Creepy Crawly Cinema for Summer Scares

The days of summer are upon us. Hot days lounging by the pool and cool nights curled up on the couch watching creature features. At least when I spend my summers, monster flicks feel like the perfect fit. Don’t you? And what better monster flicks are there than those that focus on some of the most basic fears. My personal favorite is Arachnophobia, but as it’s not available for streaming (as far as I’m aware), I wanted to share some films that you could watch right now.

In honor of Summer’s imminent arrival, I watched through all manor of Spider flicks to select eight films full of creepy crawly fun that you can stream right now through Netflix, Amazon Prime or TubiTV. And trust me, there were quite a few turkeys to wade through as well as some unexpected diamonds in the rough. Cheesy as some of these film choices may be, they are still fun to sit through.

Beast from Haunted Cave (1959)

A surprisingly enjoyable film that’s got a little most substance that some of the other films I watched. You really don’t get the impression it’s going to turn into a creature feature with how it’s styled. The acting isn’t half bad (the actors seem genuine) and the effects are impressive considering it was released in 1959.

Watch it now: Amazon Prime | TubiTV

Spiders (2000)

For a 2000 film, the quality and budget are better for this film than some of the later ones on this list.

Watch it now: TubiTV

Arachnid (2001)

This one actually took my by surprise and really sucked me in. There’s nothing special about the effects or the plot or the acting, but it was definitely a diamond in the rough kind of movie. An epidemic in a small village brings together a special task force, a spider expert and a flight pilot as they fly to an island where they believe the epidemic is originating from. This would have to be my top pick for recommendations if I could only pick one film.

Watch it now: Amazon Prime | TubiTV

Eight Legged Freaks (2002)

A true horromedy with some very emotive spiders. The spiders are just your run of the mill average spiders, but after being fed crickets that were affected by a toxic spill, they grow to immeasurable size and begin to overrun a small mining town. The effects are kind of on the cheesier side, but the humor is very well delivered.

Watch it now: Netflix

Ice Spiders (2006)

This is kind of one of those B-movies I hinted at before, but it’s not too horrendous. Genetically enhanced spiders escape from a lab located above a ski resort and a team training for the olympics fend for their lives as these seemingly immune-to-the-cold spiders attack. The acting is really…meh, but I included it here because it did actually make me jump a handful of times and the practical effects used were not half bad.

Watch it now: Amazon Prime | TubiTV

In the Spider’s Web (2007)

Now, I’m not going to lie, this one is pretty bad too. A handful of students and their professors are out in a jungle and stumble across a cultish tribe that worships spiders. It does have Lance Hendrickson, so that would be the main reason for watching it. And yes, I would say he makes it worth it.

Watch it now: Amazon Prime

Big Ass Spider! (2013)

An insect exterminator turns out to be a large metropolitan city’s only hope when a genetic alien spider experiment escapes and continues to grow in size as it feeds on more and more of the city. This originally starts off like a very hokey movie, but turns into a rather enjoyable watch with a sappy ending.

Watch it now: Amazon Prime

Bite (2019)

Ok, this isn’t technically a movie, but it was a great short film that’s simple with no special effects. Don’t believe me? Watch the ending credits! Tina is a wonderful up and coming actress. 😉

Watch it now: Youtube

It was super fun getting to watch through all these crazy, zanny and sometimes outright ridiculous spider flicks, but I’l admit. I’d love more done on a more intense/serious level. Which is why I’m really looking forward to Itsy Bitsy release later this year. Perhaps I’m not aware of a really good one out there…

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Do you have a favorite summer spider flick to share?