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Eight Legged Freaks
2002
New Zealand-born Ellory Elkayem's EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS is a ridiculously irreverent romp that pays homage to American b-movies of the 1950s. Set in the nearly bankrupt mining town of Prosperity, Arizona, the film opens with the timely return of Chris McCormack (David Arquette). On the outskirts of town, a spider-loving eccentric .. Read more
| Starring | David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scarlett Johansson, Scott Terra |
|---|---|
| Director | Ellory Elkayem |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Eight Legged Freaks
New Zealand-born Ellory Elkayem's EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS is a ridiculously irreverent romp that pays homage to American b-movies of the 1950s. Set in the nearly bankrupt mining town of Prosperity, Arizona, the film opens with the timely return of Chris McCormack (David Arquette). On the outskirts of town, a spider-loving eccentric discovers that water from a nearby river has a steroid-like effect on his tiny creatures. Unfortunately, that's because it has been contaminated by a toxic substance. It isn't long before the now-monstrous spiders are terrorizing Prosperity's townspeople. Taking refuge in the Prosperity Mall, Chris and his fellow cohorts--the beautiful Sheriff Sam Parker (Kari Wuhrer), her kids Mike (Scott Terra) and Ashley (Scarlett Johansson), Deputy Pete (Rick Overton), and paranoid radio DJ Harlan (Doug E. Doug)--search for a way to destroy the gigantic monsters before they are destroyed. Handpicked by producers Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, writer-director Elkayem rises to the challenge. He successfully retains the lighthearted, low-budget feel of similar-toned 1950s classics (TARANTULA, THEM!) and merges it with a modern, big-budget aesthetic, to create an outrageously fresh contribution to the "mutant bug" genre.
| Starring | David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scarlett Johansson, Scott Terra, Doug E. Doug |
|---|---|
| Director | Ellory Elkayem |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 35 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | French, Italian |
| Hearing-impaired | English, Italian |
| Subtitles | DVD: Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish |
| Released | DVD: 17 Feb 2003 Production year: 2002 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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David Arquette and Kari Wuhrer fight chemically mutated spiders in a rural mining town in this B-movie homage from New Zealand-born film-maker Ellory Elkayem. A virtual re-working of Louis Morneau's 1999 schlock-horror Bats, this is a tongue-in-cheek take on the creature features of the 1950s and early 60s. With its blend of absurd set pieces, hammy acting and deliberately exaggerated dialogue, the movie works hard to capture the kitsch spirit of its predecessors. Though it's too self-conscious and heavy handed to succeed entirely, there's much to enjoy, not least watching Scarlett Johansson battling for survival in a scatty supporting role before she became Hollywood gold. As for the real stars of the show — the often blatantly artificial arachnids — they may not be scary, but their jumping, galloping antics are a scream, nevertheless.
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Time for the aliens and teen-slashers to step aside as Hollywood raises a sardonically arched eyebrow at the B-movie... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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8 out of 11 people found this review helpful
best comedy of the year
This is the funniest film I've seen in a very long time and, although for younger viewers, some of the scene will be frightening even they will beable to have a really good laugh. The music and sound effects should make this film a classic in the best possible way.Not for arachniphobics but even they would see the humour if they could come out from behind the sofa for long enough. The chase scenes are inventive and highly amusing and it keeps you laughing until the credits roll. Brillant is a very understated word compared to the film. Don't watch it as a serious film watch it for fun!!!
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
If you suffer from arachnophobia then this will probably be one of the scariest films you'll ever see. If not, like me, then you'll probably just find it very funny.
The story centres around a spider farm. A nearby pond is polluted by a barrel of toxic waste and some of the pondlife are fed to the spiders which then grow to an enourmous size. It is then up to the local (hot) policewoman and her family to hunt them down and kill them to save their town.
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It has a good cast and one of the features on the dvd is the short which inspired the film. It's an enjoyable film, worth a watch. -
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Bond looks for love
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New Zealand-born Ellory Elkayem's EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS is a ridiculously irreverent romp that pays homage to American b-movies of the 1950s. Set in the nearly bankrupt mining town of Prosperity, ... -