Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Spider Baby Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 18, 2015

Jack Hill's "Spider Baby" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary with director Jack Hill and Actor Sid Haig; collection of production stills; extended scene; collection of interviews with director Joe Dante, director Jack Hill, director of photography Alfred Taylor, Chris D. from American Cinematheque, and actors Karl Schanzer, Sid Haig, Mary Mitchel, Quinn Redeker, and Beverly Washburn; early short film directed by Jack Hill; and more. The release also arrives with a collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by artist and writer Stephen R. Bissette, and an extensive article re-printed from FilmFax: "The Magazine of Unusual Film and Television", featuring interviews with the cast and crew, illustrated with original stills and artwork, as well as a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region A/B "locked".

If you like strange films, don’t miss Jack Hill’s Spider Baby. Once also titled Cannibal Orgy, or the Maddest Story Ever Told, this truly is a film in a category of its own. It is a little bit of everything, done with surprisingly good sense of style.

While watching Spider Baby, I kept thinking of Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's horror film Livid. In this recent French film, the overwhelming majority of the action takes place in a large house somewhere on the outskirts of a city. Inside the house, there is an old lady in a cerebral coma that is visited daily by an experienced caregiver who changes her diapers and makes sure that her oxygen bottle works properly. Early into the film, the caregiver is joined by a young girl who needs some practical training before she begins working alone. The girl is so impressed by the house and the caregiver’s story about a treasure the old lady apparently hid somewhere in it years ago that she decides to return with a few of her best friends later that night. The friends enter the house hoping to discover the treasure, but instead find and unlock a door to Hell. The plot is fairly straightforward, but the visuals and especially the atmosphere are quite remarkable.

Spider Baby feels a lot like Livid. The majority of the film also takes place in a secluded house which is shared by a kooky old man, two girls and their brother. The old man, Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr., The Wolf Man, High Noon), is the former chauffeur of the Merrye family who has promised to take care of the kids after their father’s death. This is all great, but the kids are actually not kids at all -- they are grown-ups who act like kids because they suffer from a terrible disease that causes them to mentally regress. So the longer they live, the more primitive their behavior becomes.

Virginia (Jill Banner, The President's Analyst), Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn, Pit Stop), and Ralphie (Sid Haig, Coffy, Foxy Brown) have not spent much time outside of the house and it definitely shows. Ralphie, in particular, seems convinced that he is a naughty dog and most of the time acts like one. The two sisters think that they are giant spiders. Virginia, the more aggressive one, often plays spider games and if a normal person happens to be around her while she does, bad things could happen -- which is exactly what an elderly messenger (Mantan Moreland, The Shanghai Cobra) discovers when he approaches the house and the girl treats him like an annoying bug.

The real fun begins when distant relatives Peter Howe (Quinn Redeker, The Candidate) and Emily Howe (Carol Ohmart, House on Haunted Hill) arrive with their lawyer (Karl Schanzer) and his assistant (Mary Mitchel, Panic in Year Zero!) to discuss the Merrye family’s riches. Sensing that there is a good chance that they could also request that the house is sold, and the siblings relocated, Bruno makes a desperate move to ensure that things stay as they are. Meanwhile, the siblings begin playing games with their guests.

There are times when it shows that Spider Baby had a limited budget, but the atmosphere throughout the film is quite good. There are some truly creepy moments that are guaranteed to impress fans of trashy horror.

The strange thing about Spider Baby, however, is that it was apparently meant to be a comedy. This is arguably where its charm comes from because the balance between horror and comedy in it constantly evolves, forcing the viewer in a guessing mode. I like that.

The film is complimented by an unusually good score courtesy of Ronald Stein, who is well known for his numerous collaborations with Roger Corman (The Undead, The Terror, The Haunted Palace). Stein also composed the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola’s early film Dementia 13.

Spider Baby Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jack Hill's Spider Baby arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group.

The high-definition transfer appears to be identical to the one that was used for the UK release of Spider Baby. Indeed, the same tiny specks can be seen, but the overwhelming majority of the film looks healthy and vibrant. Most close-ups with a decent amount of light look, in particular, look quite wonderful. Grain is visible throughout the entire film. It could be a bit better pronounced and resolved, but there are no obvious anomalies to report. There are no traces of recent sharpening corrections, but occasionally one could spot a bit of light ringing trying to sneak in (see screencapture #10). Contrast levels remain stable. Lastly, there are no serious transition or stability issues to report. All in all, while there is some room for some minor improvements, I think that fans of Spider Baby will be very pleased with the current technical presentation. (Note: This is a Region A/B "locked" release. Therefore, you must have a Region-A, Region-B, or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Spider Baby Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles have been provided for the main feature.

Ronald Stein's atmospheric orchestral score benefits the most from the lossless treatment. The overall range of nuanced dynamics, however, is rather limited. Generally speaking, depth and clarity are good, but the high-frequencies could be a bit better better balanced. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions.

Spider Baby Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Spider Baby. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Gallery - a collection of stills from the shooting of Spider Baby (1080p).

• The Host (1960) - an early student film directed by Jack Hill. Actor Sid Haig made his acting debut in The Host. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080p).

• Cast and Crew Panel Discussion - director Jack Hill and actors Quinn Redeker and Beverly Washburn discuss Spider Baby after a screening of the film during the Academy Film Archive Film-to-Film festival. There is some quite interesting information here about Lon Chaney Jr. and the manner in which he handled himself during the shooting of Spider Baby, Carol Ohmart's performance, the film's production history and quite unusual narrative structure, etc. In English, not subtitled. (34 min, 1080p).

• Extended Scene - in English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Alternative Opening Title Sequence - in English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• The Merrye House Revisited - in October 2006, writer/director Jack Hill and filmmaker Elijah Drenner (American Grindhouse) returned to the Highland Park area of Los Angeles, where the old Victorian house from Spider Baby still stands today. Footage from this visit is presented here. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080p).

• Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein - in this featurette, filmmaker and Ronald Stein historian Ted Newsom discusses the legacy of the late composer. Harlene Stein also recalls how her husband first met Roger Corman. Also included are additional comments by Chris D. from American Cinematheque, director Joe Dante, and director Jack Hill. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• The Hatching of Spider Baby - a collection of interviews with director Joe Dante, director Jack Hill, Spider Baby director of photography Alfred Taylor, Chris D. from American Cinematheque, and actors Karl Schanzer (Mr. Schlocker), Sid Haig (Ralphie), Mary Mitchel (Ann), Quinn Redeker (Uncle Peter), and Beverly Washburn (Elizabeth). In English, not subtitled. (32 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - audio commentary with director Jack Hill and actor Sid Haig. This is the same audio commentary that was initially included on the 2007 Dark Sky Films DVD release of Spider Baby.

• Cover - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys.

• Booklet - collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by artist and writer Stephen R. Bissette, and an extensive article re-printed from FilmFax: The Magazine of Unusual Film and Television, featuring interviews with the cast and crew, illustrated with original stills and artwork.

Spider Baby Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Spider Baby is quite possibly director Jack Hill's strangest film. It was meant to be a comedy, but it has a very wild side that places it in a category of its own. This upcoming U.S. release appears to be identical to the one that was released in the UK in 2013. (I have not seen the booklet yet, but it should have the same content). This is certainly very good news because the supplemental features that have been created for it are excellent. RECOMMENDED.