Eight Legged Freaks (2002)

Director:

Ellory Elkayem

Writers (WGA):

Ellory Elkayem (story) &
Randy Kornfield (story) ...

Release Date:

17 July 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Do you hate spiders? Do you really hate spiders? Well they don't like you either.

Plot:

A variety of horrible poisonous spiders get exposed to a noxious chemical that causes them to grow to monumental proportions.

Plot Keywords:

Spider | Cell Phone | Father Son Relationship | Radio Station | Handcuffs

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Arquette	...	Chris McCormick
Kari Wuhrer	...	Sheriff Samantha Parker
Scott Terra	...	Mike Parker
Scarlett Johansson	...	Ashley Parker
Doug E. Doug	...	Harlan Griffith
Rick Overton	...	Deputy Pete Willis
Leon Rippy	...	Wade
Matt Czuchry	...	Bret
Jay Arlen Jones	...	Leon
Eileen Ryan	...	Gladys
Riley Smith	...	Randy
Matt Holwick	...	Larry
Jane Edith Wilson	...	Emma
Jack Moore	...	Amos
Roy Gaintner	...	Floyd

Also Known As:

Arac Attack (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence, brief sexuality and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #38699) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (theatrical rating) | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Austria:10 | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-11 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:I | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The title did not come from the script, the director or the studio. In one scene, actor David Arquette improvised the phrase "Eight Legged Freaks" and that became the title. The original title was "Arac Attack" (in many European countries the film was released under that title).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Chris takes precautions not to ignite the methane gas in the mine, but proceeds to drive through the tunnel on a gas powered dirk bike. Certainly operating a combustion engine around the gas would create a spark that would ignite the gas.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Harlan: Do you know fear?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#28.4)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Strangers in the Night

A fun monster movie

Eight Legged Freaks (2002) is a surprisingly good movie. Basically the story of toxic-waste mutated spiders attacking an isolated desert town, this could have seriously sucked, but the film has a sense of humor about it. In a way, it reminds me of Gremlins and Tremors, two monster movies that also had a really nasty sense of humor about them. All of these films are essentially replicas of cheesy 50's movies, but done with modern special effects. The good effects do not in any way make these films any less cheesy, but they are fun. A good chunk of this film takes place in a mall, and there are some definite nods to both Aliens and Dawn of the Dead. A couple of the funnier moments have to be when an old man is stalked in a sporting-goods store while a Muzak version of "Strangers in the Night" plays in the background while a guy in a hockey mask with a chainsaw battles the spiders (Jason vs. Arachnids?).

Is the film plausible? Not in the slightest. Is it fun? Oh yeah! Mindlessly cheesy horror at its best. No nudity, light language, lots of violence, 8/10. Not a good idea for those scared of spiders.

PS The director (a young man from New Zealand) included the short that inspired this movie on the DVD release. It's worth watching too.