BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Phil Hubbs Sounds good doesn't it? I was expecting a black and white masterpiece of the 50's when I first came across this. Alas its actually from the mid 70's which means its in colour and full of dodgy hairstyles and fashion. Still, can't not be intrigued with a title like that huh.So somewhere in rural (always rural) Wisconsin a meteorite crash lands which lights up the sky on impact (literally lights up the sky with some awful colour effects). Now somehow, don't ask me how, but somehow this meteorite contains lots of spiders, all of which look remarkably like spiders here on Earth (don't question it). These spiders seem to vary in size from your regular tarantula size (because they are tarantulas), to dog size, to house size.I'm not too sure how these spiders survived the impact but they do appear to be cocooned within small circular rocks (rocks which also contain diamonds!). So I guess that sorts that (?). But do they spawn in the rocks? Do they use the rocks as shields against the vacuum of space? What do they feed on? Where did they come from? When they emerge on Earth why do they start to grow slowly? Why do they grow to such enormous sizes?The main crux of the movie is of course the spiders, but leading up to that there are various boring subplots surrounding various characters. We are introduced to each individual and shown what type of person they are. Not that that matters much because this was a low-budget affair only intent on showing you spiders eating people. But sure enough, this being the countryside most of the townsfolk are hick types bordering on rednecks. Most of these rather unwashed looking characters are generally either in troubled relationships or simply up to no good such as one character trying to sweet talk an underage female (gulp!).I guess I should point out that a few of the actors in this movie are/were well known stars on American TV shows as well as movies of the time. Director Bill Rebane managed to do what Quentin Tarantino once did which was gather together a bunch of forgotten stars (probably on the cheap) who were happy for the work. Obviously the quality of film and outcome differed slightly.Anyway back to the arachnids (effects). So what are they like, the effects. Well whaddaya think they're gonna be like? Obviously all the effects are pretty much on the cheap and homemade, but with much care and attention. There are plenty of wispy cobwebs hanging about the place and they do use quite a lot of real tarantulas which is quite effective for certain shots. There are also some bigger shock sequences such as a house (room set) being torn apart by the giant spider; and a guy getting mauled by the giant spider in his car which leads to a crash and explosion. I was actually reasonably impressed with the real tarantulas popping out of the ball shaped diamond encrusted space rocks (almost like eggs). Clearly they did put real tarantulas inside these balls and sprung them open to reveal the creepy contents.The larger spiders is where things obviously go down hill somewhat. A large dog sized spider leaps onto one female character at one point which is quite amusing. Its very obvious someone threw this rubber spider at the actress...and its quality stuff. The oversized fangs, wobbly legs, and eyes are especially top quality. But its the giant spider that wreaks havoc on the town that is the big draw. Apparently the effects guys built this thing out of a VW Beetle; simply covering it with black fur, big legs, and using the rear lights as eyes. The crew operated the legs from inside the car. Ingenious if I do say so myself because the bottom half of the spider vehicle is always out of sight, which does actually give the solid illusion of a slow moving giant spider roaming the US countryside. There are quite a few shots showing this thing in the distance and it genuinely does look quite good. Its was also quite gory too. This giant VW spider has big fangs below its (two) big red eyes and doesn't hesitate to slam them into its victims as they are dragged up into its gaping maw. I assume the crew inside are pulling the actor inside the car via the sunroof when the spider eats someone. But this simply action is well edited and accompanied by a good gallon of blood that flows down the victims body. All in all its pretty satisfying to see people getting eaten by this mega arachnid or watch crowds of people flee from it. That and the individually moving legs, overall its a solid effect cleverly thought out.I love how despite everything that occurs you never see any real police, army, or scientific presence. Its like no one outside that town knows whats going on at all and no one thinks to call for any external help. Pretty much all the characters are scummy or too gruff and you don't care about them. Plenty of stock footage, a staple of these cheap crappy movies. Day and night switching between shots in classic Ed Wood style. The movies explanation for the spider invasion is ridiculous, an interdimensional gateway. The solution? A Caltech neutron initiator ('it just might work!'), like yeah...whatever you say bud. Apparently they drop this thing in the meteorite crater and switch it on. This does something that closes the interdimensional gate which in turn causes all the spiders to melt (an admittedly neat little melty effect sequence). Like I said, don't question it.You probably know not to expect too much from a movie like this. A cheap sci-fi B-movie that looks like its been shot on a camcorder. Visually it looks like a shoddy exploitation movie at times. Those 70's styles and especially the violent and panicky street mob sequences. Its a throwback to the corny giant bug movies of the 50's (check that poster), yet they made it to genuinely compete with 'Jaws'! Somehow this went on to make quite a bit of money for Transcentury Pictures and has since become a cult. I can understand why but for me personally I think it would be a lot more enjoyable and effective in black and white (and set in the glorious 50's).'if it doesn't work, then old buddy we've got company for dinner'5.5/10

Zeegrade Not enough credit, or perhaps discredit, is alloted to Bill Rebane as a director on level with Ed Wood and quite frankly it's wrong. His movies have that feeling of incredulity and confusion along with community college level acting that seems to endear as many viewers as are repulsed by seeing them. Don't interpret this the wrong way, his films are still awful on a scale not frequently seen, they just have that little something extra that sort of makes you smile after the fact. Kind of like when your five year old swears. You're angry that he/she did it but afterwords you chuckle to yourself. When no one is around of course. A meteor is seen crashing into the Wisconsin countryside by NASA as they send Dr. Vance to investigate. Once there he teams up with Dr. Jenny Langer, after he carpet bombs her with sexist stereotypes, and they discover that the geodes are filled with icky spiders. Vance and Langer go up the hill and both go tumbling down. Vaaaaaaaaance! Meanwhile white trash Kester is cheating on his alcoholic wife Ev with a woman who I must assume is blind. With his long underwear and back brace Kester is definitely doing his part to bring sexy back. Alan Hale Jr. pays his sizable buffet tab by playing the useless town sheriff who looks more comfortable scarfing down a stack of pancakes at the local Perkins than serving and protecting. Eventually the giant spider makes his way to Gleason just in time to ruin the softball tournament. Whatta jerk! I've made many a trip to cheeseland a let me tell you that the population there is pretty hokey with all of its fake Indian trinkets and goofy "hay dere" dialect but Giant Spider Invasion portrays Wisconsonians as southern gutter trash. Kester and Ev are especially guilty of this as they are more apt for some trailer park in Alabama. I had a chance to watch the full length movie after seeing this on Mystery Science Theatre and was a little sickened by two scenes involving Terry played by Diane Lee Hart. Now mind you she is playing a seventeen year old girl when she is being sized up by Kester and then caught topless by his cousin that eerily resembles Charles Manson. How this got a PG rating is mystifying to me. The movie redeems itself however when Dr. Vance pulverizes Dr. Langer as they tumble down the hill. At one point he rolls over her head. May the giant spider's soul rest with the spirit of Tommy Bartlett.

MartinHafer I saw this movie right after the god-awful MONSTER A GO-GO, but unlike this other film, THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION was bad but also kept my interest because it was so silly and a bit trashy--just the sort of film you and your friends can enjoy laughing at because it's so dopey.The worst thing about this film are the special effects. The outer space shots were just terrible and later in the film, the giant tarantula scenes were incredibly silly--not 100% bad--just very, very silly. Seeing the legs bobbing up and down was a hoot.The next worst thing is the White Trash aspects of the film. Although shot in Wisconsin (a veritable film mecca), many of the main characters are trashy hillbillies that seemed a bit out of place. But they were so badly overplayed and such terrible stereotypes that they looked more like characters from the game "Redneck Rampage" or perhaps guests on "The Jerry Springer Show" than real people. Such terrible writing and acting has to be seen to believed.Now this is a very bad film but not quite bad enough to make the hallowed pantheon of badness. A few scenes (not many, of course) were pretty good and the story, while dumb, is watchable. Plus, it's kind of fun to watch Alan Hale, Jr. playing one of the laziest and least effective sheriffs since "The Dukes of Hazzard". Once, early in the film, he called a kid "little buddy" because he appears to have forgotten that "Gilligan's Island" had been canceled.Overall, this isn't Shakespeare, but with the title of this film you certainly couldn't expect anything different.FYI--There is a tiny bit of nudity in the film. It's gratuitous and parents are cautioned about letting younger kids view this film--not just because of the nudity but because a film this stupid might just have serious long term effects on a young child's brain!!

graduatedan Spiders as big as Volkswagens come to Earth and wreak havoc in a small town in this cheesy but rather enjoyable flick. The arachnids are up to no good, as is usually the case, and before long they're munching on the locals. The town's sheriff, played by Allan Hale Jr. enlists the aid of a scientist(Barbara Hale)in order to get to the bottom of all the eight legged nastiness. Unlike some B films, The Giant Spider Invasion doesn't try to hide its low budget heritage and, in this case, that works to the films' advantage. The pacing is good, the acting is restrained and the cinematography is effective more often than not. Like many other films of its type, The Giant Spider Invasion relies on your willingness to squint a bit at the watery special effects and uneven story. If you can do that, you'll have a good time.