“Let the Squashing Begin”
While it probably isn’t going to make the nominations for this years Academy Awards, Eight Legged Freaks has all the hallmarks of a Horror Comedy and certainly entertains for the full 99 minutes. If you grew up on a steady diet of the classic horror movies from the 1950’s and the campy horror comedies of the 80’s and 90’s then this is certainly a DVD that is worth a look.
The movie stars David Arquette (Scream 3 - husband of Friends star Courtney Cox), Kari Wuhrer (Beserker), Scarlett Johansson (Ghost World) and Doug E. Doug (Operation Dumbo Drop) but the real stars are without a doubt the cast of thousands of arachnids who steal the show.
The plot certainly isn’t going to win any awards for originality - toxic waste meets (mostly) harmless critters who mutate, grow and start eating people with our reluctant hero saving the day and getting the girl. The film borrows a lot from 50’s classics like “Them” (1954 - nuclear tests enlarge ants, which in turn try to eat people), “The Blob”, “The Thing” and numerous other from the genre. While those films in their day were a more serious affair, ELF takes a far lighter approach in the vein of the “Return of the Living Dead” or “Tales from the Crypt” series and the film makers are not afraid to make jokes at their own or the films expense.
Set in a small and declining mining town, the movie quickly introduces the arachnid stars of the SHOW - albeit in somewhat smaller guise - and wastes little time on extensive character development for their human counterparts. The plot thinly veils the real intent of the movie with the action and plot following a fairly formulaic approach. All things considered the human performances are fairly sound and the story flows together quite well complete with badly feigned fear and surprise which are trademarks of the genre. I feel that the predictability of many of the scenes adds to the enjoyment of the movie as you find yourself screaming at the on-screen character to look behind him - somewhat reminiscent of the old pantomime villains that we used to boo and hiss at as kids - before jumping out of your skin as the spider (which of course you knew was coming) jumps into shot.
I’ve already mentioned the real stars of the SHOW - the spiders - and director Ellor Elkayem has invested a lot of time and effort to ensure that we are not bored with hundred of iterations of the same spider. Each arachnid seems to have a distinctive personality and most of the humor in the later sequences of the film revolved around the antics of individual spiders, often with 3 or 4 situations occurring concurrently. The effects are seamlessly integrated with the live action and as someone who dislikes spiders intensely I was suitably spooked!
All in all an enjoyable movie and while it’s not an intellectual feast it is most certainly a lot of fun!
Extras:
There are several extra scenes included, as well as a commentary featuring the director and several of the human stars. Of most interest is the short film “Larger Than Life” by director Ellor Elkayem which served as the inspiration for the film. Also included are a spider killing DVD-Rom game, the usual theatrical trailers and hidden spider trivia.
Summary:
All in all I quite enjoyed the film. If you’re looking for a movie that enlightens or encourages contemplation of life then this is not going to be the movie for you. If on the other hand you are looking for a fun way to burn 99 minutes and give that brain a bit of a rest, or if you simply have an unnatural love of spiders then don’t hesitate.