KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS (1977)
Director: John "Bud" Cardos
GoodTimes Video

Following the popular "big bug" films of the 1950s, the 1970s spawned a number of "killer bug" films, many of which starred normal-sized critters. Besides films like THE BEES, SQUIRM, and BUG, there is one film that has outlasted all the rest with its cult status and still quite effective terror factor. And that is John "Bud" Cardos' KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS. Despite the "Special 25th Anniversary Edition" label on the cover of GoodTimes' new DVD release of the film, this is your standard barebones bargain DVD.

Rack Hansen (the always dependable William Shatner) is a small-town Arizona veterinarian who is called upon to treat a number of animals dying of unknown causes. Big-city entomologist Diane Ashley (cult favorite Tiffany Bolling) has the answer: massive doses of spider venom. As swarms of tarantulas build giant spiderhills on the farm of grizzled farmer Walt Colby (Woody Strode) and the little desert town prepares for the county fair, the two events are bound to collide in disaster.

Forget ARACHNOPHOBIA, this is the ultimate killer spider movie. Real tarantulas crawl all over squirming humans and in a bold move, spiders are shot, burned, and stomped to death as well! "No animals were hurt during the making of this movie" doesn't appear anywhere in the credits. A little girl is trapped on a bed surrounded by scuttling tarantulas! The hairy beasts swarm all over a genuinely terrified Captain Kirk! And there are even more chilling spider shenanigans than can be listed here, so why waste time? If you're the teeniest bit afraid of spiders, either steer clear of this movie or watch it in a nice isolated spot where nothing can brush against you! If you don't squirm once during the running time of this film, you've got no pulse.

KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS became a cult item primarily through TV airings of the film, for the most part uncut (including Altovise Davis, Sammy Jr.'s wife, shooting her hand off when a spider crawls onto it!!), and the outstanding exploitation cast has helped. William Shatner is still not given enough credit for being a fine presence in his exploitation films, and he's a great hero in SPIDERS. Not only does he turn in a quite good performance, he fell victim to tarantula bites numerous times during shooting, proving he's just as good a sport as he is an actor. Tiffany Bolling has rarely disappointed in her exploitation films, and one wonders how she remained such a hidden talent for her entire career? Other than a leading role in the short-lived TV series "The New People" and some guest spots on "Charlie's Angels" and "Mannix," Bolling's career outside of her cult films has been less than stellar. Quite a shame, not only is she a lovely vision, she has proved her acting chops time and time again in films like CANDY SNATCHERS, BONNIE'S KIDS, and this film. Lieux Dressler as the no-nonsense resort owner Emma Washburn is very good, and some may remember her from TRUCK STOP WOMEN. Shatner's real-wife, the lovely Marcy Lafferty, plays his sister-in-law and Natasha Ryan (AMITYVILLE HORROR) her daughter. I already mentioned Altovise Davis, Sammy Jr.'s wife, who echoes Shatner's real-life terror in her performance. The expression on her face during the spider scenes reveal a truly jumpy, frightened woman! Acting? No, but it's sure effective. An interesting face is the late Adele Malis, in what seems to be her biggest role. You may remember her as one of the church women in CRITTERS.

For a film with such an avid cult following as KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS, and one that has been listed on several DVD want lists for years, you would think a trailer would appear here. "Cardos" (former Al Adamson actor) is still directing films, Shatner has happily contributed interviews and commentaries to DVD releases of his films, and apparently Tiffany Bolling worked as late as 1996 in Hollywood. Nothing?! Not even an isolated Dorsey Burnett/library music score (the title, "Peaceful Verde Valley," is sublime)? Nope, GoodTimes has offered just the film and chapter stops. How does the film look? Coming from GoodTimes, you might expect less-than-adequate a/v quality. On the contrary. GoodTimes' VHS of the film used a colorful print with little if any dirt or blemishes, very clean and bright. The DVD uses the same print, but the detail has been amplified and colors more deeply saturated. The sound is a full mono, very satisfying indeed. Needless to say, the lack of extras is frustrating, but few can complain about the presentation of the film. The full-frame aspect ratio is questionable, but no information seems to be missing, so this seems to be an open matte transfer along the lines of Critical Mass' BLACK CHRISTMAS DVD.

While GoodTimes isn't known for their extras-packed discs (most don't even feature trailers), they have managed to pull off many a surprisingly gorgeous transfer. While doesn't rank with their work on their Universal titles (the AIRPORT series, EARTHQUAKE, THE FUNHOUSE, HALLOWEEN II), KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS is a satisfying disc for fans of the film and those who haven't seen it will experience a fine introduction to it. But that doesn't mean I'd ignore a fully loaded Special Edition down the road..... Any takers? (Casey Scott)

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