Saturday 20 June 2015

Spider Baby - 1967 ***

 
This is such a bizarre film. It's hard to know whether to laugh hysterically or be utterly freaked out. I know it's turned into a hard to find cult classic now which is fine, and it seems obvious that it set the tone for 'House of 1000 Corpses' which is one of my favourite horrors. It's also got Lon Chaney Jr playing quite a big role, and he is almost unrecognisable.
The Merrye family are the last living descendants of an inbred generation. They also have a genetic condition whereby they become more and more immature the older they get. Oh, and the whole family are crazed cannibals who kill visitors and eat them. Bruno, the family chauffeur has such a fondness for his family that he covers up the ghastly crimes of the two girls Virginia and Elizabeth, especially when greedy relatives appear, desperate to make a quick buck from the family estate. But the truth never stays hidden for long. Especially when you are surrounded by utterly deranged lunatics. Features regularly on the '50 Worst Films Ever Made' lists which tells you something about the quality, but in all seriousness I have seen worse films out at present with even less of a storyline.
Released 3 years after it was made due to the film company going bankrupt. It's almost impossible to find now so when you do find it it's worth savouring it.

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