James Atherton

“*I have a problem, and it may be spider-related. You seem to be the foremost authority on the West Coast, or any coast, for that matter.*”
—Ross Jennings[src]
Dr. **James Atherton** (died 1990) was a renowned entomologist and Professor of Entomology at California Polytechnic Institute in San Luis Obispo, California, in which field he was a leading expert on the identification of new insects and spiders.

In 1990, he led a scientific expedition to Venezuela to explore an isolated region of the Amazon basin. There, he successfully discovered new species of insects and a deadly, aggressive, and intelligent species of spider, which was inadvertently introduced to California. The arrival of the spiders caused a deadly chaos which prompted Atherton to appear and help contain the outbreak. He was later killed by spider bite while investigating a nest in the barn near the Jennings residence.

## Biography

### Early life

Presumably from the United Kingdom, Atherton studied entomology, earning a Bachelors, Masters, and eventually a Doctorate in the field. Later, Dr. Atherton became a Professor at the California Polytechnic Institute Department of Entomology, gaining notoriety as the leading authority on arthropods on the West Coast. His specialty was listed as arachnology, and he maintained numerous such specimens of insects and spiders at the Cal Poly Research Laboratory.

Dr. Atherton possessed an adventurous and unflappable nature, and his speciality in identifying undiscovered arthropods led him to remote corners of the world.

### Discovery of Venezuelan spiders

Hoping to discover new species in the Amazon basin, Dr. Atherton commissioned photographer Jerry Manley, field assistant Miguel Higueras, and Venezuelan natives to assist him in an entomological study of the Venezuelan rainforest. Operating from a base camp near the Orinoco River, Atherton launched excursions into nearby *tepui*, great flat-top mesas with isolated ecosystems.

Manley was the last to arrive, complaining of a fever which had afflicted him in Caracas. Upon his arrival, Atherton greeted the Californian photographer, introduced him to Higueras, and explained his photography needs. The team then immediately embarked by helicopter on an expedition to a new, unexplored tepui. A dangerous 24-hour ant appeared on Manley's knee, noticed by their indigenous guide; Atherton explained the danger of the insects and flicked it out of the cabin. When the team arrived at the *tepui*, they discovered a two-thousand-foot sinkhole carved into the mountain and began their descent. After the helicopter landed, Atherton had his scientific supplies lowered, and one guide remained at the surface while another escorted them a different way to the floor of the sinkhole. Both the temperature and the ambient lighting plummeted as they dropped lower into the depression. At the floor of the sinkhole, the entomologists positioned collection funnels around a tree.

Dr. Atherton then fumigated the tree and discovered the presence of several new species, including a butterfly he called *Photius manlii* and a deadly new species of spider. Atherton was immediately moved by the spider’s impressive size, aggression, and population density, and the scientist resolved to bring a number of specimens back with him alive or in preservative. However, a specimen which had been presumed dead startled Manley with its activity and aggression; the photographer crushed it in a bout of panick, much to Atherton's chagrin. Another specimen, caged in a jar, threatened Dr. Atherton, who was intrigued but unflustered.

On their return trip to base camp, a specimen of the novel spider concealed itself in the research supplies. At base camp, while Atherton studied his biological discovery under a microscope, Manley retired to his tent for a nap. There the concealed Venezuelan spider unpacked itself from the supplies and slid into Manley's tent, mortally biting him. Higueras discovered the body, which Atherton blamed on the fever which had theretofore bedeviled his photographer. Unbeknownst to the research team, the offending arachnid would later be delivered to Manley's hometown of Canaima, California aboard his coffin. All the while, Dr. Atherton discovered that his specimen was a drone, lacking reproductive organs, a trait never before seen in spiders.

### Return to California

“*Always nice to meet a colleague.*”
—Delbert McClintock[src]

When he returned to California, Dr. Atherton resumed his research and professorial duties, and reported the discovery of the spider to his associates, including research assistant Chris Collins, who described the discovery as a "big deal." Unbeknownst to Dr. Atherton, the new species had already begun to dominate Manley's hometown of Canaima, to which it had been inadvertently introduced, causing several inexplicable deaths. Ross Jennings, a physician investigating the deaths, eventually identified the arachnid culprits.

Jennings phoned Dr. Atherton for his help, citing his reputation in the field. Atherton, initially skeptical, eventually dispatched Collins to the town to investigate after he vaguely recognized the name "Canaima." Shortly thereafter, Collins confirmed the bad news to Atherton that the Canaima deaths were, in fact, apparently spider-related. This prompted Atherton to venture there himself.

### Canaima

“*Oh my God, they got the professor!*”
—Delbert McClintock[src]

When he arrived, Dr. Atherton dissected a captured specimen and discovered that a fertile male of the Venezuelan species had mated with a domestic house spider and bred hybrid offspring. Atherton then deduced that the first generation involved a General, the fertile male, who produced a Queen and several infertile drones, who the General would deploy as deadly soldiers to eliminate competition in the surrounding area. Eventually, the General and Queen would produce reproductive offspring of her own, thus dominating the entire region.

As these revelations came to light, Atherton stated his intent to contact the United States Department of Agriculture. He then discovered, at Ross Jennings's medical clinic, a framed photograph Molly Jennings had taken of a massive web in their barn. Atherton, immediately suspicious, asked Sheriff Lloyd Parsons to bring him there.

Upon his arrival at the barn, Atherton noticed the remarkable size and complexity of the web. He then discovered a strand of websilk designed to detect prey, which he began to pluck in an effort to draw out the spider and invite it to dinner. As he expected, the General did appear, but from a direction and at a speed that Atherton could not anticipate. The General lept onto his neck and sank its fangs therein, ending the life of the arachnophilic explorer.

Later, Atherton was found cocooned in spider silk by Delbert McClintock.

## Characters met

* Chris Collins
* Ross Jennings
* Jerry Manley
* Miguel Higueras
* Delbert McClintock

## Behind the scenes

Dr. James Atherton was portrayed by English actor Julian Sands in the 1990 film *Arachnophobia*. Sands was selected by casting director Mike Fenton, who found him "perfect" for the role.

The film's opening sequence, in which Sands' character Dr. Atherton ventures into the rainforests of Venezuela, was filmed on-location in the restricted Gran Sabana (English: Great Savannah) region, which is located in Canaima National Park, while the sequence in which he fumigates a tree for insect collection was filmed on a set specially constructed at MGM Studios' Stage 30. He recalled that filming in Venezuela was a "great adventure" and lamented that "nowadays it would be done in a studio."

However, while the opening was filmed on-site, the sequence wherein Atherton fumigates a tree in the *tepui'*s sinkhole *was* filmed at a set in Burbank, California. The inspiration for that sequence came from real-life entomologist Terry Erwin, who developed fumigation as a collection technique; Erwin's use of it was depicted in National Geographic and Discovery Channel documentaries, and they were recommended to executive producer Steven Spielberg in developing the opening sequence. Atherton even duplicates Erwin's attire, including his choice of a pink bandana.

In the film, Sands' character Dr. Atherton is killed violently by a large spider and is later found wrapped in websilk with spiders crawling all over his face. Notably, in interviews, Sands stated that he felt quite fortunate that does not suffer from arachnophobia, but that the sensation of hundreds of eight-legged spiders crawling around his nostrils, eyes, and lips was quite a challenge. Director Frank Marshall, who wanted the shot of the spiders on his face, was at first impeded by the spiders fleeing before the shot could be completed. This was solved by using a holed-out fencing mask, in which a funnel was placed to drop spiders on the actor's face to be removed just before filming. Because he was "playing dead," Sands found it easy to stay absolutely still and placed himself in a "zen" state while several different shots were taken. He had been hanging upside-down for "15 minutes" while the shot was completed, to which tarantula handler Jules Sylvester commented, "You're an amazing guy." Sands also compared the experience to a scene in 1998's *Il fantasma dell'opera*, in which he was filmed lying in a bed with rats. The rats were worse for Sands; he is, in fact, "a little phobic about rats," like the character of Winston Smith in George Orwell's *1984*.

In another interview, Sands stated that he had received praise from fans even 25 years after the film was released, saying, "It really touched a nerve, that film." Many fans also expressed to him their dismay at his character's unfortunate death. He also said: "if they didn't have arachnophobia before they saw it," they surely did after a viewing. He has since expressed his enjoyment working with the cast and director Frank Marshall. When asked by *Empire* magazine about his post-*Arachnophobia* feelings towards spiders, he answered that he had interacted with a large spider just that morning; he "just placed a glass over it, a postcard under the glass and took it outside."

## Appearances

1. ARACHNOPHOBIA (first appearance)
2. ARACHNOPHOBIA novel
3. ARACHNOPHOBIA: Official Movie Adaptation

## Notes and references

1. ↑  @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..."
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Arachnophobia* (1990) at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 de Samlyen, Nick. *Into the Spider-Verse.* Empire magazine. Dec. 2020.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Servat, Grace P. 'Terry L. Erwin and the race to document biodiversity (1940–2020)' *ZooKeys.* June 16, 2021.
5. ↑  Q&A with Julian Sands at Weekend of Horrors on YouTube
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5  Interview with Julian Sands on YouTube
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5  Q&A with Julian Sands at 2022 Texas Frightmare Weekend on YouTube
8. ↑ Burlingame, Russ. Gotham's Julian Sands on Smallville, Arachnophobia and Becoming the Fearsome Dr. Crane. *Comicbook.com.* February 2, 2015.