Arachnid (2001)

That was an excellent one.

I'll tell you why so serious

Did you people see the same film I saw?

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Usually, good directors filming the horror or semi-horror/sci-fi films choose a phobia from wide range of existing phobias and play on it...That works greatly on the people who actually have such phobia or are close to it, and it also works good for people who don't have, but get to understand after film, why other people have such phobia...Situation is completely different with Arachnid!If you take this movie and make someone who struggles from arachnophobia to watch it couple of times, I am sure he will be cured.Giant spider monster is so dumb, so funny, so stupidly made... that everyone will understand for good, that there's nothing we can afraid of, even if spiders will really become that big.Recommended for psychologists, use the film, cure the people!

This one kicks off on a decidedly odd note as a tunnel of water rises up from the ocean as a navy jet pilot chases down an invisible alien ship. Both crash land on a tropical island somewhere near Guam and both fall prey to a gigantic mutant spider! 10 months later, the dead guy's sarcastic sister Lauren (Alex Reid, who looks kind of like Jennifer Garner), also a pilot, gets a chance to fly a medical expedition to the same area and uses the chance to try to figure out what happened to her sibling. Also along for the trip are an a**hole male doctor, a bitchy female doctor, the author of the book 'Arachnid Fun Facts,' a trio of heavily-armed macho men and some local guides who make easy anonymous prey. While nearing their destination, there's a mysterious power failure and the plane crashes on the beach. Magnetic interference kills their chances of using the radio, and they must treck across the island to try to find some help. On the way, they pass through a nearly-empty native village, picking up a helpful sole survivor from there, and must survive attacks from a variety of big bug mutations (not just the insects of the title) that are quickly evolving into the "ultimate predator." There's also a caterpillar-like creepy crawler, something that shoots green acidic gunk that melts off flesh and some bloated ticks that crawl under one guy's skin and then out his neck in the stand-out gore scene.The location work, production values, photography and acting are all above par and the special effects, which employ animatronics, model work and a little CGI, are very good. Some are by Steve Johnson and his crew. Brian Yuzna (SOCIETY) was one of the producers.

I don't mind admitting that spiders freak me out and the idea of flesh burrowing parasites....well, they make my skin crawl. So it's not surprising that big bug creature features are amongst my favourite horror movies; they can unsettle me without even trying.Arachnid, produced by Brian Yuzna and directed by Jack Sholder (who helmed the fun flick The Hidden and the abysmal Nightmare on Elm Street 2) is a 'by-the-numbers' effort which, despite being extremely predictable, entertains with its impressive (and often yucky) effects by Steve Johnson.When a UFO explodes over some South Pacific islands, a deadly creature is let loose which causes havoc amongst the natives. A team of scientists are sent to investigate and are soon fighting for their lives against a mutant monster that is part alien and part spider.Chock full of clichés, Sholder's low budget bug-fest isn't going to win any awards for originality and doesn't make a lot of sense, but with its attractive spunky heroine Mercer (Alex Reid), busty doctor (Neus Asensi) and its (sometimes, quite literally) eye-popping gore, I found it to be a reasonably entertaining monster movie.

"Arachnid" isn't that bad of a creature feature.**SPOILERS**Lauren Mercer, (Alex Reid) a pilot, agrees to lead an expedition by Dr. Samuel Leon, (Jose Sancho) his assistant Susana, (Nues Asensi) spider specialist Henry Capri, (Ravil Issyanov) and guide Lev Valentine, (Chris Potter) into a small Pacific Island to determine the cause of a deadly epidemic. Crash-landing on the island, they decide to do some exploring, where one member is bitten by a strange spider and begins to be eaten from the inside out. Coming upon a native village for help, they find it decimated and nearly destroyed. The attacks have not stopped, it seems, and it maybe a mutated species of spider found by Henry that is causing the attacks. When the suspicions are proved true, they try to get off the island alive.The Good News: Sure, it's predictable, derivative, and has some pretty cheesy effects, but fans of these movies have come to expect that sort of thing to one degree or another. The giant spider is actually rather good and suitably menacing, especially it's overall design. When it's dripping acid and wrapping people up in steel-strength cocoons it is genuinely creepy. It's just different enough from the normal look that it's memorable, yet sticks close enough that it's still a recognizable shape. The FX team should be praised for the fact that they chose to go with an animatronics-based model rather than CGI. Also, there's a couple nice gory set-pieces spread throughout. There's a character sprayed with acid sap in the face and several mangled carcasses strewn around, yet the majority of violence on-screen is against the spiders. They're pretty badly injured throughout, making for some surprising gore. The highlight, though, is a particularly nasty attack by some meddlesome ticks, which burrow under the skin and then bloodily erupt following some obviously unhealthy white vomiting. It's a strong image that thankfully saves the film. The attack on the outpost near the end features some nice action sequences and a couple of shocks. With an air of cheese surrounding it, this isn't that bad of creature feature.The Bad News: This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it still has a couple of things wrong with it. Every cliché inherent in the genre is present in this film, and nary an attempt is made to try something a little different. It's really distracting when things can be drawn out that way. The cheese in here is both a blessing and a curse. It's fine for those who enjoy it, but it's also damaging for those who aren't into it. The beginning is also a bit of a mess as it's hard to figure things out, and nothing is really made all that clear until a little while in, which means that we have to backtrack to find out what happened and why as well as what's going on currently. But these are mostly minor gripes that are easily remedied.The Final Verdict: While not exactly the best spider movie of all time, it's decent enough to put a little fear into those who hate them. The spider isn't that bad looking, it's got a couple of good moments, and the film won't exactly rot your brain. Just turn off and enjoy.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language