“Spider-Baby” is without a doubt one of the oddest cannibal movies I’ve ever come across. And it’s not because it’s old, but because the cannibalism ends up becoming much more implied than explored in the end. There isn’t exactly anyone eating other folks here, but there are often the signs. Young Virginia collects ears, and eats bugs, while Elizabeth attempts to guilt her into her natural urges, even though she’s experiencing the same cravings to give in.
“Spider-Baby” can best be described as “The Addams Family” except much more morbid and violent. While Wednesday and Pugsley often reveled in violent activities, Virginia and Elizabeth perform it like a bodily function. I recall seeing a clip of this constantly during my favorite childhood movie “Horrible Horrors,” and upon watching “Spider-Baby” for the first time I was surprised to see the same scene all over again. Thankfully, Jack Hill’s film is a wonderful demented little tale about the Merrye family, an upscale yet reclusive brood who lives in the back woods of their estate in their giant mansion, and is decidedly closed off from the world. Forced to take control of the family, Chauffeur and guardian Bruno watches over the children and attempts to keep their lust for blood at bay. But he’s really only one man watching over three sly children.
Lon Chaney Jr. gives a great performance as the loving and awfully forgiving Bruno who tries anxiously to guilt the children when they’ve committed gruesome acts of torture, but his lectures fall on deaf ears once distant relatives arrive to claim the estate and send the children off to get treatment. The entire immediate family is cursed with Merrye’s syndrome, a genetic condition that causes the person maturing to regress mentally once puberty takes hold. This is due to inbreeding. But, Virginia and Elizabeth are controlled for only so long once their family arrives to take control, and the bloodshed begins. “Spider Baby” or “The Maddest Story Ever Told” is far from any typical B Film because its performances are top notch.
Aside from the fact that it’s considerably campy, it’s also gruesome and disturbing thanks to the excellent performances by the foursome in the family. One of the most notable performances is by a young Sid Haig as the oldest and most mentally incompetent sibling Ralph who is a large brute. But, Jill Banner is possibly the most memorable aspect of Hill’s production, even in the face of Chaney, Haig and Washburn, mainly because she’s very much a Wednesday Addams except with much more of a wide eyed innocence. Banner, with a unique beauty and fantastic performance, is haunting and yet oddly alluring as the young girl who has a penchant for slicing up anything that comes to their door.
From poor mailmen, to stray cats. And there is, of course, Beverly Washburn, the resident do-gooder of the group who attempts to catch Virginia in her wrong doings and inevitably hits the deep end. With wonderful cinematography and an instantly memorable opening theme sung by Chaney, “Spider Baby” holds many surprises including a hilarious dinner scene, a gruesome murder sequence, and a surprise ending that’s pitch perfect to previous events in the film. Hill’s film deserves to be looked for, and watched again and again, because it’s a memorable piece of horror that doesn’t get the credit it rightfully deserves, and it finally receives a wonderful DVD treatment worth your buck.