You may be surprised that for someone with a love of older horror movies and a tarantula pet owner, I had only recently seen 1955 science fiction film Tarantula. I am so very happy that I decided on a whim to watch it!
A scientist living in the deserts of Arizona is working on a nutrient compound that is intended to end world hunger — the side effect being exponential growth in rapid time. Unfortunately, his science partners go mad after testing the nutrient serum on themselves and cause the destruction of the lab and escape of an oversized tarantula. A doctor and the scientist’s new protégé must ban together to destroy the creature before it kills the whole town, or worse.
I always find the 40s and 50s style of explaining away something to be crazy, things that in 2023 would be common knowledge and uncontested. Dr. Deemer (the nutrient scientist) says that his colleague, as well as some of the animals, died from acromegaly in just a few days. Today, I’d think most people know that conditions such as that take much longer, spanning years before they do damage to that degree. Dr. Matt Hastings and Stephanie “Steve” Clayton, our two main protagonists, search high and low for the answers, only realizing what has happened late into the movie.
Speaking of Matt and Steve, these two characters are some of the most convincing love interests I’ve ever seen. Sure, it’s easy to put together two good-looking people and act like they are in love, but I’m giving props to them both because every second I wasn’t in awe of the giant tarantula, I was giggling at the thought of “when are they gonna kiss?” and “when are they gonna go on another date?” I’m literally fangirling over a fake couple here.
But the titular tarantula, as I mentioned, did steal the show. In an impressive feat, the filmmakers managed to film an obviously-normal tarantula and superimpose it into the movie. There was only one spot where I could tell it was filmed elsewhere; the rest of the movie had the tarantula’s feet perfectly matched to the ground and any practical destruction effects were convincing as well.
The same could be said for the effects of the other animals and people affected by the nutrient serum. Dr. Deemer and his colleagues were unfortunate enough to have the serum tried on them, and they suffered terribly for it. Their faces had grown to monstrous proportions and they were horribly disfigured before finally dying. The animals were not given such prosthetics of deformation, but they same technique was used as the tarantula, superimposing normal-sized animals on screen to make them appear gigantic.
What I find especially wild is the resolution to the story. I won’t spoil the ending, but after the giant rogue tarantula has escaped, eaten a few cattle, eaten some rural folk, and made its way towards the city, Dr. Matt and Steve call in a special favor that could only really work in post-war America. Wild times!
Tarantula is amazing! I loved the effects and the characters’ interactions with each other was top tier. Don’t be like me and wait forever to watch — go rent it now and see for yourself! You’re sure to have a fantastic time with a few scares thrown in along the way.
What did you think of Tarantula? Let us know in the comments!
As of the time of this post, Tarantula is available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video.
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