Spider Baby

Friday, December 6 - Saturday, December 7, 2024

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

“Though superficially similar to some of Charles Addams’ drawings, SPIDER BABY truly resembles nothing else in film.”
— Nathaniel Thompson, MONDO DIGITAL

The first solo feature from exploitation legend Jack Hill (Foxy Brown), SPIDER BABY remains one of the wildest and weirdest horror films of the 1960s. The credits dub this “the maddest story ever told,” a promise that’s well on the way to being fulfilled in the opening scene alone, when Virginia traps and kills a hapless deliveryman in her makeshift web. She’s one of three siblings, including exploitation wild man Sid Haig, who suffer from a unique genetic disorder that causes them to regress back to childhood while retaining the physical strength and sexual maturity of adults. Lon Chaney, Jr. (THE WOLF MAN) gives one of his most memorable late performances as Bruno, who manages to cover up the crimes of the “kids” until two distant relatives lay claim to their house. Blending elements of gothic horror and gallows humor, SPIDER BABY drops somewhere between The Addams Family and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

 

  • Country USA
  • Year 1967
  • Running Time 86 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor AGFA
  • Director Jack Hill
  • Cast Lon Chaney Jr., Sid Haig
  • Accessibility T-Coil, Assistive Listening

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.