Spider Baby
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| Spider Baby | |
|---|---|
 Movie Poster from Spider_Baby |
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| Directed by | Jack Hill |
| Produced by | Gil Lasky Paul Monka |
| Written by | Jack Hill |
| Starring | Lon Chaney Jr. Sid Haig Jill Banner Beverly Washburn |
| Music by | Ronald Stein |
| Cinematography | Alfred Taylor |
| Editing by | Jack Hill |
| Distributed by | American General Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 18 January 1968 |
| Running time | 86 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $65,000 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Spider Baby (1964) also known as The Maddest Story Ever Told, is the title of a horror-comedy cult film directed and written by Jack Hill. Although filmed in August and September 1964, the film was not released until 1968 due to the bankruptcy of the original producer (Source: IMDB).
The film suffered from poor marketing as well as a series of inappropriate title changes, sometimes being shown as The Liver Eaters, Attack of the Liver Eaters, or Cannibal Orgy, or The Maddest Story Ever Told. None of these alternate titles relates to the story.
A remake of the film is currently under production and is expected to be released in 2008 [1].
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[edit] Plot summary
Three children of the Merrye family live in a decaying rural mansion with their guardian and chauffeur, Bruno (Lon Chaney, Jr.). The children suffer from "Merrye Syndrome", a genetic affliction unique to members of their family, which causes them to mentally, socially, and physically regress backwards down the evolutionary ladder, starting in late childhood. When two distant relatives and their lawyer arrive to take control of the property as rightful heirs, Bruno's shaky control over the children is lost. Chaos and insanity take over. [1]
The children, played by Sid Haig, Jill Banner, and Beverly Washburn are inbred, demented and dangerous. They are overgrown teen "psycho" children, exhibiting playfulness and even innocence blended with brutality and feral madness. One of the daughters, Virginia (Jill Banner), is obsessed with spiders, thus, "Spider Baby". She stalks and eats bugs, moving in a strange and spider-like grace. She also wraps unsuspecting victims in her rope "web", and then "stings" them to death using two butcher knives. In one scene, while murdering an innocent delivery-man (played by Mantan Moreland), Virginia cuts off one of his ears, which she then keeps in a match box.
Spider Baby's brother, Ralph, is perfectly, creepily played by Sid Haig. Ralph is a cat-killing, sexually advanced, but mentally deficient simpleton who travels through the house via the dumb-waiter speaking only in grunts and leers.
Such strange goings on have been hidden from public view until the snooping greedy relatives, Peter and Emily, arrive to take possession of the property. Bruno (Chaney), the children's sworn and even loving protector, has, up until now, been able to maintain control and keep the family secrets. But once Peter and Emily arrive with their lawyer and his assistant, they insist on staying at the house. Dinner is served, and it includes a dead cat, insects, unknown mushrooms, and other repulsive dishes. Ralph munches happily on the cat he has killed.
When Bruno leaves on an errand, despite warning the children to "behave", events spiral downhill as the Merrye kids run merrily amok. The smarmy lawyer, apty named "Schlocker" (played by Karl Schanzer) is murdered. Strange beastly relatives who live in the basement are unleashed. Ladies wander about in black undies, and Ralph enjoys the loose women.
Bruno returns, knowing that he has lost control and that family secrets will be revealed...but he ends it all with a mess of dynamite, blowing himself, the house, and the children to bits.
We are led to believe that the explosion destroys not only the kids, but also the family curse of "Merrye Syndrome". But a question remains: Is that really the case?
The tone of the film is dark and weirdly humorous. Several references are made to the 1941 "scary movie", The Wolf Man, which is one of Chaney's most famous character creations. Cheyney "sings" the theme song that plays over the opening titles...sounding like a parody of the pop-song, Monster Mash.
Cinematography is by Alfred Taylor, who had previously worked on the cult movie The Atomic Brain, and who later became famous for his work on the television series The Paper Chase. The entire production cost about $65,000, and took only 6 to 7 days to shoot in black and white. Media:internet movie data base
[edit] Stage Adaptations
A musical version is making the rounds of small community theaters looking for a wider audience. It opened at the Empty Space theater in Bakersfield, California on Halloween 2004. In October 2007, it opened in Brookings, Oregon at the local Grange Hall, and in Orlando, Florida at the Black Orchid Theater.
In 2008 a concert/reading is planned by the Thrillpeddlers as part of the Shocktober fest at the Hypnodrome in San Francisco California.
In 2009 a full stage version is planned at Bakersfield Community Theatre in Bakersfield California
Another interesting tidbit is that the soundtrack for the musical version was the very last thing recorded at Buck Owens famous recording studio in Bakersfield CA
[edit] 2008 Remake
In 2007, independent film producer Tony DiDio began preparing a remake of the film. It will feature the 1968 version's director Jack Hill as executive producer and Jeff Broadstreet as director [2].
Broadstreet stated in an interview “We’re going to stick very closely to the basic story of the original film, and at the same time dig deeper into the backstory of the inbred Merrye family". The new script by Robert Valding “expands on the themes of unconditional love, and also the story elements of cannibalism and the mutant relatives in the basement" [3].
The film is expected to have a budget of $3-5Million, and according to IMDb, is due for release sometime in 2008 [4].
[edit] DVD
In 1999, a DVD of the film's original Laser Disc transfer was released. The DVD included a cast and crew re-union and a commentary track by Hill. In 2007, Dark Sky Films released the definitive version featuring Hill's Director's Cut, a new commentary with co-star Sid Haig and multiple documentaries on the making of the film.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=5412
- ^ http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=5412
- ^ http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=5412
- ^ Spider Baby (2008)
