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Eight Legged Freaks [2002]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Not funny enough to be called a spoof, not scary enough to be outright horror, Eight Legged Freaks is a curious effects-filled pastiche of those mutant B-movies of the 1950s and 60s. The plot is of the standard small-town-overrun-by-giant-spiders variety, after the little critters have been exposed to leaking radiation naturally. Local boy made good David Arquette has returned to the town to make amends with the woman he loves (feisty Sheriff Kari Wuhrer) and to stop the dastardly mayor from selling his father's mine. But before he can sort that out, there is a lot of bug squashing to be done as the CGI spiders cause all manner of havoc and mayhem.

Eight Legged Freaks is admittedly a lot of fun, and there are some great set-pieces to enjoy, including a gang of teenage dirt bikers escaping a horde of jumping spiders. It's also quite gory in places, though with only a couple of decent shocks it's hardly likely to induce large-scale arachnophobia. The spiders are impressive but the CGI is painfully obvious and it never feels real. However, if you can suspend your disbelief for an hour and a half you will enjoy this pacey, fun and action-filled popcorn flick. It doesn't ever take itself too seriously and is certainly a lot more fun than producer Dean Devlin's other genre entries, Godzilla and Independence Day.

On the DVD: Eight Legged Freaks offers some nice, B-movie poster-style menu screens but little in the way of extras. There's no making-of, no special effects breakdowns (astonishing given how heavily reliant it is on these to tell the story) and not even any spider-related factoids which seem almost a necessity. What we do get, though, is a fun and sprightly commentary, the theatrical trailer and director's Ellory Elkayem original short film Larger than Life, that formed the basis for its feature-length offspring. Compact, creepy and almost silent, it's a shudder-inducing little movie and far more creepy than the main feature. Technically, the picture is sharp and the bright, comic book colours and cinematography look gorgeous, and the squelching soundtrack is wonderfully crisp. --Jon Weir


Eight-legged fun - obviously made with love for the genre
Review date: 2008-11-04 Rating: 8 out of 10


Eight-legged freaks is both a comedy and some not-really-horror with a dash of romance and a big debt to the monster B-movies of the sixties.

It plays as a kind of cross between the tv-series Eerie Indiana and every small-town attacked by (birds, bats, bugs - take your pick) film that you have ever seen. You know, kid sees giant spider, no-one believes him and people start disappearing...

But for this reason it doesn't fit comfortably in any genre category and possibly this is why it was fairly unsuccessful at the box office because it couldn't easily be marketed (like Clive Barker's Nightbreed - Walt Disney meets Elm Street+Friday 13th! - really!)

However, this shouldn't distract you from it being an enormously enjoyable movie for boys (big and small) with giant bugs, shot-guns, and gallons of green spider-goo (rather than gore).

It's funny (spider attacks guy dressed up in Jason Vorhee mask), stupid (spider fights cat in wall cavity resulting in cat-shape bashed in the wall Tom and Jerry style), and whimsical (spiders make silly little noises when running and getting hurt).

The special effects are so good you'll hardly notice them (that's a compliment) and the actors make a good job of what is really a hammy script playing next to CGI.

It's not perfect, and gets a little formulaic towards the end but all in all it's a delight to see a film that enjoys itself and has obviously been made by people who love the idea of their big sister almost getting eaten by a 10ft Orb Weaver Spider....don't tell my sister.

Douglas Cartwright



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Reviews


Crap but in a good way
Review date: 2008-09-04 Rating: 8 out of 10

Eight Legged Freaks is a film that is so bad, its good. A barrel of toxic waste falls into a pond in the town of Prosverity, Arizona. The crickets that live in the pond get contaminated and when they are eaten by the spiders at a local spider farm, the spiders grow to an enormous size and go on a ramage eating cats, ostriches and people! Great film for a Friday night.

SPIDERS!!!! (IN FUNNY AND BETTER VERSION)
Review date: 2007-03-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

Funniest film I've ever seen!
great effects and acting!
a strong and extremly gory + funny
storyline!
Fantastic ending!
A start of something cool!
SPiders growing big and
sucking the blood
out of people!!

Who would hate that????

Buy it now for:
for entertainment and to laugh
your butt off!!


BUY IT!!! NOW!
Review date: 2007-03-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

Bloody fantastic this is

Eight Legged Freaks is admittedly a lot of fun, and
there are some great set-pieces to enjoy, including a gang of teenage dirt bikers escaping a horde of
jumping spiders. It's also quite gory in places, though with only a couple of decent shocks it's hardly likely to
induce large-scale arachnophobia.
The spiders are impressive and or
However, if you can suspend your
disbelief for an hour and a half you will enjoy this pacey, fun and action-filled popcorn
flick. It doesn't ever take itself too seriously
and is certainly a lot more fun than producer Dean Devlin's other genre entries,
Godzilla and Independence Day.

BUY Eight Legged Freaks
now and be very smart

A no go zone!! It needs a quarintine sign!!
Review date: 2005-10-27 Rating: 2 out of 10

Like any other person, I love movies and I want to make sure that I'm getting a good movie for my hard-earned cash. As you probably feel the same, then believe me on this one my friend, take your cash else where.
Eight-legged freaks is an exetremely trashy movie from start to finish. It was poor in it's standards of action and humour with some sick twists. Don't get me wrong, I love sick twists. Jack-ass the movie is awesome. But this film is 'poor' with it's sick twists. If you know what I mean.
So, heed my words. If you want a 'good' movie about spiders, get spider-man.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Kari Wuhrer
Scarlett Johansson
Scott Terra
Doug E. Doug
David Arquette

Creators:
David Arquette (Primary Contributor)
Kari Wuhrer (Primary Contributor)
Ellory Elkayem (Writer)
Bruce Berman (Producer)
Dean Devlin (Producer)
Kelly Van Horn (Producer)
Peter Winther (Producer)
Jesse Alexander (Writer)
Randy Kornfield (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900232401
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2003-02-17
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 95 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2002-07-17
Language: English (Original Language)

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