A 1968 black comedy horror film, written and directed by Jack Hill. It stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as Bruno, the chauffeur and caretaker of three orphaned siblings who suffer from “Merrye Syndrome”, which causes them to mentally, socially, and physically regress backwards down the evolutionary ladder starting in early puberty. Jill Banner, Carol Ohmart, Quinn Redeker, Mary Mitchel, and Karl Schanzer also star.
In 2012, the film was preserved by the Academy Film Archive, using the original camera negative. A new fine grain master positive, new duplicate negative, and new prints were created, as well as analog and digital soundtrack masters.
A user review from IMDB:
Quote:
Wonderfully creepy and mad!, 11 September 2002
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia
‘Spider Baby’ is a wonderfully inventive and original b-grade movie full of mad fun. Writer/director Jack Hill began as a Roger Corman protege, co-writing ‘The Terror’ and also working on Coppola’s underrated ‘Dementia 13’, before striking out on his own with ‘Spider Baby’, a movie which became embroiled in a legal dispute and took four years to get released. Hill went on to direct Pam Grier movies and the trash classic ‘Switchblade Sisters’ in the Seventies, but it’s arguable whether he ever surpassed this cult favourite. Horror legend Lon Chaney, Jr stars with a very thoughtful performance(!), and ‘Dementia 13’s Mary Mitchel and Karl Schanzer, and ‘The House On Haunted Hill’s Carol Ohmart are among the supporting cast, but the real stars are newcomers Jill Banner as the bewitching Virginia, and the remarkable Sid Haig as the unforgettable Ralph. Banner went on to appear in the dazzling ‘The President’s Analyst’ before her untimely death, while Haig’s ongoing career included several movies with Jack Hill, including blaxsploitation classic ‘Coffy’, and Lucas’ ‘THX 1138’. ‘Spider Baby’ is a brilliant example of what can be achieved on a small budget with some originality and willingness to take risks.
3.34GB | 1h 24mn | 1200×720 | mkv
Language(s):English, English (Commentary)
Subtitles:English