Canaima

**Canaima** is a small coastal town in California, seated next to the Pacific Ocean, which is home to a number of friendly though parochial residents. The town is the municipal center of the Greater Canaima Area.

In 1990, the town was the subject of a deadly infestation of Venezuelan spiders that had been accidentally transported thereto. When a specimen of the exotic species arrived in town, it mated with a domestic house spider and produced a strain of hybrid offspring. The spider colony terrorized Canaima for some time until it was discovered and eliminated by local pest control expert Delbert McClintock and recent arrival Dr. Ross Jennings.

## History

After World War II, Dr. Sam Metcalf arrived in Canaima and threw himself a party, inviting the whole town and establishing himself as its physician.

In 1988, exterminator Delbert McClintock opened a solo pest control business, Bugs-B-Gone, which serviced Canaima and surrounding towns. At some point he unwittingly fumigated some of his customers, leading to unfavorable coverage in the *Canaima Times*.

### Spider Infestation

In 1990, Canaima resident Jerry Manley was commissioned by Dr. James Atherton of California Polytechnic Institute to perform photography field work on an entomological expedition to the tepuis of Venezuela, where Dr. Atherton hoped to identify a species of insects and spiders. During the expedition, a highly venomous and hyperaggressive species of tarantula was discovered, which had theretofore been contained by the sinkhole in which it thrived. A fertile male specimen, called The General, capitalized on the opportunity and lept into the expeditionary equipment. After lethally biting Manley, it crept into his casket for importation to the United States.

The General's arrival in Canaima coincided with that of Ross Jennings, a physician from San Francisco, and his family, who moved into a house in the small town. The tarantula found its way to the Jennings residence and mated with a native domestic house spider, producing a strain of deadly tiny, deadly half-breeds in the Jennings barn. The General deployed his offspring immediately, killing Margaret Hollins, Dr. Metcalf, mortician Irv Kendall, among others, in the ensuing campaign. However, the arachnid causes of death were eventually identified by Dr. Jennings, who solicited the help of Dr. Atherton in containing the threat.

The spiders, including the General and his Queen, were eventually destroyed by Jennings with the help of exterminator Delbert McClintock.

The *Canaima Howler* honored Delbert for his role in eradicating the eight—legged threat.

## Residents

* Molly Jennings (formerly)
* Ross Jennings (formerly)
* Shelly Jennings (formerly)
* Tommy Jennings (formerly)
* Blaire Kendall (deceased)
* Irv Kendall (deceased)
* Dick Manley
* Henrietta Manley
* Jerry Manley (deceased)
* Evelyn Metcalf
* Sam Metcalf (deceased)
* Delbert McClintock
* Lloyd Parsons
* Margaret Hollins (deceased)

## Locations

* Jennings residence
* Kendall Mortuary
* Kendall Funeral Home
* Metcalf residence
* Hollins residence
* Beechwood residence
* Canaima High School
* Bugs-B-Gone
* Canaima Seniors Center

## Behind the scenes

Canaima was the primary setting of *Arachnophobia*. The real town of Cambria, California was used to film scenes set in the fictional town. Although there is no Californian municipality by this name, and it is utterly fictional, the town was named after Canaima National Park in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela, where the film's opening sequence was filmed.

Additionally, there is a genus of cellar spiders named *Canaima* native to Venezuela and Trinidad. The genus was apparently named after the novel *Canaima*, by eminent Venezuelan novelist Rómulo Gallegos, according to an article by arachnologist Bernhard A. Huber.

### Appearances

1. ARACHNOPHOBIA (first appearance)
2. ARACHNOPHOBIA novel
3. ARACHNOPHOBIA: Official Movie Adaptation
4. ARACHNOPHOBIA video game
5. *Know Your Eight-Legged Enemy: The Authoritative Guide on Spider Eradication*

## References

1. ↑ *Know Your Eight-Legged Enemy: The Authoritative Guide on Spider Eradication* at p. 6
2. ↑ ARACHNOPHOBIA video game
3. ↑ *Arachnophobia* (1990) at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
4. ↑ Huber, B.A. "New World pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): A revision at generic level." *Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.* 254. p. 327.