Tarantula (1955)

 Well, the 50s were certainly a feast for fans of both science fiction and horror. Heck, in the cinemas, both genres often found one another. It was in particular the era of the atomic age and this always shines through in every cinematic exploit, often with mixed results. 

But I'm happy to say that this one works, as it is both engaging and actually creepy at times, doubly so if you consider the era in which this was made.

Yes, the title says it all what the monster is going to be, but nothing prepares you for the start of the film, where an obviously deformed man is wandering the Arizona desert. He falls down and cue the title card. 

Vague? Yes. Intriguing? Of course!

It turns out that several scientists have taken up residence in a house far away from prying eyes to conduct research into a nutrient that will help save the problem of food with an evergrowing human population. 

Yes, it is a noble idea that goes awry. 

You see, the nutrient makes animals grow extremely large, extremely fast. So in addition to a rat the size of a labrador and a guinea pig the size of a sheep, there is also a tarantula of unusual size. 

I never quite got why scientists don't just stick to fairly harmless animals. I mean, a giant guinea pig or rabbit is just an added dose of fluffiness. Why on Earth would you want a humongous spider? 

Because then we wouldn't have a film, that is why.

One of the scientists is also disfigured and attacks the head doctor, thus setting fire to the lab and in the scuffle, the tarantula escapes. Because of course it does. When after a short while cattle and people turn up completely liquified, questions are asked by our plucky hero, a local doctor, and a lady scientist who of course is the obligatory love interest. 

No, I can't recall their names. Neither will you, because this is one of those films where that doesn't matter anyway. Although I must say the doctor character is actually a nice guy and not an annoying know-it-all. 

Soon, the tarantula is gigantic and threatens the nearby town, so the airforce is called in to stop the beast once and for all.

If you aren't fond of spiders, this will give you the willies. See, they used trick photography for the most part, meaning it is an actual tarantula you see crawling across the screen. They mostly do a great job at it, superimposing the spider on the desolate desert backgrounds, and it looks awe inspiring. Sometimes it does turn translucent, because the special effects weren't that brilliant as yet, but in all fairness: it's a minor issue you would hardly notice. They also built a giant animatronic head, but this feels extremely stiff and unrealistic for the three shots it's in. 

The story flies by and it is pretty well done, even if it is by now a clichéd idea how scientists and atomic power start out with the best intentions and then things go belly-up. But it works because the monster is done in a believable fashion and it is especially disconcerting when you're a bit of an arachnophobe. So full marks there. 

And even though it seems they actually burned the tarantula at the end, apparently they didn't and this was a puppet. Because the very same tarantula later shows up in director Jack Arnold's masterpiece 'The Incredible Shrinking Man', and as these spiders can live up to a ripe old age of 25 years, it's satisfying to know they didn't kill it this time. Because, well, you know: animals weren't always safe in Hollywood. 

This one is a fun sci-fi adventure and definitely something to watch if you have a soft spot for 50s monsterfilms. It is actually more convincing than most, which goes a long way.