Spider Baby

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Spider Baby
Film poster
Directed by	Jack Hill Bart Patton (assistant)
Produced by	Paul Monka Gil Lasky
Written by	Jack Hill
Starring	Lon Chaney, Jr. Sid Haig Jill Banner Beverly Washburn
Music by	Ronald Stein
Cinematography	Alfred Taylor
Editing by	Jack Hill
Distributed by	American General Pictures
Release date(s)	January 18, 1968
Running time	86 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$65,000

Spider Baby is a 1968 black comedy horror film, written and directed by Jack Hill. It stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as Bruno, the chauffeur and caretaker of three orphaned siblings who suffer from "Merrye Syndrome", which causes them to mentally, socially, and physically regress backwards down the evolutionary ladder starting in early puberty. Cinematography is by Alfred Taylor, who had previously worked on the cult film The Atomic Brain, and would later work on the television series The Paper Chase. The entire production cost about $65,000, and took only 6 to 7 days to shoot in black and white. Carol Ohmart, Quinn Redeker, Mary Mitchel, and Karl Schanzer also star.

The film was shot between August and September 1964. However, due to original producer's bankruptcy, the film was not released until January 18, 1968. Spider Baby suffered from poor marketing as well as a series of title changes, being billed alternatively as The Liver Eaters, Attack of the Liver Eaters, Cannibal Orgy, and The Maddest Story Ever Told. Although these alternate titles have little or no relation to the plot, the latter two appear in the lyrics of the title song sung by Chaney: "This cannibal orgy is strange to behold in the maddest story ever told." The opening titles of the film also dub it Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told.

Plot

Three children of the Merrye family live in a decaying rural mansion with their guardian and chauffeur, Bruno (Lon Chaney, Jr.). The children suffer from "Merrye Syndrome", a genetic affliction unique to members of their family, which causes them to mentally, socially, and physically regress down the evolutionary ladder, starting in late childhood. Two distant relatives arrive with their lawyer and his secretary in order to examine and claim the property as rightful heirs. Bruno's shaky control over the children deteriorates; murder, chaos, and insanity ensue. [1]

The siblings, Ralph (Sid Haig), Virginia (Jill Banner), and Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn), are inbred, demented and dangerous. These overgrown children exhibit playful innocence mixed with brutality and feral madness. Virginia is known as Spider Baby because of her obsession with spiders (thus the film's title). She stalks and eats bugs, moving with a strange and spider-like grace. She also enjoys trapping unsuspecting victims in her rope "web", "stinging" them to death using two butcher knives. After murdering an innocent delivery man (Mantan Moreland), Virginia cuts off one of his ears, which she keeps in a match box.

Spider Baby's brother, Ralph, is a sexually advanced but mentally deficient simpleton who moves through the house via the dumb-waiter. Unable to speak, Ralph communicates with only grunts and leers. He becomes sexually aroused with the arrival of the two visiting women.

Several mysterious aunts and uncles who have regressed even further than the Merrye siblings live in the cellar. The skeleton of the family's dead father is kept in a bedroom and is kissed goodnight by Virginia.

Bruno, the children's sworn and loving protector, has been able to maintain control and keep the family secrets hidden. But when the snooping, greedy Peter (Quinn Redeker) and Emily (Carol Ohmart) arrive to take possession of the property, the bizarre behavior of the Merrye clan is revealed.

Peter, Emily, their humorously named lawyer, Schlocker (Karl Schanzer), and his assistant, Ann Morris (Mary Mitchel), insist on staying at the house. Dinner is served after Ralph happily kills a cat for the main course. The revolting meal includes insects, mushrooms, and a garden salad made of weeds.

Bruno leaves on an errand. Despite warning the children to "behave", events spiral downhill as the Merrye kids run merrily amok. Virginia and Elizabeth murder Schlocker and dump his body into the basement, where the demented beastly relatives apparently eat him. The basement dwellers are unleashed. Meanwhile, Emily models some black nightclothes as Ralph is peeking in. After being chased and then seduced by Ralph, Emily becomes sexually aggressive and murderous.

Bruno returns and realizes that he has lost control of the children and of their secret unsavory lives. He lights a bundle of dynamite, blowing himself, the house, and the children to bits. This seems to kill all carriers of "Merrye Syndrome".

A smug, surviving cousin Peter is recounting the story as the movie comes to a close. However, the camera cuts to Peter's young daughter who eerily resembles Virginia. We see her admiring a spider in its web. Has the curse been eradicated? Or does it remain to afflict further generations?

The tone of the film is dark and weirdly humorous. Several references are made to the 1941 "scary movie", The Wolf Man, which is one of Lon Chaney's most famous character creations. Also, Chaney sings the theme song, a parody of the "Monster Mash", during the film's opening titles.

Cast

• Lon Chaney, Jr. as Bruno
• Carol Ohmart as Emily Howe
• Quinn Redeker as Peter Howe
• Beverly Washburn as Elizabeth Merrye
• Jill Banner as Virginia Merrye
• Sid Haig as Ralph Merrye
• Mary Mitchel as Ann Morris
• Karl Schanzer as Schlocker
• Mantan Moreland as the Messenger
• Carolyn Cooper as Aunt Clara
• Joan Keller Stern as Aunt Martha

Legacy

In Music

The band White Zombie has a song titled "Spider Baby" on their breakthrough album, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1.

The band Fantômas (band) cover the Spider Baby theme on their film-score covers album "The Director's Cut."

Crossover thrash band The Accüsed cover the theme song on 1988's Martha Splatterhead's Maddest Stories Ever Told as "The Maddest Story Ever Told"

Stage adaptations

A musical version of Spider Baby has played small community theaters looking for a wider audience. It opened at the Empty Space theater in Bakersfield, California, on Halloween 2004. In October 2007, it opened in Brookings, Oregon at the local Grange Hall, and in Orlando, Florida at the Black Orchid Theater.

In 2009 the musical toured with stops in Fresno CA, Los Angeles CA, Bakersfield CA, Tehachapi CA, San Francisco CA. A 2010 tour is being planned with stops in Ashland OR and Las Vegas NV.

The soundtrack for the musical version was the very last thing worked on at Buck Owens' recording studio in Bakersfield, California.

Scenes from the Oregon Santa Monica Tehachapi and San Francisco productions can be found on YouTube.

Remake

In 2007, independent film producer Tony DiDio began preparing a remake of the film. It will feature the 1968 version's director, Jack Hill, as executive producer, and Jeff Broadstreet as director^[1].

Broadstreet stated in an interview, "We’re going to stick very closely to the basic story of the original film, and at the same time dig deeper into the backstory of the inbred Merrye family". The new script by Robert Valding "expands on the themes of unconditional love, and also the story elements of cannibalism and the mutant relatives in the basement"^[1].

The film is expected to have a budget of $3–5 million and is set for release in 2008^[2].

Official Website

In 2009, writer/director Jack Hill and END Films launched the official Spider Baby website that includes historical information about the film, director/cast biographies, video clips, photo galleries and a store that sells exclusive merchandise

http://www.spiderbabyonline.com Spider Baby Official Website

DVD release

In 1999, a DVD of the film's original laser disc transfer was released, including a cast and crew reunion and a commentary track by Hill. In 2007, Dark Sky Films released a version featuring Hill's director's cut, a new commentary with co-star Sid Haig, and multiple documentaries on the making of the film.

See also

• Smith Estate (Los Angeles, California), the Merrye House

References

1. ^ ^{a b} FANGORIA - America's Horror Magazine
2. ^ Spider Baby (2008)

External links

• Spider Baby Official Website
• Spider Baby at the Internet Movie Database
• Spider Baby at Allmovie
• Spider Baby at Rotten Tomatoes
• Spider Baby reviewed by Rick McGrath
• Spider Baby the musical
• Spider Baby the musical in Brookings Oregon

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