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Eight Legged Freaks (Widescreen Edition)

Eight Legged Freaks (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $14.97
Your Price: $13.47
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not for those with arachnaphobia
Review: In all truth, I didn't really care for this movie. It probably has to do with the fact that I hate anything of the arachnid species, but there is something else to consider. Granted, the acting was actually quite good, yet there wasn't a good enough plot or script to support the actors in their endeavor, and even with some humorous scenes it just couldn't recover from that. It was a nice attempt to freshen up the material from the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's, however if you are looking for an interesting evening watching a thriller, stick with Wait Until Dark (1967). And definitely do not watch Eight Legged Freaks if you are frightened by spiders.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: different.but very good
Review: since i hav broughten this movie i already watched it twice.it i not really scary but very funny.i love david archette,he was funny in this movie,just like he was in scream,the movie itself i would say was very interesting,never boring.the spiders were wel done,not like you seen them in the earlier movies.one thing if you are afraid of spiders don't watch it,these are huge eight legged freaks.this movie didn't bug me so i would say that it won't bug you either.so i say give it a chance.it is worth looking at.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Ol' Monster Movie
Review: "Eight Legged Freaks" is a great escape from Hollywood's action movies and confusing plot holes, a traditional story based on the classic B-movies of the 50's.
[...]

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A monster movie that is flat out fun from start to finish
Review: "Eight Legged Freaks" is a four-star movie but five-star fun, especially for those with fond memories of 1950s Sci Fi B-Movies at the drive-in. "Eight Legged Freaks" is everything "Mars Attacks" was not, namely, funny and scary. This is a film that knows its cinematic roots and embraces them whole-heartedly. Take all those spiders in "Arachnophobia," with as many different types as there were monsters bugs in "Starship Troopers," give them some toxic waste in the great tradition of "The Toxic Avenger" so they grow as big as the ants in "Them!" rather than the tarantula in "Tarantula," put it in a southwestern town like in "Tremors," have a paranoid guy warning about alien invasions like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," have humanity make a last ditched stand in a mall similar to "Dawn of the Dead" before they end up cocooned like in "Alien," and make David Arquette the hero like in "Scream."

Arquette is the big name in the film but he really does seem a bit out of his element (i.e., playing it for laughs when everybody else is doing it straight). He plays Chris McCormack, who returns home to the town of Prosperity, Arizona, just as the town is going down for the last time. The mayor (Leon Rippy) is a schmuck who has failed with a mall and an ostrich farm and now wants to sell the town to a company that will use the abandoned mines as a toxic waste cite. But Chris still believes his father's claim there was a vein of gold in that thar mine. However, this all becomes moot outside of town there is a crazy old coot (Tom Noonan) who studies spiders. Through a nice series of events a drum of toxic waste is spilled and eaten by grasshoppers, which are then eaten by spiders with predictable results in terms of 1950s Science Fiction films and 1960s Marvel comics. Fortunately young Mike Parker (Scott Terra), the son of the world's most beautiful sheriff, Sam Parker (Kari Wuhrer), knows everything there is to know about all the different types of spiders that are starting to make their presence known as they work there way up the food chain from grasshoppers to cats, ostriches, and dirt bikers. The question is whether anybody will listen to the kid in time...

Director Ellory Elkayem parlayed his 1997 short subject "Larger Than Life" into this gig, showing an ability to put in the comic touches (e.g., the music for "Ittsy Bitsy Spider" sounds ominously as a giant tarantula makes its way along the street) along with the special effects creepiness in equal measure (e.g., the hopping spiders). There are so many scenes where you will have to choose between laughing and screaming but will probably end up doing both almost at the same time. Obviously this film is grounded in the Fifties in terms of the monsters and their origins, but it has modern sensibilities. This is not only in terms of the computer effects that generate the many varieties of spiders, but also the characters, as when both the beautiful sheriff and her sharp daughter, Ashley (Scarlett Johansson), have more brains and nerve than all the guys in town. The middle part of the film, where the spiders pretty much have their own way until the humans get up to speak, is the best part. You come out of "Eight Legged Freaks" arguing about which was your favorite bit involving a spider claiming a victim. This is such a fun monster movie that people who do not like monster movies might find themselves liking this one simply because there is a joy behind all the death and destruction that catches you up early on in the film and takes you along for the ride.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Talking Spiders.
Review: EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS isn't a horror movie. It's an action/comedy mingled with a touch of horror. I really don't like spiders much and didn't know if I would like this movie or not. However, I loved it. The film is full of comedy and action with just enough violence and suspense to give a person a few shivers.

The movie is a modern update and homage to the classic killer bug movies of the 1950s and 1960s. Toxic waste cause natural predators to grow to tremendous sizes, which in turn leads to them overrunning the town, which of course leads to the ultimate showdown. Besides the big bug movies, EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS also pays homage to movies such as DAWN OF THE DEAD, TREMORS, and GREMLINS. The acting is pretty good and the cast seemed to enjoy making the movie. The special effects are pretty impressive with the spiders looking exactly like real spiders. There are a lot of great scenes, e.g. the cat and spider fighting in the wall, and I laughed a lot.

Overall, the film will appeal to a lot of different people, but if you really don't like spiders and can't stand the sight of a little blood and guts, then you probably won't like this movie.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Skip away from David Arquette
Review: Run away from any picture featuring David Arquette. Man, the guy is an atrociously bad actor. Every quality this movie could have (be it, fun!)is destroyed by his "acting".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great and entertaining Satire on B-Movies of the 50's.
Review: Nearby a town in Arizona, a vat of toxic chemicals lands in a pond that is across a Spider ranch and it contaminates the Ranch turning the spiders into gigantic killers who are now invading the town and turning it into a living nightmare.

A very entertaining, action-packed and comical flick inspired by those 50's Sci-fi flicks and has good acting with great dialog, if your a fan of MST3K and B-flicks give this movie a try.

Similar Movies recommended: Tremors, Slugs, C.H.U.D., Gremlins, Critters, Lucio Fulci's The Beyond, THEM, The Toxic Avenger, Earth Vs. The Spider, Tremors, Critters, Critters 2, From Dusk Till Dawn, Evil Dead 2, Nightmare City, Commando, Aliens, Starship Troopers, Armageddon, Beginning of the End, Ghosts of Mars, The Thing ( 1982), Scream, The Stuff, Resident Evil, Frogs, Class of Nuke'Em High, The Giant Spider Invasion, Dawn of the Dead, Squirm, Slugs, Alligator, Event Horizon, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Totally idiotic... but FUN!
Review: Man, what a stupid movie! Bout you must understand the producers are just paying homage to the monster movies of the fifties! it's all a big joke!

Very fun! It works better than comedies!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Let the Squishing Begin!
Review: EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS was not well received by the critics and it did poorly at the box office--and frankly I'm surprised. Obviously we're not talking about "deep meanings" in reference to this film, but what it does, it does extremely well: part hommage, part spoof, part horror, part comedy, and all of it a tremendous amount of fun! The film is essentially the classic 1950s "big bug" movie brought up to date and given a comic spin. A truck driver skids on the road and accidentally releases toxic chemicals into a pond; unfortunately, an "exotic spider farm" happens to be nearby, and when the spiders are contaminated by the chemicals they explode into creatures of monstrous proportions, nasty dispositions, and insatiable appetites. Cats, dogs, and even the occasional ostrich goes missing--can human victims be far behind?

The cast plays expertly, and two deserve special mention: Doug E. Doug, who is hilarious as the independent radio station broadcaster obsessed with UFOs, aliens, and government cover-ups, and Eileen Ryan as the chain-smoking, drop-dead-talking Aunt Gladys. But although every one does well with their often-comic characters, the emphasis isn't on the cast: it's on special effects, sight-gags, and a traditional "big bug" plot played at a breakneck speed. It's all smoothly, slickly done, and the special effects are terrific without going into overkill.

Now, the film is rather icky: after all, the spiders jump and bite and slurp, and when the townfolk go after them with everything from guns to pitchforks to chainsaws they also splatter in an appropriately disgusting way. Some viewers will be turned off by the black humor of the piece--particularly as it references the pets that go missing early on in the film. (I admit I winced a bit myself there!) Some viewers may be turned off by the "ick" factor and the violence, of which there is aplenty; others may take issue with the plot itself, which as noted is pretty traditional. But this isn't an Ingmar Bergman or Fellini film we're talking about here, and if you want a modern twist on a classic sci-fi theme, EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS is sure to please. The DVD has several extras, some of which are fun as well. On the whole, I give it four big squishes!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pure FUN !
Review: First time I watched it on the Christmas Eve - my girlfriend ordered it on Pay-Per-View as apology for making me watch Ya-Ya Sisterhood . Next day I run to the store and HAD to buy it on DVD ! Why ?
1. Even more fun than " Gremlins ".
2. Better affects than" Army of Darkness ".
3. Almost as funny as " Army of Darkness " but more hilarious than " From Dusk Till Dawn ".
4. Way better than " Mars Attacks ! ".
5. David Arquette at his best !
6. Best replacement on a rainy day ( when you need to laugh at something to feel better ) and looking at the mirror is sounds like an old idea .

Just pure fun ! If you want to se an excellent comedy with " anatomically correct " giant spiders ( grown on the toxic waist )
attacking a small town...Run Forest ! Ruuuun ! And get it !


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