Tarantula

Tarantula (1955)

Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by: Jack Arnold

Starring: John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll, Nestor Paiva, Ross Elliott

From: Universal

Note to self: do NOT test a “miracle nutrient” on a tarantula, lest it escape and grow to kaiju size.

Somehow, despite viewing such 50’s sci-fi/horror like Them in the past, last night on the Universal Monsters streaming channel was my first experience w/ Tarantula. It’s a fun time where yeah, you don’t see the actors wrestle w/ giant hairy legs or see people get devoured… there’s always movies like The Giant Spider Invasion for that!

I was satisfied by Tarantula despite the long stretches until the final act where the arachnid wasn’t on screen. The human characters in the rural Arizona desert entertained me-the banter between each other, the petty drama, the town doctor, the eccentric scientist out in the desert doing experiments to create a nutrient-for the purposes of dramatically increasing food supply-the local noisy reporter, etc. 

It was also nice seeing cult actor Mara Corday; Eastwood (who briefly appears during the finale) was a friend since around this time, explaining her small roles in some of his films. However, in this pivotal role-as a woman scientist assisting Leo G. Carroll’s mad scientist role; sadly, she experiences 50’s sexism-Corday was charming. 

The mixed reception Tarantula has now is understandable. Me, if you can be amused or entertained by all “the talky bits” & can smile at seeing a real tarantula superimposed over the footage, this may be a slice of 1950’s sci-fi for you. However, director Jack Arnold’s movie Creature from the Black Lagoon is better & more memorable.