Stars: David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scarlett Johansson, Scott Terra, Doug E. Doug, Rick Overton

Director: Ellory Elkayem

Summary: The inhabitants of a small town in Arizona find themselves under attack from a variety of mutated arachnids where each is as big as a horse.

New Zealand-born Ellory Elkayem's EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS is a ridiculously irreverent romp that pays homage to American b-movies of the 1950s. Set in the nearly bankrupt mining town of Prosperity, Arizona, the film opens with the timely return of Chris McCormack (David Arquette). On the outskirts of town, a spider-loving eccentric discovers that water from a nearby river has a steroid-like effect on his tiny creatures. Unfortunately, that's because it has been contaminated by a toxic substance. It isn't long before the now-monstrous spiders are terrorizing Prosperity's townspeople. Taking refuge in the Prosperity Mall, Chris and his fellow cohorts--the beautiful Sheriff Sam Parker (Kari Wuhrer), her kids Mike (Scott Terra) and Ashley (Scarlett Johansson), Deputy Pete (Rick Overton), and paranoid radio DJ Harlan (Doug E. Doug)--search for a way to destroy the gigantic monsters before they are destroyed. Handpicked by producers Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, writer-director Elkayem rises to the challenge. He successfully retains the lighthearted, low-budget feel of similar-toned 1950s classics (TARANTULA, THEM!) and merges it with a modern, big-budget aesthetic, to create an outrageously fresh contribution to the "mutant bug" genre.

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Not funny enough to be called a spoof, not scary enough to be outright horror, Eight Legged Freaksis a curious effects-filled pastiche of those mutant B-movies of the 1950s and 60s. The plot is of the standard small-town-overrun-by-giant-spiders variety, after the little critters have been exposed to leaking radiation naturally. Local boy made good David Arquette has returned to the town to make amends with the woman he loves (feisty Sheriff Kari Wuhrer) and to stop the dastardly mayor from selling his father's mine. But before he can sort that out, there is a lot of bug squashing to be done as the CGI spiders cause all manner of havoc and mayhem.

Eight Legged Freaksis admittedly a lot of fun, and there are some great set-pieces to enjoy, including a gang of teenage dirt bikers escaping a horde of jumping spiders. It's also quite gory in places, though with only a couple of decent shocks it's hardly likely to induce large-scale arachnophobia. The spiders are impressive but the CGI is painfully obvious and it never feels real. However, if you can suspend your disbelief for an hour and a half you will enjoy this pacey, fun and action-filled popcorn flick. It doesn't ever take itself too seriously and is certainly a lot more fun than producer Dean Devlin's other genre entries, Godzillaand Independence Day.

On the DVD:Eight Legged Freaksoffers some nice, B-movie poster-style menu screens but little in the way of extras. There's no making-of, no special effects breakdowns (astonishing given how heavily reliant it is on these to tell the story) and not even any spider-related factoids which seem almost a necessity. What we do get, though, is a fun and sprightly commentary, the theatrical trailer and director's Ellory Elkayem original short film Larger than Life, that formed the basis for its feature-length offspring. Compact, creepy and almost silent, it's a shudder-inducing little movie and far more creepy than the main feature. Technically, the picture is sharp and the bright, comic book colours and cinematography look gorgeous, and the squelching soundtrack is wonderfully crisp. --Jon Weir

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Audio Commentary - 1. Ellory Elkayem - Director, Deleted Scenes, Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer, Featurette - 1 LARGER THAN LIFE
Year:	2002
Release Date:	February 17, 2003
Runtime:	95 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 023240
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Eight, Freaks, Legged
Genre:	Comedy