Here’s what you have going on: Captain Kirk is a vet ( the animal kind, not the Deer Hunter kind) who wants to bang his dead brother’s widow.

Meanwhile, tarantulas are killing livestock and pets with super-deadly spider venom. And the tarantulas are working together, instead of killing each other. They even build giant spider-hills and live together.

This is not normal.

An entomologist (female, of course) shows up to help Kirk figure out what the hell is going on.

There’s also a big county fair happening. (Don’t let anyone know about the killer spiders, or we lose money!)

The spiders mount a massive attack on anyone that crosses their path and the town, itself.

Kirk and others are forced to barricade themselves in a lodge, in order to attempt to survive.

Did you catch all of that? Not only do we have a “natures revenge” flick, we’ve got Jaws, Phase IV (where the ants work together) and Night of the Living Dead thrown in, as well.

Holy shit. This movie rocks for many reasons.

First, Shatner starts off as kind of a dick, but we learn that he’s really a good guy, with flaws. And it’s one of his more balanced performances. (Don’t worry, he still gets silly.)

Second, the whole premise is eerily possible, while still being “out there” enough, that it’s still, obviously fiction.

Third, they almost entirely used real spiders throughout the shoot.

Fourth, that ending, no matter how cheaply realized, is fucking creepy and disturbing. (I didn’t give it away, but I’m sure you can find someone who does.)

Watching this as an adult, I’ve found that there are more underlying developments that are never explained. For instance, it seems as if the spiders attack those that are trying to stop them. It’s like they’re able to recognize what the humans are trying to do and kill them. (The crop-duster scene is the one that really springs to mind.) And they gradually learn that humans are their main threat, thus the attack on the whole town.

And the use of actual tarantulas is really unnerving. Seeing actors covered in “living, crawling” spiders just makes you want to start brushing at your clothing.

The acting is pretty good for a “natures revenge” flick. I mean, you can either have Leslie Nielson fighting a bear or William Shatner trying to get spiders off of him. Which is more believable?

Damn, this movie still gives me the willies, every time I put it in. (which is often, because it fucking kicks ass at what it does)

So, if you don’t like spiders (like me), like good and bad Shatner (like me) and want to be creeped out and have fun, at the same time…..this is it.

Dig in and enjoy. The 70’s brought us everything we needed.