Be Kind to Spiders Week 2021: My Favorite Spider Film for Frightful Fun

Something about springtime ignites a craving to watch my favorite spider film of the horror-comedy genre…

Arachnophobia (1990)

It is not the scariest movie out there (unless you ask my arachnophobic sister) and I would also have say it probably didn’t get any Oscar nominations either. However, it has this charm that makes you walk away content. Plus, you cannot ignore the fun characters and perfect balance of jump scares and tension that would get to anyone, even a spider-lover like me.

There’s nothing like a good scare, especially from the safety of your couch with a good cuddly blanket and your husband-pillow. Horror movies are not exactly the place to go to for education, but they most certainly fuel the flames of mystery surrounding creatures like spiders.

But enough of my blabbering. Why do I think this is a great movie to break out for Be Kind to Spiders Week? Well, other than the obvious fact that it is a spider creature feature, I have eight fun behind-the scenes facts for you to keep in mind while watching.

Fun Facts from My Favorite Spider Film

1. Spider safety was of utmost importance during the film-making process. Lots of tricks to ensure the spiders’ safety were used. One method involved hollowing out holes in props and shoes then filling them with foam.
2. The smaller spiders are a docile crab spider from New Zealand that pose no threat to humans.
3. The production crew included Steven R. Kutcher. He holds titles of “Spider Wrangler” and “the Bug Man of Hollywood”.
4. The larger spider used on set was a Goliath Bird Eating spider named “Big Bob”. Bob had to do makeup AND wear a prosthetic!
5. The animatronic work of the General spider is the prop work of Jamie Hyneman, co-host of MythBusters.
6. The dead spiders that appear in the film were bodies of arachnids whom had died of natural causes.
7. In the original, the main character, Dr. Jennings, did not suffer from arachnophobia.
8. Vibrating wires and lemon pledge furniture wax were used to help guide the spiders in desired directions.

If you haven’t seen this gem of the early 90’s, I think you should give it a watch! You know, in the spirit of Be Kind to Spiders Week…

---

If you have seen this film, what do you think of it? Or maybe you have a reason you’ll never watch it? Tell me all about it down in the comments below!