Mari-Cookie and the Killer Tarantula in 8 Legs to Love You (1998) (V)

User Rating:

3.1/10   

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writers:

Simon Birrell (English dialogue)
Jesus Franco (writer)

Release Date:

1998 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Plot:

When two people have disappeared, the mysterious Tarantula is suspected. |

Plot Keywords:

Female Sheriff | Cult Favorite | Lesbian Sex | B Movie | Female Nudity

Cast

Lina Romay	...	Mari Cookie / Tarantula
Michelle Bauer	...	Sheriff Marga
Linnea Quigley	...	Tere
Amber Newman	...	Amy
Analía Ivars	...	Queen Vicious
Robert King	...	Martin
Pedro Temboury	...	Chuck Morrison (as Peter Temboury)
Mavi Tienda	...	Leona Tarantino
Rachel Sheppard	...	Midwife
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Martinez	...	Chauffeur
Al Pereira	...	Club Bartender

Also Known As:

8 Legs to Love You (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Málaga, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

One Shot Productions

Trivia:

Tarantula lives on Jess Franco Street.

Quotes:

Sheriff Marga: Men are weak and false.

Soundtrack:

It's a Shit Life

Lesbian sex in the old people's home

With One Shot Productions, Jess Franco has found somebody who finances and distributes his home videos.

In Franco's filmography, Mari-Cookie follows Tender Flesh. Whereas the latter was quite a good effort, Mari-Cookie is barely watchable. As so often, Franco stretches material which would be good for 5-10 minutes of film to a full length movie. There are some elements which only a director like Jess Franco could conceive: A shot from inside a vagina (extremely badly executed), an exaggeratedly phony toy spider provided by a digital special effect with a living human face, and the usual extended scenes of voyeurism and exhibitionism, as well as a good musical score. The final showdown where all the trashy elements of the movie (the singing male captive, the toy spider, and so on) dissolve in abstraction is of some interest.

But for the most part, the film is really on the level of an amateur's home video (there is one scene where the microphone is not properly adjusted) obsessed with exhibiting Franco's aging wife having sex with other not so fresh women (except for Amber Newman). I have rarely witnessed such disregard for the audience.

By the way, the Spanish soundtrack is slightly better. E.g., it features Jess Franco as the voice of the tarantula in the opening scene.