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Kingdom of the Spiders

Play trailer Poster for Kingdom of the Spiders PG Released Aug 24, 1977 1h 34m Horror Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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55% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 36% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Arizona farmer Walter Colby (Woody Strode) and his wife, Birch (Altovise Davis), have a problem on their hands: One of their cows was just killed by a creature, but they have no idea what the beast could have been. So they consult local vet Dr. Robert Hansen (William Shatner), who becomes puzzled and calls in scientist Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling). Eventually, the duo discovers that oversize spiders are invading the small town, putting the entire population in danger as a county fair begins.
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Kingdom of the Spiders

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid The movie mostly stays at ground level, never becoming too absurd, and the actors seem game, so it actually comes together. (It's less campy than you might think.) Rated: 3/4 Sep 27, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Like those Biblical epics of yore, here’s a film that can boast of literally presenting a cast of thousands. In this case, though, that number applies to the hordes of spiders seen crawling all over the place (5,000 seems to be the accepted figure). Rated: 3/4 Feb 8, 2024 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It sneaks up on you like a hungry tarantula with a wicked appetite for people. Rated: B- Jun 8, 2010 Full Review Steve Dread Central Kingdom of the Spiders plays just as good and just as fun as it always has. This, as far as we're concerned, is the very first MUST HAVE horror DVD package of 2010. Rated: 5/5 Jan 24, 2010 Full Review Sean Axmaker Seanax.com ... a perfectly serviceable (if never quite memorable) little film with... a cast of hundreds of real tarantulas swarming over the screen and, often, the cast members. Jan 18, 2010 Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com William Shatner battles spiders, and without a phaser! Rated: 2/5 Jan 1, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (198) audience reviews
CodyZamboni Z Despite low budget and campiness, this movie still freaked me out, Effective sense of dread, intensity, and creepiness, Has some old school fx that still provide shocks, As small Arizona desert town gets overrun by meat eating super toxic tarantulas, William Shatner is solid as town vet trying to solve the problem. He's teamed with hot blond entomogolist, both in fight for survival, I liked that they used Twilight Zone music cues to punctuate the horror and action, The final haunting image is truly memorable Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/22/24 Full Review Michelle P Great old 70's horror....was a good watch. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/24/24 Full Review matthias s "Kingdom of the Spiders" spins a web of contradictions that leaves you caught between appreciation and disappointment. This B-movie, surprisingly well-made, boasts decent acting and a love for using real-life spiders, adding an authentic creepy-crawly touch. The film weaves some cool shots into its narrative, showcasing its commitment to craft. Shatner, true to form, delivers his quintessential performance—consistently the same, which is oddly comforting. However, the slow pacing leaves you tapping your fingers, and spiders don't make their on-screen debut until the second act. Yet, when they do, the film conjures up some genuinely scary scenes with well-crafted shots. Despite these moments, the overall thread feels thin, not quite enough to elevate it to a decent film. The saving grace lies in a great ending that, much like a spider's silk, manages to weave together a satisfying conclusion. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/23/24 Full Review Michael C Two years before William Shatner returned to the Star Trek universe, he starred in "Kingdom of the Spiders" a goofy horror film that you can't help but sit through once you start watching it. I remember seeing this movie quite frequently during the early days of Home Box Office (HBO). Seeing again for the first time in at least twenty years (Thanks to Svengoolie), I will say the movie is not terrible, but overall it is just mediocre. It is worth seeing for some unintentionally funny moments (Like seeing William Shatner running across a patio covered with tarantulas which looks like he's running on hot coals.) and for seeing some good performances by Shatner (Yes, I said that. Though I will admit he certainly did not deserve an Academy Award!) and a decent supporting cast. Overall, "Kingdom of the Spiders" is an overall forgettable film. Maybe it is worth seeing for one of William Shatners non-"Star Trek" roles, but otherwise I can't think of another reason to see it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/10/23 Full Review John R Shatner must have been hard up for cash. I don't know how else he could have been convinced to be in this piece of crap. I wonder how many spiders they killed during production. If PETA ever finds out, they're gonna go ballistic. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/12/22 Full Review Audience Member I'm usually really forgiving with cheesy movies, of a time/low budget/tongue in cheek/actually a comedy/they didn't know better etc, but there are 3 huge issues with this movie that seriously hampered my ability to just enjoy it on it's own camp horror merits: 1. crimes against animal welfare, 2. anti-logic of shooting your own hand to kill a spider, 3. mutation is used to explain why the spiders are more more aggressive, but that doesn't explain/give them the ability to: seemingly know how to short circuit a fusebox, give them any kind of eyesight where they can reliably identify large animals to attack. The bright side? Diane Ashley is a breath of fresh air among female protagonists, I in old monster movies or new ones for that matter I rarely find women characters that don't fall into either or both the damsel of eye candy trope. Diane Ashley not only isn't prone to panic but is also a competant arachnologist and manages to get this movie throught the Bechdel test more than once. She is a good character and deserved a better movie. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Kingdom of the Spiders

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Arizona farmer Walter Colby (Woody Strode) and his wife, Birch (Altovise Davis), have a problem on their hands: One of their cows was just killed by a creature, but they have no idea what the beast could have been. So they consult local vet Dr. Robert Hansen (William Shatner), who becomes puzzled and calls in scientist Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling). Eventually, the duo discovers that oversize spiders are invading the small town, putting the entire population in danger as a county fair begins.
Director
John Cardos
Producer
Igo Kantor, Jeffrey Sneller
Screenwriter
Alan Caillou
Production Co
Arachnid Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Horror, Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 24, 1977, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 27, 2016
Runtime
1h 34m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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