Spook Out! Day 5 ~ Arachnophobia (1990)

Amazon Says...
"An unexpected guest causes a web of chaos."

I Say...
More like web of deaths. Also, surprisingly succinct, Amazon. Nice job.

Horror Type...
Comedy Horror, Creature Feature

Main Players...

Jeff Daniels as Ross Jennings (Determined Doc)

Harley Jane Kozak as Molly Jennings (Sensible Spouse)

Julian Sands as Dr. James Atherton (Arachnid Aficionado)

I liked...

• how it engrossed me straight away, and not just bc of Julian Sands being all smoldery British sexy W00F (le rawr freakin RAWR)
• that when we meet Ross and Molly, we learn pretty quickly why everything that's about to go down is the worst possible thing Ross could ever have to deal with, but also,
• that Ross deals with it all like a friggin boss
• the bits of foreshadowing, delicately sprinkled here and there, so subtle you might miss them
• how Ross, et al (once the locals stop crapping on him for being a city-slicking outsider), methodically investigate and process the clues, making this flick almost equal parts small-town drama, creature-feature, and police procedural--leading to disaster-movie-level danger
• the humor--some stuff made me LOL, even if it was patented late '80s cheese, bc...
• the scares! Spiders fixing to drop on you when you're showering? Or climbing up from the toilet just when you've settled in for a good read? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!

The Meh...

• the pacing was mostly good, but it was definitely a slow burn and could've been edited down at least ten minutes or so without losing anything important
• that smarmy, shitty soundtrack. Le suck.

Would I recommend it...?

I would, though I wonder if a lot of my love for this movie stems from nostalgia...perhaps younger audiences wouldn't be too into it? It's heavy on the creep factor and does have a few jump scares (one had me catching my breath and goosebumpy), though if spiders don't wig you out as they do me, you might consider it a bit tame for a horror movie...

Miscellany...

• This is a re-watch for me, and I've always had the warm and fuzzies for Arachnophobia. In the first place, bc I adore comedic horror, but mainly because of the era it captures (despite the crappy music and, I'm sorry, the UGLY dresses on the townies and the boxy tops Molly wears--UGH). I'd pretty much forgotten everything except for Jeff Daniels, John Goodman (hilarious), and spiders. Loved sinking into it again today. 💜
• Curiously, I came upon a spider's web today, in my parents' garden. A big one, spanning across a little path between beanstalks. Something curled up and brown was caught up in that thing, hard to tell what...hmmm...I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

Ratings...

My Grade: A-, though I admit that nostalgia-colored glasses nudged it up from a B+

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=92%, Audience Score=54%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched Arachnophobia on Amazon (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other streaming platforms)

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 5 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

The Liebster, Reloaded!

In the continued vein of catching up with stuff...

The grooky (groovy + kooky = grooky) ghouls over at Horror Shock Lolipop bestowed this upgraded Liebster Award upon me a few weeks ago. I've received it before, but with different rules (which I nonetheless intend to bend a bit, but still...protocol, you know). Thanks so much for thinking of me, Madame Luciel, Erinia Spooky, Lilia Tombs, and—ahem—Vagina Galore! :-D

The Rules:

• Post 11 things about yourself
• Answer the questions the tagger has set for you
• Create 11 questions for the people you have tagged to answer
• Choose 11 people and link them in your post
• Go to their page and tell them
• No tag backs

I've very recently had to come up with numerous things about myself (twice!) so for Rule Bender #1, I'm just gonna link back to the very first award post in which I had to do this kinda thing.

And here are my answers to Horror Shock Lolipop's questions:

1. What's the best horror-themed or spooky attraction you've been to?

The only one I've been to was in L.A. - I was there on business with a co-worker, and he, myself, and a friend of mine local to the area went to a "haunted house" (this was October 2010). Even with one guy before me and one behind (heh heh) I twitched from the anticipation of being completely freaked out of my mind. (By fright, you dirty birdies.) We reached a smallish room in the house, adorned with framed pictures of clowns. I said to my friends, "God, I really can't stand scary clowns." Right on cue, a clown-faced dude poked his head out from one of the frames and cackled at me. Perfection.

2. If you had to come up with a new type of monster, what would it be and what would you call it?

It would suck all the bubbly energy from those who are relentlessly cheerful first thing in the morning and it would be called DePerk-aTron™.

3. What's the worst film you've ever seen (any genre)?

Years ago, before my sis was born and I was just a little Goth, my parents rented a one-bedroom apartment. I slept on the sofabed in the living room and when my dad stayed up late to watch bad movies, I, perforce, was exposed to them. One night he watched some hideous thing, the name of which I've no idea, that featured a typical four-person American family lost in the woods. They came upon some old manse-type structure and, peeking in through some cellar windows, saw a kind of black mass, led by a priest and attended by nuns, who threw themselves in a cauldron of fire in sacrifice to God only knows what. Blerch.

4. Best book you've read (any genre)?

Oh, Lord, to choose only one! Gah. With apologies for copping out, I just can't do it...

5. If you could create a theme park ride, what would it be?

It would be the Cocktailpalooza, intended solely for parents bringing their kids to the theme park to detox after schlepping their progeny around said park in the hot sun for hours on end.

6. Would you rather have a zombie attack or an alien attack?

Zombie attack, 'cause the rules for dealing with them are clearly laid out in Zombieland and Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide.

7. What's the food that scares you the most?

Squid.  ::shudders:: (For which I blame Elizabeth Twist.) :-P

8. What music do you love / hate?

Love alternative rock. Don't much care for country.

9. Would you rather live underground, in the sea, or in space?

Oye, vey. BY the sea would be fab.

10. Spiders: Creepy or cute?

Useful for gobbling up other creepy critters, so I let them live. Plus, it's bad luck to kill 'em.

11. If you could have any "super power" you wanted, what would it be?

Invisibility, so I could be the proverbial fly on the wall...though, not in the presence of spiders, it must be noted.

Now to bend the rest of the rules: I've very recently crafted 11 questions/tagged 11 blogs, and I've just not got it in me right now to attempt it again. So I'll not tag anyone in particular, but instead invite all readers to answer the following question by commenting, below:

Apart from having children and paying taxes, what's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you???  :-)