As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.
Session: Bring Your Own Movie Month (Week 1, Joe)
Movie: Spider Baby (1967)
Directed by Jack Hill
After their father's death, the last three inbred children of the Merrye family are living in a dilapidated mansion, while dad's loyal servant tries to protect them from the world -- and the world from them. But greedy relatives are looking to cash in on the family fortune. Horror ensues.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
Joe kicked off our annual "Bring Your Own Movie" month in style with this underappreciated gem.
Spider Baby is one of those seemingly little movies that has flown largely under the radar, but is way better than it has any right to be.
A lot of times, after we watch a movie, some of us have comments along the lines of "so-and-so stole every scene he/she was in." The interesting thing about this movie is that there were four characters who stole their scenes. The loyal chauffeur (Lon Chaney) and all three inbred kids (Jill Banner, Sid Haig and Beverly Washburn) did such impressive jobs. It was as if they were competing to see who can steal the scene the most. In addition, Mantan Moreland (as the messenger) had potential. He was terrific in the entirety of his role. Sadly, that role was cut short.
It was interesting to see the mash-up of influences in Spider Baby. Most notably. American Gothic blended with The Addams Family and The Munsters. It was creepy, scary and funny all at the same time.
The visuals were also done much better than I would have expected from a film like this. The use of shadow beautifully enhances the moods. And I personally loved the way the camera played with perspective during Mantan Moreland's scenes.
On a personal level, I enjoyed watching the women play at being children. It reminded me of a one-act play I was in more than twenty years ago. "All Day Suckers" portrayed four children in day care, but they were to be played by adults. I had trouble with it. And, since I was of stocky build, I was probably not right for my part. But my castmates were great. I remember rehearsals when we were all trying to figure out how best to exaggerate our childlike movements. Watching Spider Baby brought back fond memories.
It is, however, too bad for that beautiful Maine Coon cat.
Ratings
Me: 9.5
Bob-O: 9.6
Christina: 9.65
Dave: 9.8
Keith: 9.8
Extras:
As always, Joe wasn't content to just show a movie. He also showed us an "Two Renegades," an episode of the old TV anthology series, The O. Henry Playhouse. In years past, Joe's extras are somehow related to the movie. This time, it wasn't. Well, picking up Joe's challenge I did find a connection, but it wasn't the reason for him to show it.
Joe picked "Two Renegades because it's an interesting story and because it starred Charles Bronson and John Carradine. I can't speak to the rest of that series, but "Two Renegades" was an interesting and well-acted story. And I did not anticipate the denouement, which is good.
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