Arachnophobia

***Arachnophobia*** is a 1990 American horror comedy film film directed by Frank Marshall and starring Jeff Daniels and John Goodman. It was the first film released by Walt Disney Studios' Hollywood Pictures label, as well as being the directorial debut of Marshall. In the film's plot, a newly discovered Venezuelan spider is inadvertently transported to the small town of Canaima. The escaped specimen produces a new species of deadly spiders, which begin killing the town's residents one by one. Shooting took place in Venezuela and California and the film was released in the United States on July 18, 1990. It was a modest commercial success, gaining $53.21 million at the box office. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

## Synopsis

A doctor with a deathly fear of spiders moves to a small town invaded by deadly versions of the same.

## Plot

Entomologist Dr. James Atherton searches the Amazon rainforest with the hope of discovering new species of insects and spiders. Finding a very aggressive new species of spider, a specimen is captured and chloroformed for research. It is later revealed to be lacking sex organs, thus making it a drone or soldier. A nature photographer, Jerry Manley, unknowingly has a fertile male specimen of the same species jump into his backpack, which later creeps into his sleeping bag and bites him. Manley suffers a massive seizure from the venom and dies. The remainder of the scientists take his body back to the United States, blaming Manley's death on a fever. The spider crawls into the casket and is sealed in with the corpse.

Manley's body arrives at the funeral home in his small town of Canaima, California. The spider finds its way outside, reaching the barn of the Jennings family. Ross Jennings is a family physician, who had moved to the town from San Francisco, in reliance on elderly rival Sam Metcalf's promise to retire and leave his patients to Jennings. Upon Jennings' arrival, however, Metcalf changes course and decides to maintain his practice. Soon, the Venezuelan specimen mates with a female domestic house spider and makes a nest in Jennings' barn, producing hundreds of infertile drone offspring, all of which have a lethal bite. Ross, along with his son Tommy, has arachnophobia, making them targets of ridicule to wife Molly and daughter Shelly.

Ross's first patient, Margaret Hollins, dies after being bitten. The town's residents believe that she died from a heart attack, despite Ross's suspicions that something else was at work. After a spider also kills a football player Ross also treated, he becomes known to the town as "Dr. Death." When Metcalf is bitten and dies, Ross suspects that deadly arachnids could be infesting the town.

Ross and county coroner Milton Briggs perform an autopsy on the victims and confirm Ross's suspicion that the deaths were caused by spider bites. Dr. Atherton arrives in town with his assistant Chris Collins, joining Briggs, Sheriff Lloyd Parsons and local exterminator Delbert McClintock in the spider investigation. They discover that the half-bred spiders have a short life expectancy. Atherton explains that the spiders are soldiers, dispatched by a General spider to eliminate competing predators. He also learns that the General produced a Queen, which it likely mated with to produce a second nest, guarded by the Queen, which will eventually hatch fertile offspring. Atherton elaborates that the transplanted spiders can progressively expand their territory, possibly culminating in their worldwide dispersal. The group sets out to destroy both nests and kill the Queen and General.

Deducing that the nest is in his barn, Ross sends Delbert to destroy it, where the exterminator finds Atherton dead before destroying the nest. Chris gets the Jennings family out of their infested house, but Ross falls through the floor into his wine cellar, which turns out to be the spiders' second nest, guarded not only by the Queen but also the enraged General. After electrocuting the Queen, Ross battles the General while also attempting to burn the second egg sac. He becomes trapped underneath fallen debris, paralyzed with fear as the General prepares to envenomate him. Ross overcomes his fear and flings the General into the fire. As the egg sac hatches, the General jumps out of the fire. Ross shoots it with a nail gun and the projectile sends the burning arachnid into the egg sac, destroying the nest with fire and ending the infestation. The Jennings family immediately moves back to San Francisco, appreciating city life once more, despite minor earthquakes disrupting them.

## Cast

* Jeff Daniels as Doctor Ross Jennings
* Harley Jane Kozak as Molly Jennings
* Garette Ratliff Henson as Tommy Jennings
* Marlene Katz as Shelly Jennings
* John Goodman as Delbert McClintock
* Julian Sands as Doctor James Atherton
* Brian McNamara as Chris Collins
* James Handy as Milton Briggs
* Peter Jason as Henry Beechwood
* Henry Jones as Doctor Sam Metcalf
* Frances Bay as Evelyn Metcalf
* Roy Brocksmith as Irv Kendall
* Kathy Kinney as Blaire Kendall
* Stuart Pankin as Sheriff Lloyd Parsons
* Mary Carver as Margaret Hollins
* Mark L. Taylor as Jerry Manley
* Brandy Norwood as Brandy Beechwood
* Jane Marla Robbins as Edna Beechwood
* Theo Schwartz as Bunny Beechwood
* Cori Wellins as Becky Beechwood
* Chance Boyer as Bobby Beechwood
* Lois De Banzie as Henrietta Manley
* Warren Rice as Dick Manley
* Robert Frank Telfer as Mayor Bob
* Michael Steve Jones as Irv's assistant

## Development

### Pre-production

*Arachnophobia* was first conceived and written by screenwriter Don Jakoby, a former physics student-turned-screenwriter. Jakoby said that, instead of intentionally crafting a campy B-movie, he attempted to improve upon them, taking inspiration from the 1956 film *Invasion of the Body Snatchers* and 1979's *Alien*, and endowing the lead arachnid villain with an agenda and personality. Frank Marshall, who would go on to direct the film, was in agreement; he distinguished *Arachnophobia* from "creature features," "nature run amok" films, and other B-movies of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, which often depicted a small town invaded by monsters or aliens. "We're not doing 'a giant spider who ate Cleveland' kind of movie," he said, adding, "We're making a film that is more science fact than fiction," like *Jaws* and *Poltergeist*. However, giant bug films, such as *Them!* and *Tarantula*, remained influential.

Marshall was then an experienced second-unit producer for Steven Spielberg's film production company Amblin Entertainment, involved in such films as *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*, *Gremlins*, *The Goonies*, *Back to the Future*, and the *Indiana Jones* films, among others. While producing Spielberg's 1989 film *Always* in Montana, Marshall was approached by Walt Disney Studios producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, who personally handed him the script and offered him a directorial debut in the form of the *Arachnophobia* screenplay, then entitled *Along Came the Spider*. At the time, Marshall was not particularly looking to direct a film.

Nevertheless, the draft immediately appealed to Marshall; he felt that he understood the basic horror elements, having grown up a fan of the genre, and it was not so dramatic or Shakespearean as to stretch him beyond his abilities. He also appreciated the "everyday" aspect of the horror, noting that spiders are "common, everyday occurrences." Marshall saw opportunities for comedy as well. According to the director, comedy was added to lighten the viewing experience and to distinguish *Arachnophobia* from other horror films; he explained, "it's frightening, but in a fun way," and that "people like to be scared but laughing, like a roller coaster. No one wants to be terrified." He elaborated that laughter was a form of catharsis which balanced the horror.

Spielberg was involved with *Arachnophobia*, being Marshall's mentor, and both are listed as executive producers on the film. Spielberg was "always there," says Marshall, but remained hands-off during production. Nevertheless, Spielberg did provide Marshall with some ideas for shots, including one toward the beginning of the film in which a spider threatens and hisses at entomologist Dr. Atherton. In another scene, Spielberg hid in the extermination truck driven by Goodman's character Delbert McClintock, telling the actor, "We're the only two people who know I'm here." After viewing the first cut, he gave Marshall some suggestions, some of which were incorporated into the film.

### Casting and rewrites

Casting was directed by Mike Fenton, with whom both Spielberg and Marshall had long collaborated. Marshall was sure to inform casting prospects at this early stage that the film would involve real spiders; on this news, several actors left auditions or refused to meet when Marshall informed them that the film would involve real spiders.

Jeff Daniels, already an established actor, was cast in the lead role of severe arachnophobe Dr. Ross Jennings. After a series of unsuccessful films in the late 80s, including 1986's *Something Wild*, Daniels found himself in need of a successful movie to continue his career. When his agent notified him of *Arachnophobia*, to be produced by Steven Spielberg's company Amblin Entertainment, Daniels immediately accepted the role, eager to work with such figures as Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy. Marshall recalls that Daniels was "up for the game" and agreed after a meeting in which they discussed his interaction with live spiders. Daniels replied, "I'm kind of scared of spiders anyway; I won't be acting a lot of the time."

Harley Jane Kozak was cast in the role of Molly Jennings, the protagonist's wife. At that time, Kozak's career was taking off with a small role in 1989's *When Harry Met Sally...* and *Parenthood*. When the actress met with Marshall to discuss the role, he asked about her attitude towards spiders, to which she responded that she was fine with them—though she later said that the role was such a big deal that she would not have admitted to any distaste for them. Marshall would then give her the role without need for an audition.

Spielberg suggested that actor John Goodman portray eccentric exterminator Delbert McClintock. Goodman recalled in an interview with *Vanity Fair* that he was cast as Delbert, who would provide the film's comedy relief, after a conversation with Jeffrey Katzenberg. At the time, Goodman had experienced some success with the television series *Roseanne* and used his time off from the show to portray Delbert. Due to time constraints, Marshall was unable to rehearse Delbert's scenes with Goodman. The actor initially had some difficulty creating a character and personality for Delbert, but as shooting started, he based his performance on both an exterminator he knew and a high school biology teacher that amused him growing up. Goodman had already worked with Daniels on a Butterball turkey commercial.

British actor Julian Sands was cast as entomologist Dr. James Atherton, who casting director Mike Fenton found "perfect" for the role. Actor Stuart Pankin, who played Sheriff Lloyd Parsons, received his role with no audition and after a conversation with Marshall, who wanted someone with a comic background.

Filmmakers, however, were not yet satisfied with the script. On his first reading, Daniels commented that the dialogue seemed "robotic." Marshall had already shot the film's opening sequence in the rainforests of Venezuela by the time Jakoby's original draft script was sent to screenwriter Wesley Strick. Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, with whom Strick had worked on the film *Cape Fear*, tasked Strick with rewriting the screenplay over Christmas break of 1989. Marshall wanted the film to resemble more Hitchcock's *The Birds*, where the eponymous birds served as catalysts to a dramatic story focused on the characters, which inspired his own take on the story.

Strick recounts that an Amblin representative delivered him a dozen drafts of the script with studio notes. Working in his garage, Strick read through the drafts and discovered that *Arachnophobia* had begun as a "messy horror-comedy," but he was "stunned" to find that the story had been rewritten to strip it of horror and humor. The problem, in his appraisal, was that the script had been overly clarified; for instance, the studio wanted the screenplay to specify overtly how the spiders arrived at the barn. To counter this, the writer "focused" the dialogue and restored some of the comedy in Goodman's character Delbert McClintock. He also noticed that the script missed a "big opportunity" for one of the characters to have the titular arachnophobia. Though he at first presumed that the phobia was omitted for a reason, Strick gave Daniels' character Ross Jennings a "raging case" of the phobia, thereby imbuing the story with a dramatic arc.

Marshall and Kennedy were thrilled by Strick's revisions. Marshall was particularly impressed with Strick's talent in writing "great characters" and "creepy horror scenes." Daniels was also relieved by Strick's rewrites, saying that Strick's humor "relaxes the audience, so that we can come in and get them again." The screenwriter thereafter remained involved with the production in a limited capacity; Marshall would sometimes phone him from set and bounce around ideas.

### Filming

#### Principal photography

The introductory sequence set in Venezuela was filmed first, beginning December 4, 1989. Marshall, who worked on the *Indiana Jones* films, which often involved shooting in jungles, was already interested in and comfortable with shooting in natural locations, as was director of photography Mikael Salomon. For that reason, the sequence was shot on-location in the restricted Gran Sabana (English: Great Savannah) region, which is located in Canaima National Park and hosts unique flora and fauna not found anywhere else on the globe. According to Marshall, no feature film had ever shot at the park before.

The park hosted a single landing strip and a resort, so the crew was able to fly to the location by helicopter and occupy the resort while filming. Venezuela issued executive producer Steven Spielberg a permit allowing him to film in the savannah, subject to certain stipulations; among these were that only a limited amount of crew and equipment were allowed access, no overnight stays were allowed, and some of the park could only be shown from an aerial view. While there, the crew also built a base camp and a tourist camp for visitors, which were pitched next to an enormous waterfall inhabited by anacondas, pythons, and sizable moths.

During production, Marshall learned of *tepui*, plateau-topped mountains and ecological islands, which became the principal inspiration and setting for the Venezuela sequence. Each day the crew would fly five helicopters up to the tepui, where filming would take place; landing atop the plateaus was sometimes a challenge. The *tepui* were so tall that clouds occasionally made camerawork difficult—at one point, Marshall was only able to get one take during an entire day of filming. Another day, the crew was forced to leave quickly and abandon film equipment when a thunderstorm approached. The filmmakers ultimately chose to name the main setting of the film "Canaima" after the park. After the sequence was finished, Marshall paused production until the New Year, allowing the screenplay to be finished.

For the sequence in which Sands' character Dr. Atherton fumigates a tree to collect insect specimens, a rainforest was constructed at MGM Studios' Stage 30. One of the indigenous people cast in the film was flown to the set in California to finish filming the sequence; cinematographer Mikael Salomon recalled that the sight of airplanes was an entirely new experience for him. An inspiration for the fumigation and insect collection sequence was entomologist Terry Erwin, who developed the "fogging" technique utilized by Dr. Atherton; the technique was depicted in National Geographic and Discovery Channel documentaries featuring Erwin, and they were recommended to Spielberg in developing the opening sequence. Atherton even duplicates Erwin's attire, including his choice of a pink bandana.

The remainder of *Arachnophobia* is set in the fictional municipality of Canaima and was shot over four weeks in the town of Cambria, California. The exterior of a Victorian farmhouse and barn were constructed on-site for shots of Dr. Jennings's residence and barn, while interior shots of the house were constructed and filmed at The Burbank Studios in Burbank, California. All the school scenes were filmed at Coast Union High School (CUHS). Students and staff were used in the football scenes and group events. The locker room and players were the actual students and players from CUHS.

#### Directing style

As *Arachnophobia* was Marshall's first film as a director, he found the prospect of directing "daunting." He found it necessary to be more efficient with his time. For instance, he observed that working with actors was quite different from his role in second units under Spielberg. Marshall has also said that he would first shoot by the script, but that he allowed the actors—particularly supporting actors like Peter Jason—to improvise while filming. Daniels said that Marshall gave actors "a lot of freedom"; Goodman recalled that he was "very easygoing" and "welcomed collaboration."

Marshall tried to set a tone during production that would balance horror with levity. He was concerned that the film would become too campy—especially in the form of the Delbert character—but ultimately grounded the film's horror in everyday situations—a spider in one's slippers, a spider in one's popcorn, and so forth. Further, as director, Marshall learned to disregard budgetary concerns and leave such issues to the producers, but he had to make difficult decisions regarding when filming was finished at a particular location.

Stylistically, Marshall revealed to *Fangoria* magazine that earlier cuts of *Arachnophobia* were shot from the spider's perspective, but the film went through some "restructuring" so that the audience could see the spider on-screen. To maximize suspense, and to enhance the quality of the film into an "A movie," Marshall stated that he staged shots in which the spiders were in the same frame as the actors instead of using quick cutaways. He placed spiders in the foreground to give the illusion of size and utilized stylistic angles to make it unpredictable. Marshall also studied techniques for generating suspense, particularly in Alfred Hitchcock's famous films *The Birds* and *Vertigo*. For instance, Marshall placed the monstrous tarantula in the barn so that any character entering the barn was threatened: "wherever the camera goes, you maybe expect to see Big Bob, and sometimes you do." Zemeckis also advised Marshall "not to linger on the spiders too long."

Comparisons were also made to the rat-infested film *Willard* and Spielberg's own shark film *Jaws*. Still, Marshall said he consciously followed a different approach to the film than remaking *Jaws* with spiders; for instance, a "mayor" character concerned with negative publicity was written out of the film for needlessly duplicating *Jaws*.

### Spiders and special effects

Marshall wanted the film to rely on live spiders more than special effects, to imbue realism and believability into the film. He had previously worked with unconventional animals on movie sets; he was placed in charge of the snakes, bugs and rats in the *Indiana Jones* films, although he found that these creatures were more trainable than spiders. Two kinds of spiders were needed—a hefty tarantula to play the villainous General and smaller spiders to portray his offspring. *Arachnophobia'*s visual effects supervisor, David Sosalla, was tasked with identifying suitable spiders for the roles.

Famed "Bug Wrangler" and entomologist Steve Kutcher was hired to handle and manipulate the spiders during filming. Kutcher said that he had no idea how the spider effects would be performed when he first read the script, but that the key was taking advantage of their behavior rather than attempting to train them. Ultimately, at least six spider wranglers were also brought in and assigned at least fifteen spiders each, because some sequences involved several hundred.

#### Large tarantulas

The lead arachnid villain, the General spider, was portrayed by a female Goliath Bird Eater tarantula affectionately nicknamed "Big Bob" after *Back to the Future* director Robert Zemeckis. Visual effects supervisor Sosalla decided early on against the employment of Mexican red-knee tarantulas, considering them overused in such films as 1955's *Tarantula*.

Big Bob was obtained from Reptile Rentals in Los Angeles. Animal trainer Jules Sylvester of Reptile Rentals was hired to work with Big Bob after displaying an aggressive Malaysian earthtiger tarantula to Marshall and producer Richard Vane, which solicited intense reactions from the crew. To Sylvester, Big Bob was quite naturally an aggressive spider, with a hiss like "sizzling bacon"; he noted that the bite hurts no more than a bee sting, but it could penetrate fingers down to the bones. According to Daniels, Big Bob was fed a rat every weekend and treated as part of the cast—"it was almost like they brought him in and took his robe off." She was already quite old at the time of shooting and died within a few years from the film's release.

Already impressive in size, a bulkier strap-on abdomen was affixed to Big Bob's back, and she was painted with off-color markings. Filmmakers found that the use of Big Bob posed unique challenges; the tarantula often required extended periods of rest and would sometimes behave seemingly erratically. Daniels jokingly said in an interview with *Entertainment Weekly* that he and the spider "had no rapport" and that he "had a problem" working with it, given the apparent cautiousness of the spider wranglers. He also said, in a behind-the-scenes interview, "I don't care who you are, you get a nine-inch Amazon spider coming towards you, I mean, yeah, sure I'm scared. Fine, you know."

The finale—in which Daniels' character battles the General in his wine cellar—was the only scene which Marshall storyboarded. "In this type of movie," he said, "like *Jaws* or *The Birds* or even *King Kong*, you have to end with a big confrontation between the main character and their nemesis or phobia." He conceived of the nail gun as the method whereby the General would be ultimately killed. The finale was filmed last and with the remainder of the cast dismissed, and it took two weeks of 13-hour days to complete. Two of those days were spent merely on the sequence in which Jennings remains trapped under a wine rack throwing wine bottles at his arachnid aggressor. Big Bob was used in many of these shots; according to Marshall, "there probably wasn't a lot of acting going on in that scene." While filming the climactic battle, Sylvester stood by with leather gloves and assured Daniels that, while the spider was perfectly safe, he would quickly retrieve the tarantula were it to advance on him.

Articulated animatronic models, also called "Bobs," were used for close-ups and shots where the real ones were not performative. Marshall had already worked with noted special effects artist Chris Walas on the film *Gremlins*, so the two already had an amicable working relationship. When the director commissioned Walas to create an animatronic Big Bob, he was at first a little hesitant to get involved, due to the inherent difficulty—although in an interview with *Empire* he recalled that his work on *Gremlins* was significantly tougher. Walas built at least three models of varying sizes—a "normal-sized" Bob with a ten-inch legspan, a a mid-sized spider with a two-foot legspan, and a "close-up Bob" with a six-foot legspan. Several different rigs were created for both Bob and his similarly-sized Queen, for different kinds of shots, including crawling, falling, or descending by web. Said Walas: "We've come up with fascinating cable-controlled systems with compound movement and and sync elements built into them. We've also incorporated some tiny internal drive mechanisms that we switch on to make the spiders walk away." The greatest difficulty, according to Walas, was locating batteries small enough to fit inside the spider models. Jamie Hyneman, of *MythBusters* fame, worked on the animatronic models; he would later state in *Popular Mechanics* that *Arachnophobia* was one of the first movies he worked on and that he often relied on simple magnets for several of the effects.

#### Smaller spiders

To portray the much smaller offspring of the villainous General spider, the film made use of several hundred Avondale spiders (*Delena cancerides*) from New Zealand, which were selected after a so-called "Spider Olympics" conceived by Kutcher. Filmmakers tested wolf spiders, different huntsmen spiders, and other species, for such filmable traits as climbing glass, walking on wires, crawling sideways and upside-down, speed, suggestibility, and appearance on camera. Ultimately, the *Delena* spiders won "by far" for their large size, unusually social lifestyle, complete harmlessness, irregularity of cannibalism, and because the crew was willing to work with them. Marshall was somewhat concerned that the tiny *Delena* spiders would not be frightening, but he hoped that the spiders' lethal bite would evoke the shark of *Jaws* and add an element of ubiquity. Marshall said in a behind-the-scenes interview, "what really works in this movie is that spiders can go anywhere and be hidden anywhere," and that spiders did not have the aquatic limitation of the *Jaws* shark.

Over three hundred individuals were imported from New Zealand to the United States for filming, which involved complex paperwork between both governments. Prohibitions on the exportation of native wildlife prevented filmmakers from obtaining them from Australia, but no such protections existed for the spiders in New Zealand, so Landcare Research in Auckland was able to provide them.

When not on camera, the *Delena* spiders were kept in a "Spider Condominium" with various drawers dividing the spiders by speed, climbing ability, and so forth. They were guided around the set by hair dryers, thin, vibrating wires, miniature leashes tied to their abdomens, and even harmless magnetic plates glued to their bodies. Kutcher found that the spiders particularly avoided lemon-scented Pledge; this was sprayed on surfaces to form a "path" that the spiders refused to cross. After filming, the spiders were carefully collected, returned to the Spider Condominium, counted, and put to sleep through the use of carbon dioxide. Other shots employed inanimate "dummy spiders" crafted by special effects artist Chris Walas. Finally, another shot—one of hundreds of spiders crawling on the exterior of the house—was completed by Industrial Light & Magic using some of the earliest computer-generated imagery (CGI).

While shooting, the filmmakers often found that patience was key; shots would be repeated several times over before the spider "accidentally" performed the desired effect. The spiders' inconsistency put some amount of pressure on the cast; since the spiders were so unreliable, the cast had to perform every take perfectly on the off-chance that the spiders performed as desired. Kozak described the experience of waiting on the spiders to perform as "watching paint dry." The spiders' volatility became such a recurring issue that the crew formed a "Spider Lotto" to bet on the number of takes the spider would need to perform perfectly. In what was considered by far the most difficult shot—in which a spider crawls into a bowl of microwave popcorn prepared by Roy Brocksmith's character Irv Kendall—Brocksmith won the lotto. Another particularly difficult shot—consuming 46 takes— was filmed in a little girl's bedroom, but was ultimately cut from the movie. Other times, Marshall simply "let it be" and allow the spider to perform how it wished. For instance, the shot of spiders swarming out of the drain came out better than anyone anticipated.

The actors responded differently to the *Delena* spiders, which were called "grunts" on set. Marshall found the cast and crew naturally skittish around them, and Kutcher noticed that some individuals on set were sincerely afraid. Yet everyone understood that they were not dangerous. The cast were given tutorials and orientations on handling the spiders, and they were were placed on cast members prior to filming to acclimate them to their touch. The child actors and actresses showed more boldness with the spiders than the adults. Goodman had no issue with the spiders, saying, "We see each other eye to eye—well, two eyes to their sixteen." However, with respect to Sands, a great number of spiders crawl on his character Dr. Atherton near the end of the film. Marshall was at first stunted by the *Delena* spiders scattering before the shot could be completed; eventually, the filmmaker elected to use a holed-out fencing mask to funnel them onto Sands' face before shooting. Sands, who fortunately does not suffer from arachnophobia, found the shot quite challenging, but placed himself in a calm "zen" state while several different shots were taken.

Daniels has said that he was comfortable with the *Delena* spiders, as long as they refrained from crawling on his face. However, at least one shot required just that—specifically, while shooting the scene in which a swarming spider lands on Daniels, Marshall was unsatisfied by how the spiders appeared on Daniels' brown plaid shirt. Marshall approached Daniels and asked, according to the latter's memory, "Is it possible—could we toss the spider onto your face?" Daniels agreed, later arguing that he did it "for the glamor" of the big-budget feature, and that "if they had been throwing snakes in my face I probably would have gone into therapy. But I'm alright with spiders." The shot was completed on the first take. The actor did not attend the spider acclimation tutorial to stay in-character as a severe arachnophobe.

Great care went into ensuring that no spiders were harmed during production. For instance, when exterminator Delbert McClintock sprays a spider with insecticide and squashes it underneath his shoe, a rubber spider was sprayed, and a hollowed-out boot was substituted so that the real spider remained unharmed. The whole scene took hours to film; John Goodman recalled that the spider would curl inside the boot and linger there until the next filming. Spielberg was present for the scene and located the "goo" which served as the spider's innards.

The scene in which Cori Wellins' character Becky Beechwood is attacked by a spider in the shower—an homage to *Psycho*—was filmed using a fake sink and drain. When spider corpses were needed, filmmakers used those that died from natural causes. To create the sound effects of spiders being stepped on or squished, Foley artists stepped on mustard packs or squashed potato chips. For the sound effect of the spiders crawling through the heating ducts, long fingernails were used on pieces of tin to create the scurrying sound. Actor Stuart Pankin believed that the cast and crew succeeded in not harming the creatures.

Marshall resolved that the film would be his last time working with arthropods. After the film was released, urban myths persisted that venomous spiders had escaped from the *Arachnophobia* crew's custody and were lurking in Warner Bros. studios. Marshall dispelled the myth in an interview with Amblin Entertainment; for years he "would get calls about spiders on the stage at Warner's, but no, we didn't have any poisonous spiders."

### Other effects

Walas also designed other of the film's effects, including animal remains and the mutilated corpse of Mark L. Taylor's character Jerry Manley. Walas originally crafted a sunken, blood-drained cadaver, but added in a "rotting corpse" effect when filmmakers decided it should look half-eaten. To construct the plentiful spiderwebs needed for the film, Walas used DuPont nylon filament, which was sturdy and had the needed appearance, with layers of urethane and lacquer applied for texturing. However, some of the over-the-top special effects created for the film were never shot, due to Marshall's insistence that the film rely on suspense rather than outright horror.

### Editing and post-production

Disney issued a fiat to Marshall that the film be "scary" but not "terrifying." Marshall was confused by this request and opted to cut any particularly terrifying parts in post-production. For instance, in the scene in which the photographer Jerry Manley is fatally bitten by the General, Marshall did not want the film to be gory and was unsure about blood, so, on editor Michael Kahn's suggestion, he added in shots of Manley cramping and reaching out for help. Marshall was also careful to use the editing room to balance out the horror with comedy, saying, "Not until I put the whole movie together did I know how that was going to work."

A scene involving Pankin's character being killed by a spider and fatally crashing his patrol car was written out of the final cut; filmmakers did not want Delbert to be forced to ignore a crashed car on his way to the Jennings household. At a few test screenings, the film proved successful with audiences, but one issue was noted—the ending "fell flat" and concluded immediately after the spider nest is destroyed. Filmmakers returned to screenwriter Wesley Strick and tasked him with developing a more fitting conclusion, "something they could shoot in one day." Strick responded with the film's current final scene, showing that the Jennings family had relocated back to San Francisco, which was the last scene filmed. Another potential ending jokingly referenced *The Birds* and had the family standing outside their home and watching as a group of birds landed on a swing set; this conclusion was cut on Spielberg's suggestion. The editors added the Jimmy Buffett song "Don't Bug Me" over the end credits.

The production of the film was chronicled in a featurette entitled *Thrills, Chills & Spiders: The Making of Arachnophobia*. This behind-the-scenes documentary was written and directed by John Schultz and hosted by actor Mark L. Taylor, who portrayed photographer Jerry Manley, the first victim to fall to the spiders in the movie.

### Music

**→** *Main article: Arachnophobia (soundtrack)*
None of the composers with whom Marshall originally wanted to work, including John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, were available to score *Arachnophobia*. At that time, Trevor Jones's agent sent Marshall a tape of Jones's orchestral scores, which impressed Marshall and agreed with his sensibilities. Jones was hired and wrote the score for the film in a short amount of time, including the prominent theme for the opening sequence. A soundtrack album for the film, also called *Arachnophobia*, was released in 1990. Jones later recalled that some of his score was not included in the film but was part of the soundtrack.

## Release

### Marketing

*Arachnophobia* was the first film released by Hollywood Pictures, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The film constituted Disney's first foray into the horror genre, and the company wanted a family-friendly label to accompany the picture. Producer Richard Vane found that the subject-matter of the film was a cause for concern, saying, "People hear that it's about spiders and it's the last movie they want to see." For this reason, marketing emphasized the comedic and humorous aspects of the film, with the tagline "Eight legs, two fangs and an attitude" and billing as a "thrill-omedy." Actor Stuart Pankin, who plays Sheriff Lloyd Parsons in the film, wrote a song for the film that was bought by the filmmakers and included in the trailer.

Initially, the title was misspelled as "Arachniphobia," but this was later corrected. Even then, Hollywood Pictures executives considered changing the name to "Along Came A Spider" due to the word's obscurity and the chosen lighthearted marketing scheme, but ultimately the studio retained the original name. Marshall thought the "Along Came a Spider" title was "too cute," since the film was indisputably horror.

### Box office

*Arachnophobia* debuted at #3 behind *Ghost* and *Die Hard 2* with $8 million in its first weekend. Internally, the studio expected the film to make $100 million. The film, though not meeting these expectations, was a financial success, grossing $53,208,180 domestically and going on to gross an additional $30,000,000 in video rentals. This awarded Spielberg the title of fourth wealthiest entertainer of the year, having previously been the second wealthiest. Screenwriter Wesley Strick attributed the film's underwhelming success on the Hollywood axiom that women choose which films to see in theatres, and Daniels believed that the spiders generally kept moviegoers away.

## Reception

### Critical response

On the review website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 35 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10, with the consensus "Arachnophobia may not deliver genuine chills, but it's an affectionate, solidly built tribute to Hollywood's classic creature features."

In his book, critic Leonard Maltin calls the film a "slick comic thriller" and approves of the acting, warning, "Not recommended for anyone who's *ever* covered their eyes during a movie." *Newsweek* associated the film with B movies "about the small town threatened by alien invaders," and said it was well made but "oddly unresonant." *Newsweek* also wrote that the film "pushes the audience's buttons with Pavlovian finesse, manufacturing industrial-strength adrenaline. First-time director Frank Marshall has long been Steven Spielberg's producer, and he's learned the master's lessons well."

Roger Ebert of the *Chicago Sun-Times* said it made audiences "squirm out of enjoyment, not terror, and it's probably going to be popular with younger audiences - it doesn't pound you over the head with violence. Like the spider itself, it has a certain respect for structure." He listed details in the film that he felt were typical of such films, including "the bright young doctor, whose warnings are ignored" and "the loyal wife and kids," as well as "the usual cats and dogs, necessary for the obligatory scene in which they can sense something even when the humans can't." He gave the film three stars.

Meanwhile, Gene Siskel of the *Chicago Tribune* praised Goodman's performance, saying that it "takes the edge off the horror and makes 'Arachnophobia' palatable for people of all ages." *Empire* magazine called *Arachnophobia* an "exciting and thoroughly enjoyable, experience." *Entertainment Weekly* said that "Arachnophobia is a skin-crawling horror film that never loses its cheeky, throwaway edge." *Variety* magazine said: "Frank Marshall's sophisticated feature directing debut never indulges in ultimate gross-out effects and carefully chooses both its victims and its means of depicting their dispatch."

Not all reviews were positive. *Slant Magazine* wrote that "Arachnophobia isn’t great filmmaking, appearing to be kept in check by vaguely resembling Spielbergian entertainment without rising to its altitudes. But it’s a pleasant, acutely nostalgic elicitation of the VHS era and the woozy, preadolescent excitement of awaiting the next cranked-out Spielberg Xerox picture." Janet Maslin of *The New York Times* found that "*Arachnophobia* falters only when it becomes too broad, as in a dopey nod to *Psycho* that captures none of Hitchcock's formal elegance, and in various minor characters who serve as comic grotesques."

The film also has similarities with the 1977 film *Kingdom of the Spiders*. Producer Igo Kantor hinted in an interview with *Fangoria* magazine that *Arachnophobia*, which Spielberg produced, bears several similarities to *Kingdom of the Spiders*. "I thought it was a copy," Kantor stated, "but you don't go and sue Spielberg!"

The film drew protests from some people interested in spiders, as they believed the film tarnished the public image of spiders.

Kozak recalled reading headlines of moviegoers having fainting episodes during viewing. Marshall and Kennedy recalled watching studio executives and audiences equally gasping at the movie, which signaled their success in the horror elements.

## Post-release

### Home media

*Arachnophobia* went on to experience success in the home video market. The film was first released on VHS on March 6, 1991 by Touchstone Home Video, which also released the film on Laserdisc format in 1991. The film was then released as a bare-bones DVD on June 15, 1999, and on Blu-ray on September 25, 2012. VHS and DVD releases by Hollywood/Buena Vista Home Video curiously omit the original poster art's spider from their cover design; however, the Blu-ray now reinstates it.

### Other media

*See also:* *Arachnophobia: Official Movie Adaptation*, *Arachnophobia* novel, and *Arachnophobia* video game
Remco, an American toy company, produced a limited line of figurines of Big Bob, the Goliath Bird Eater tarantula which portrayed the arachnid antagonist of the film.

A tie-in graphic novel, *Arachnophobia: Official Movie Adaptation*, was released with the movie. Notably, the characters in the comic book bear little resemblance to the actors who portray them in the film.

A novelization of *Arachnophobia* was released on August 1, 1990, written by author Nicholas Edwards.

A video game version of *Arachnophobia* was released in 1991, for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and DOS. The video game is only loosely based on the film and continues its story in a tongue-in-cheek manner. In it, the player controls Delbert McClintock as he clears spider infestations in further towns beyond Canaima, using such tools as his spray gun, "Bug Bombs," Aerosol Flamethrowers, and a "Bugometer." If the player completes these levels, the United Nations assigns him to exterminate the remaining spiders in South America. The game received lukewarm reception.

## Themes

Thematically, *Arachnophobia* is about facing one's fears, but it particularly exploits the psychological aspects of fear and comedy. According to psychologist Neil Malamuth of UCLA, "the nature of suspense films is that it really involves your physiological, emotional reactions. In this case, we're talking about a particular fear of spiders, one of the most common types of phobias." He added that catharsis is what makes comedy so enjoyable, and in *Arachnophobia* that comedy functions as a release of the tension created by fear.

## Legacy

On June 14, 2000, a low-budget horror film entitled *Spiders* in its American distribution was released in Spanish under the title *Aracnofobia II*. The film bears no relation to the 1990 original beyond its depiction of killer spiders running rampant in California, and it is not clear how the film came to be marketed as an unauthorized sequel to *Arachnophobia*. The plot involves a spider genetically altered with extraterrestrial DNA crashing onto Earth and causing mayhem in the streets of Los Angeles.

In 2022, various outlets began to report that *Arachnophobia* was receiving a remake jointly produced by Atomic Monster and Amblin Entertainment, listing Christopher Landon as writer and director, horror savante James Wan and Michael Clear as producers, and Frank Marshall as executive producer. The film is yet to be released.

## Appearances

**Characters**
* Dr. Ross Jennings (first appearance)

* Molly Jennings (first appearance)

* Delbert McClintock (first appearance)

* Dr. James Atherton (first appearance)

* Chris Collins (first appearance)

* The General (Canaima) (first appearance)

* The Queen (Canaima) (first appearance)

* Jennings domestic house spider (first appearance)

* Tommy Jennings (first appearance)

* Shelly Jennings (first appearance)

* Dr. Sam Metcalf (first appearance)

* Evelyn Metcalf (first appearance)

* Jerry Manley (first appearance)

* Miguel Higueras (first appearance)

* Milton Briggs (first appearance)

* Lloyd Parsons (first appearance)

* Irv Kendall (first appearance)

* Blaire Kendall (first appearance)

* Margaret Hollins (first appearance)

* Harry Beechwood (first appearance)

* Venezuelan natives (first appearance)

**Locations**
* South America (first appearance)

* Venezuela (first appearance)
	+ Caracas (first mentioned)

* Amazon basin (first appearance)
	+ Orinoco River (first appearance)
		- Base camp (first appearance)
	+ Tepui (first appearance)
		- Venezuelan spider tepui (first appearance)

* North America (first appearance)
	+ United States (first appearance)
		- California (first appearance)

* California locations
	+ Canaima (first appearance)
	+ San Luis Obispo (first appearance)
		- Cal Poly Research Laboratory (first appearance)
	+ San Francisco (first appearance)
		- Jennings residence (San Francisco) (first appearance)

* Canaima locations

	+ Jennings residence (Canaima) (first appearance)
		- Jennings barn (first appearance)
		- Wine cellar (first appearance)

	+ Metcalf residence (first appearance)

	+ Beechwood residence (first appearance)

	+ Hollins residence (first appearance)

	+ Kendall residence (first appearance)

**Organizations**
* Bugs-B-Gone (first appearance)

* Kendall Mortuary (first appearance)

* Canaima High School (first appearance)

* Ross Jennings's medical clinic (first appearance)

* Canaima spider colony (first appearance)

* California Polytechnic Institute (first appearance)
	+ California Polytechnic Institute Department of Entomology (first appearance)

* Yale University (first mentioned)

**Species**
* Human (first appearance)

* Insect (first appearance)
	+ Ant (first appearance)
		- 24-hour ant (first appearance)
	+ Butterfly (first appearance)
		- *Photius manlii* (first appearance)
	+ Bee (first mentioned)
	+ Cricket (first appearance)

* Arachnid (first appearance)
	+ Spider (first appearance)
		- Venezuelan spider (first appearance)
		- Domestic house spider (first appearance)
		- Canaima spider (first appearance)
		- Black widow (first mentioned)
	+ Daddy long-legs (first mentioned)

* Frog (first mentioned)

* *Stegolepis* (first appearance)

* Crow (first appearance)

**Equipment and Technology**
* Atherton's helicopter (first appearance)

* Fumigator (first appearance)

* Tullgren funnel (first appearance)

* Leaf litter sieve (first appearance)

* Bugs-B-Gone truck (first appearance)

* Insecticide Spray Gun (first appearance)

* Insecticide (first appearance)

* Nail gun (first appearance)

**Miscellanea**
* Entomology (first appearance)
	+ Arachnology (first appearance)

* General (caste) (first appearance)

* Queen (caste) (first appearance)

* Drone (first appearance)

* Venezuelan spider venom (first appearance)
	+ Neurotoxin (first appearance)

* Arachnophobia (fear) (first appearance)

* Web (first appearance)

* Neurotransmitter (first mentioned)

* Photographer (first appearance)

* Field assistant (first appearance)

* Physician (first appearance)

* Coroner (first appearance)

* Stock broker (first appearance)

## External links

* *Arachnophobia* at the Internet Movie Database
* Arachnophobia on Wikipedia
* *Arachnophobia* on D23
* *Arachnophobia* at Amblin Entertainment

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 Mitchell, Sean. How They Got the Bugs Out: Insects: When they needed spiders for ‘Arachnophobia,’ a species from New Zealand answered the casting call. *Los Angeles Times.* July 18, 1990.
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 Shapiro, Marc. *Arachnophobia Spins Its Web.*. *Fangoria*. No. 95. August 1990.
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 Gregg Kilday, Charles Fleming, and Benjamin Svetkey. "*Arachnophobia.*" *Entertainment Weekly.* No. 24. July 27, 1990.
4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 *Thrills, Chills & Spiders: The Making of* Arachnophobia ( Available on YouTube on YouTube)
5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 Turan, Kenneth. Film; Don't Look Now, But the Spiders Are Coming! *The New York Times.* April 15, 1990.
6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 6.26 6.27 6.28 6.29 6.30 6.31 6.32 6.33 6.34 6.35 6.36 6.37 6.38 6.39 6.40 6.41 6.42 6.43 Awalt, Steven. Along Came a Director: Frank Marshall on the Making of 'Arachnophobia'. Amblin Entertainment. July 17, 2020.
7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 7.22 7.23 7.24 7.25 7.26 7.27 7.28 7.29 7.30 7.31 7.32 7.33 7.34 7.35 7.36 7.37 7.38 7.39 de Samlyen, Nick. *Into the Spider-Verse.* Empire magazine. Dec. 2020.
8. ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 Filming Spiders Without Getting Antsy: 'Arachnophobia Director Keeps His Sense of Humor.' *Orlando Sentinel*. July 26, 1990.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6  Arachnophobia (1990) Frank Marshall Featurette on YouTube
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2  Arachnophobia (1990) Production Featurette on YouTube
11. ↑ Leonard Maltin, ed. *Leonard Maltin's 2002 Movie & Video Guide. A Signet Book*. 2001.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2  John Goodman Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters  on YouTube
13. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia. Mike Fenton, Famed Casting Director on ‘Back to the Future,’ ‘E.T.’ and Many Other Movies, Dies at 85. *Variety*. January 1, 2021.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5  Jeff Daniels Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters  on YouTube
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 Actor Found 'Arachnophobia' Co-Stars No Big Hairy Deal. *Orlando Sentinel*. July 20, 1990.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5  Harley Jane Kozak - Arachnophobia Interview 1990 on YouTube
17. ↑ 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 17.10 17.11 17.12 17.13 17.14 17.15 17.16 17.17 17.18 17.19 17.20 17.21 17.22 17.23 17.24 17.25 17.26 17.27 Beresford, Jack. How Arachnophobia Became the Perfect Creepy Crawly Horror Comedy. *Den of Geek.* October 11, 2020.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1  John Goodman Breaks Down His Career, From 'The Big Lebowski' to 'Monsters, Inc.'  on YouTube
19. ↑  @LeDoctor on Twitter / X: "Mike not only knew Julian Sands would be perfect for Dr. Atherton in ARACHNOPHOBIA, but also a valuable member of the Flying Squirrels relay team..."
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1  Famous Hollywood and Disney Actor Stuart Pankin - Celebrity Interview - Chris' Arcade on YouTube
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3  S3:E8 - An Interview with Stuart Pankin on YouTube
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 Interview: Wesley Strick. *We Are Cult.* January 10, 2018.
23. ↑  @LeDoctor on Twitter / X: "Inspired ARACHNOPHOBIA..."
24. ↑ 24.00 24.01 24.02 24.03 24.04 24.05 24.06 24.07 24.08 24.09 24.10 24.11 24.12 24.13 24.14 24.15 *Arachnophobia* (1990) at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4  Arachnophobia (1990) Filming the Venezuela Sequence on YouTube
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Servat, Grace P. 'Terry L. Erwin and the race to document biodiversity (1940–2020)' *ZooKeys.* June 16, 2021.
27. ↑ *Popular Mechanics*. Nov. 2006.
28. ↑ Avondale spider at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1  Interview w/ Actor Stuart Pankin (Dinosaurs/Arachnophobia/Mannequin Two) on YouTube
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2  Stuart Pankin - Interview on The RockStop with Chris Contra on YouTube
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2  Q&A with Julian Sands at 2022 Texas Frightmare Weekend on YouTube
32. ↑ Gamble, Rick. "A stinging commentary." *Expositor*, Brantford, Ontario: April 22, 2006, pg. D7.
33. ↑ Jonathan Broxton and James Southall. Trevor Jones in Conversation, 1999. *Movie Music UK.*
34. ↑ The AFI Catalog entry for *Arachnophobia* notes that the alternate spelling "arachnephobia" is permissible, but "arachniphobia" is an error.
35. ↑ Producer Richard Vane noted in his *Entertainment Weekly* interview, cited above, that *Poltergeist* evoked some of the same concerns about pronunciation but ultimately succeeded with audiences.
36. ↑ Bearden, Keith and Weaver, Tom. *Eight Legs Is Enough.* Fangoria. May 1998. No. 172. pp. 12–17, 67.
37. ↑ *Arachnophobia* at MobyGames
38. ↑ Zorrilla, Mikel. 'Aracnofobia' tendrá remake de la mano de James Wan. *Espinof.* June 13, 2018.
39. ↑  *Spiders* at the Internet Movie Database
40. ↑ Kit, Borys. Christopher Landon to Write, Direct ‘Arachnophobia’ Remake for Amblin Partners (Exclusive). *Hollywood Reporter*. June 2, 2022.
41. ↑ Collis, Clark. Prepare for 8-legged freakiness with *Arachnophobia* remake. *Entertainment Weekly*. June 3, 2022.
42. ↑ Urban, Sasha. ‘Arachnophobia’ Remake in the Works With Amblin Partners, Director Christopher Landon. *Variety*. June 2, 2022.