The session: "Give Me My Rondo!"
Four weeks of films starring the unique Rondo Hatton
Week 4: The Spider Woman Strikes Back (1946)
Directed by Arthur Lubin
My Level of Prior Knowledge
Never heard of it.
Plot:
After accepting a job as assistant to a blind recluse, a young woman discovers that her boss is harvesting her blood to feed plants as part of some weird plot.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
Despite
the anticipation conjured by its title, this leaves much to be desired. The “spider
woman” plot point was really secondary – or maybe even tertiary. And this was
supposed to be Rondo Hatton month, but Hatton was severely underutilized as
Mario, the title character’s mute henchman. His presence is unsettling but
ultimately underdeveloped; I was eagerly expecting his signature screen menace
and minimal but gravelly dialogue. So I was disappointed that his performance
offers little beyond silent skulking. OK, I think there was also a strangling…but
still…
The
film’s overall pacing is one of its weakest points; it races through its story
as if desperate to complete its runtime. This rushed feeling undermines any
suspense or character development. From a brief documentary that Keith showed
us, we learned that the film was made to complete a contractual obligation. And
it shows.
Perhaps
most misleading is the “Spider Woman” moniker, which feels more like a
marketing ploy than an integral element of the movie’s narrative. Spiders
occupy only a minor part in the story—overshadowed by a plot about
blood-harvesting and carnivorous plants—rendering the titular promise almost
moot and leaving viewers to wonder why the arachnid theme was emphasized at
all. In the end, The Spider Woman Strikes Back stands as a minor and
muddled footnote in Universal’s horror catalog, noteworthy mainly for its
squandered talent and unfulfilled potential.
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