Tarantula

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Tarantula

Released Nov 4, 1955

1h 20m

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

93%

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15 Reviews

50%

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1,000+ Ratings

Desert scientists (John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll) try to stop a fortified spider the size of a building.

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Emma Wolfe

SpookyAstronauts

I really enjoyed this kind of movie... Universal creature features, those are kind of my favorite films.

Rated: 7/10

Dec 28, 2020

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David Bax

Battleship Pretension

As much science fiction as horror, the film is stuffed with pseudo-scientific gobbledygook that the cast do a commendable job of selling.

May 18, 2019

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Eventually, it's up to Clint Eastwood to try and save the day. No, really.

Rated: 3/4

May 4, 2019

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Paul Mount

Starburst

Tarantula is no-nonsense, no-frills stuff.

Rated: 8/10

Sep 17, 2018

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Rob Humanick

Suite101.com

The tongue-in-cheek tone would foreshadow another monster movie set in the desert, the nearly unsurpassed 1990 throwback Tremors.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 21, 2011

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Sarah Boslaugh

Playback:stl

... the evil unleashed on human society is the deliberate product of scientific hubris rather than atomic radiation gone astray.

Rated: 7/10

Jun 30, 2011

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Daniel C. M

One of the better creature features from the time, directed by the Sci-Fi master Jack Arnold. The effects still hold up today and is genuinely terrifying at many parts. It's pacing can be quite irritating though.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/13/24

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Audience Member

Its monster is great! It’s much better than earth vs the spider.🕷️

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/10/24

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Steve D

Slow lumbering cheese.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/07/24

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Alisdair A

Saw this when I was 21, when it was re-released in 1962. It scared me so effectively and convincingly that when I was driving home through lonely countryside on a warm summer's night I had to stop and put up my convertible's roof - in case I was plucked out of the car!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/25/23

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Dave S

When you sit yourself down to watch a low-budget, sci-fi/horror movie from the 50s about giant insects or reptiles terrorizing mankind, you can usually expect it to be pretty crappy. In this sense, Tarantula is a bit of a pleasant surprise. The premise is pretty much the same as others of the time – a scientist experimenting with giantism inadvertently releases a monstrously large spider, which then terrorizes a small desert community. Once you get past the expected silliness of the premise, you'll come to realize that the acting is quite good, the dialogue is smart, it's extremely well shot, the special effects are decent for the time period, and, all in all, it's surprisingly entertaining.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/27/23

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Jens B

How wonderfully dated this flick is! I just get a cozy feeling watching this kind of film. The spider has two friendly eyes and roars! And we get spider pov shots :)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/27/23

Full Review

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Jack Arnold

Director

John Agar

Dr. Matt Hastings

Mara Corday

Stephanie "Steve" Clayton

Leo G. Carroll

Gerald Deemer

Nestor Paiva

Jack Andrews

Ross Elliott

Joe Burch

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Synopsis

Desert scientists (John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll) try to stop a fortified spider the size of a building.

Director: Jack Arnold
Producer: William Alland
Screenwriter: Robert M. Fresco, Martin Berkeley
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 4, 1955, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 16, 2017
Runtime: 1h 20m

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