The DVD Dissection: Kingdom of the Spiders
Posted by Chad Webb on 01.19.2010
Captain Kirk gets down and dirty with some big m’fn spiders. Click to read on…
William Shatner: Robert "Rack" Hansen
Tiffany Bolling: Diane Ashley
Woody Strode: Walter Colby
Lieux Dressler: Emma Washburn
David McClean: Sherrif Gene Smith
Natasha Ryan: Linda Hansen
Altovise Davis: Birch Colby
Joe Ross: Vern Johnson
Marcy Lafferty: Terry Hansen
Roy Engel: Mayor Connors
Directed By: John "Bud" Cardos
Written By: Alan Caillou and Richard Robinson
Theatrical Release Date: August 24, 1977
DVD Release Date: January 19, 2010
Running Time: 97 minutes
Rated PG
The Film
Confession time. Horror movies generally do not scare me too much. Knife wielding maniacs, psychos with torture devices, flesh eating zombies, sinister monsters, and whatever else you can think of does not usually have me cowering in my chair. That's not to say I dislike those types of films, but I do not seek them out expecting to be frightened. The films that make my skin crawl are those that take advantage of realistic fears. Arachnophobia is one of the main examples. I'm not terrified of spiders, but the image of thousands swarming a house is particularly creepy to the point where I was paranoid as a child that the eight legged guys would surely come and find me after watching the movie.
Kingdom of the Spiders precedes Arachnophobia by 13 years. Unlike the latter, Kingdom of the Spiders embraces its B-movie qualities because, well, it has no choice. It did not have a huge budget, and did not take super long to make. Instead of confining the spider attack to a house, this tale has them taking over an entire town! In addition, the spiders in Kingdom are tarantulas, which are considerably bigger and uglier than those in Arachnophobia. To those who are familiar with the species, they are also not as deadly as the smaller variety, but that's beside the point. They look more threatening on screen, and since over 5,000 are used, they should. Kingdom of the Spiders is an entertaining little romp, but only if B-grade efforts appeal to you.
The opening scenes commence with Dorsey Burnette's country ballad "Peaceful Verde Valley," and eventually shifts to William Shatner riding across the desert on a mighty horse with a cowboy hat. The star loves horses, so it comes as no shock to see him on one right away. He is Dr. Robert "Rack" Hansen, a veterinarian of the town Verde, Arizona. One afternoon, townsperson Walter Coby (Woody Strode) reports that his prize cow is suddenly sick after being the picture of health. Rack knows the animal will die soon, but assumes it is an infection that will require the quarantining of Colby's farm. When the results show up, so does Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling), an ASU entomologist. Her specialty is an answer to the problem. Spiders. Soon the Colby's dog is found dead, and Diane finds a tarantula in her hotel room. These spiders are not supposed to be congregating in such an area. It turns out that pesticides have killed off their food supply, and now they are preying on animals and soon humans. Soon the small town becomes overrun with them, but can they escape?
Kingdom of the Spiders includes one of the most memorably cheesiest endings in cinematic history. It is reminiscent of Hitchcock's The Birds to give you an idea, but these are spiders, not birds, so their is a difference. Still, it leaves the viewer with a amusingly fulfilling aftertaste. It's also kind of daring, regardless of its similarities to Hitchcock. Kingdom is commendable in other ways too. This is before the days of CGI of course, and instead of sending out the real spiders on miniature town sets, a "spider wrangler" was hired, and he unleashes these suckers on the cast members without haste. As a matter of fact, if you couldn't deal with them on you, someone else who could was hired. William Shatner has a funny interview in the extras detailing his experiences with them.
Shatner is not very convincing as a veterinarian, but his performance is very tongue-in-cheek and fun as a whole. His dynamic presence and irreplaceable delivery make Rack an engaging hero. Shatner exudes his wry wit and natural charm without going over the top. His character is also well developed, which is something most offerings of this caliber would not care about. The part was originally offered to Bo Svenson, but fate chose Shatner. Tiffany Bolling acts as the scientist Diane Ashley, but is first and foremost Shatner's love interest. Flirtations with Rack's sister-in-law are also hinted at. Shatner and Bolling establish some agreeable chemistry, and exchange snappy retorts well. Diane claims the poisonous venom of the spiders is 10 times the normal potency. That and the DDT/pesticide issues are only referred to a few times. Woody Strode is also commanding and exceptional as Walter Colby, the man whose farm is closest to the spider mounds.
Director John "Bud" Cardos and cinematographer John Arthur Morrill start the spider attacks with the camera from their perspective and close to the ground, recalling many films and episodes of The Twilight Zone. The cow sports a wide-eyed expression that is very funny before he is munched on vigorously. Other moments are genuinely creepy as Rack's cute niece is caught in yard and on a bed with the tarantulas surrounding her. Most of the kills are exaggerated and silly, but engrossing. Cardos balances the chills and comedy with intelligence and a carefree attitude. His spiders also weave webs of outlandish magnitude, but this occurs in most spider flicks, and is intended for shock purposes. A suspension of disbelief is welcomed now and then.
Thankfully this not as idiotic as Tarantula where the enemy was one collosal spider. Kingdom of the Spiders has more in common with Frogs than any of the truly low tiered B-movies. It is not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, and could have used another neat supporting character, but Kingdom provides enough laughs and hair-raising encounters to warrant a recommendation. The team of screenwriters completed a taut script, and Cardos sticks to a specific methodology throughout the picture. The terror has a slow, but steady build in this western horror romance, but it all comes to a hectic and hilarious conclusion that will be hard to shake from your head.
The Video
This film was released in 1977, so it will resemble what any film from that era would, but luckily the transfer was cleaned up remarkably well here. The town this takes place in has a very gritty atmosphere to it, and there is some definite grain to be found, but this is a good thing. The picture has not been polished excessively, which has certainly occurred with some releases from decades ago. I detected no agonizing faults such as cloudiness or blurs, and the edge enhancement is not all that terrible. This is the first time the movie has been presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Previous releases incorrectly adjusted it to a 1.33:1 full frame. The colors are fairly vivid and bright enough so that this is an improvement for the film after so many years.
The Audio
There is not much to celebrate about in the sound department. The mono track suits the substance fine though. This is not an action-packed extravaganza in the Michael Bay tradition. The music that is used comes across reasonably loud and absent of distortion. The dialogue is incredibly lucid and understandable. I did not have to adjust my volume knob to an odd level, which is always good with older low budget releases. You might hear a few pops, but nothing that ruins the audio.
The Packaging
Kingdom of the Spiders is distributed in a clear keep case from Shout! Factory, and I will award some points for the extra inch or two of creativity by having a huge spider as an image for inside the clear case. Inside is a sheet of advertisements of recent Shout! Releases, and a William Shatner album. The flip side is a chapter listing of the film. The menu screens are easy to navigate.
The Extras
Audio Commentary - This track features Director John “Bud” Cardos, Producer Igo Kantor, Spider Wrangler Jim Brockett, and Cinematographer John Morrill. It is moderated by Lee Christian and Hostel Producer Scott Spiegel. It was wise to make this a bigger group because some of the members are more low-key than you might expect. The moderators ask them questions, and it makes for a slightly different approach to the commentary. They touch on the possible sequel Shatner wanted to direct, and go on to praise the actors and so forth. It takes awhile for the Director and Cinematographer to get comfortable, but thankfully the dead spots are few and far between since moderators are included. Overall a solid track.
All-New Interview with William Shatner (16:35) - This is easily the most entertaining bonus of the DVD as Shatner very enthusiastically recalls memories from the filming of this. He understood what type of movie this was going to be, and he is proud of that. His stories about the spiders are worth the price of the DVD alone.
Jim Brockett: Spider Wrangler (12:23) – This is cool as the man behind the spiders shows different examples of tarantulas, both bad and good. He has an interesting job, and knows his stuff. He also talks about how tarantula hair is used as itching powder, and goes on to mention stories from the set.
Rare Behind the Scenes Footage (17:18) – This is not an overly exciting extra. Basically we watch people messing around the set in extremely grainy footage. They shoot various scenes and we watch that happen. There are no interviews to make this enjoyable. Just footage of people working. Yay.
Interview with Writer Steve Lodge (4:40) – He discusses the origin of the story, and how it was influenced by The Birds and Jaws. This is too short, but good for what it was nonetheless.
Poster Gallery - You have 13 stills to browse through in all. This doesn’t take long, and I love photo galleries of old posters.
Original Theatrical Trailer (1:53) – This is not very long, but it does reveal many of the big moments. It was ok, and is a nice addition.
The Film: 7.5/10.0
The Video: 7.5/10.0
The Audio: 7.0/10.0
The Packaging: 8.5/10.0
The Extras: 8.5/10.0
The 411: Kingdom of the Spiders might be another nature gone crazy B-movie, but that doesn't mean it can't be a blast to watch. William Shatner's wonderfully zesty performance, along with John "Bud" Cardos' adept direction make this a worthwhile offering. The DVD case describes it as a cult-classic, and that could be a stretch, but I would still say it deserves more attention. There is more competence and control in this film than many would give it credit for, and although some elements defy scientific logic, it's not the kind of movie that takes too many liberties. The technical specifications are up to standard and very acceptable, and the extras are much more interesting than I expected. If you're in the mood for a good ole' fashioned slice of B-movie goodness on a rainy night, take a chance on this title. It shouldn't let you down unless you have an affinity for tarantulas.
