"Arachnophobia" sequel just waiting to happen

Tarantulas are South American, but it looks like some sort of mygalomorph.

And the size of your thumb can hardly be called Giant!

:p

Hix
 
the original tarantulas were southern European wolf spiders. The name got transferred to South American mygalomorphs, and then by extension to other mygalomorphs. I don't personally use the name for any Australasian or African species, but am on the fence on it's use for Asian species.
 
I'm happy to stand corrected on that.

When I was growing up Tarantula were specifically South American species (and also Central and North American, but the bulk were in Sth America), in Africa they were called Baboon Spiders. In Australia the word was erroneously applied to Huntsmen only.

However, having checked some other sources, it appears that the name tarantula is now applicable to all theraphosids.

:p

Hix
 
Have any of you guys seen "Tarantula" (1955), and if so, is it worth seeing? It looks (unintentionally) hilarious from the trailer and apparently is one of Clint Eastwood's first movies.

 
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there's also this one (don't watch if you don't like seeing tarantulas actually being killed for entertainment!! :()
 
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and this one is awesome (intentionally funny, and the huge tarantula is so cute!). The original title was going to be Arac Attack but it sounded too much like Iraq Attack (in an American accent) so they went with the grammatically-flawed "Eight Legged Freaks"
 
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I own Eight-legged Freaks at home, but the best part is in the extras they have the original New Zealand short that was the pilot for the main movie. Fairly entertaining if you like that kind of thing.

I remember seeing Tarantula at a retro festival many years ago. Also silly, but entertaining if you like B-grade stuff. The thing i found most amusing was not how a giant tarantula a couple of hundred feet in diameter could move across country without anyone seeing it, but everytime there was a screen shot of the spider, it was accompanied by a woman screaming on the soundtrack. And the fact that it fell in love with a beautiful woman (picture one giant hairy eye staring at her through her bedroom window).

I rented Kingdom of the Spiders as a video many years ago. Far more believable than Tarantula, and a bit more sinister than Eight Legged Freaks. More in the Arachnophobia vein.

One that I never got to see was The Giant Spider Invasion, although I remember seeing trailers for it at the movies - has anyone else seen it?

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
I own Eight-legged Freaks at home, but the best part is in the extras they have the original New Zealand short that was the pilot for the main movie.
Click to expand...
everything always comes back to New Zealand....

Eight Legged Freaks: directed by a NZer based on his original short.

Arachnophobia: starring Avondale spiders obtained from NZ

Tarantula: starring Clint Eastwood who later made Invictus about the Springbok-All Black match in South Africa

Kingdom Of The Spiders: er, um...... William Shatner came to NZ in 2011
 
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