For this strangely satisfying experiment in terror, writer-director Jack Hill hired former fright master Lon Chaney Jr. to play a sympathetic chauffeur/caregiver for a collection of demented “adult” children. The Merrye siblings—Virginia (Jill Banner), Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn), and Ralph (Sid Haig)—suffer from a family-specific syndrome that manifests itself in savagery and cannibalism. When a pair of distant relations (and their lawyer) descend on the old family mansion, acts of human cruelty (and decidedly black comedy) ensue—after the visitors fail to heed Chaney's considered warnings. Subtitled “The Maddest Story Ever Told,” Spider Baby (filmed in 1964 but not released until 1968) boasts a fascinating freak show veneer that has endeared it to cult horror aficionados over the years. While available on DVD in differing versions, this director's cut (which includes a previously omitted short scene) features a terrific black and white transfer, as well as an audio commentary by Hill and Haig, a “making-of” documentary, featurettes on the location and the music, an extended scene, an alternate opening, and a stills gallery. Recommended. (B. Gibron)
Spider Baby: Director's Cut
Dark Sky, 84 min, not rated, DVD: $19.98 December 24, 2007
Spider Baby: Director's Cut
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