatic confrontation on the cavern ledge, etc.). Further this monster also spins a web (unlike the title menace in TARANTULA) and a great deal of suspense and tension is achieved as nosey intruders are caught in it while the wailing bellow of the approaching creature is heard.

The giant spider's cave sanctuary is as much a character as the spider itself and it engenders a tremendous sense of foreboding and dread as the two teenagers and later as the town sheriff, his deputies and some townspeople approach and enter it (the mood is beautifully underscored by Albert Glasser's ominous background music).

In comparison to the technical virtuosity of THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD released the same year (or any Harryhausen film of the period) the special effects in EARTH VS. THE SPIDER are thin beer indeed but adequate. These effects include rear projection, split screens, superimposures, miniatures and forced perspective utilizing photographic plates of famed Carlsbad Caverns. At the film's suspenseful finale there appears to be an unheralded moment of stop motion animation of the giant spider dangling along a precipice and the closing image of the dead creature impaled on stalagmite on the cavern floor (actually a painting) is quite impressive.

All told EARTH VS. THE SPIDER is a film well worth looking into.