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Arachnid (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Arachnid' is a 2001 Spanish horror film directed by Jack Sholder. The film centers on a group of three plane crash survivors who has to survive the attacks of a large, undidentifed spider. The film stars Alex Reid, Chris Potter, Rocqueford Allen, Robert Gabriel Vicencio, Luis Lorenzo and Jos Sancho. It was the second film under the Fantastic Factory Label.
Plot
The film begins with Lightfoot test flying across the Pacific Ocean. After he saves himself with a parachute, Lighfoot finds an alien who hatches into something strange. Shortly thereafter, the alien dies and Lighfoot is killed by a mysterious spider.
Months later, Loren Mercer is required to be the pilot of a medical expedition organized by Samuel Leon and assistant Susana Gabriel, after having received a native from an island who recently died from an unknown virus transmitted by a bite. The expedition is led by Levy Valentine, accompanied by soldiers Bear and Reyes, arachnologist Henry Capri, native guide Toe Boy and two natives. Once they reach the island, the plane begins to explode and they are forced to land on a nearby sea. However, after the ticks burrow into Reyes, Loren is also in trouble: she gets trapped in a hobbit hole and is pulled down by a trapdoor spider. Levy and Bear pull her up, and they suspect that she lost one of her boots.
Next morning, they reach the village. Bear settles in. But something is getting worse. Reyes tries to remove the ticks. Capri wants one of the ticks, but then, Bear shoots Reyes to death and then the bugs.
That night, Loren decides to investigate for herself when the group is suddenly attacked by a giant centipede, killing one of the natives. Loren then finds some of her brother's clothes and confesses to Valentine that she is still looking for her brother. However, Capri finds out that it is a major probelm. Valentine decides that they all will leave the island the next morning, although Loren and Capri do not agree to leave.
Next day, Valentine tells Loren he will help her find Lighfoot, once they get everyone off the island but Capri is not in the village. Bear is sent to the mountains with a native to find a radio signal for help. As they walk down the river, a wolf spider throws acid in the native's face, killing him. Capri finds the centipede dying. Then the giant spider shows up and grabs him. The rest of the group keep looking for Capri until they find the remains of a body stuck with a spider web in a tree, which turns out to be Lighfoot. Loren buries his remains and reports to whoever did this to her brother. Later, they find Capri trapped in a spider web and bitten by the spider so that his insides can feed her eggs. Capri asks himself to be killed by his followers and they do it so Susana stops suffering. The spider reaches them and Samuel flees while the others shoot the spider, but they end up running away. While doing so, Susana is trapped in spider webs, but Loren and Valentine help her by breaking the webs with Capri's liquid nitrogen. At the same time, Samuel is caught by the spider who kills him by melting his eyebrows with her acid.
The three enter a military bunker when they realize that Toe Boy has disappeared. With little ammunition, the spider attacks them through one of the windows. Valentine throws himself on the spider and attacks her with a sword, but the spider cuts him off with one of her fangs. Susan keeps losing her plan more and more. She thinks the spider is gone and opens the door. Then, the spider devours her. The spider tries to enter the room, but Loren and Valentine are able to tear off one of the legs by closing the door. Then they escape through a trapdoor that gives access to underground tunnels. As they go outside, they both fall asleep and Loren has another nightmare in which her brother turns into a tarantula. Next morning, Bear and Toe Boy find Loren and Valentine, and agree to kill the tarantula.
On the way to the spider's nest, Valentine decides to stay behind as he is affected by the venom. Loren, Bear, and Toe Boy arrive and find a tarantula changing her skin and breeding in a silk cocoon over a spider egg sac. Loren plans to knock the tarantula down and have Bear shoot her to death, but she awakens early and attacks Bear. As Loren is trapped in a spider web, Toe Boy throws a vial of black widow poison to her and hurting it. The spider chases Loren but upon stumbling, the spider traps her in her own web. When the spider is about to kill Valentine, he appears shooting at her while Toe Boy throws numerous darts. While the spider tries to flee, Loren manages to pull the spider web thread, causing her to fall off the ceiling on a stalagmite, killing her.
While Mercer, Valentine, Bear and Toe Boy walk the jungle, another tarantula watches them from an overhead cliff.
Cast
*Alex Reid as Loren Mercer
*Chris Potter as Lev Valentine
*Rocqueford Allen as Bear
*Robert Vicencio as Toe Boy
*Jos Sancho as Dr. Samuel Leon
*Neus Asensi as Susana Gabriel
*Ravil Isyanov as Henry Capri
*Luis Lorenzo Crespo as Reyes
*Jess Cabrero as Joli Mercer/Lightfoot
*Hctor Chiqun as Native 1
*Conejo Wilson as Native 2
*Fausto Gualsaqui as Native 3
Arachnid was the first role of Alex Reid's acting career. Jos Sancho agreed to participate in the movie since he had never worked a film with so many special effects. Neus Asensi was excited about working on the film as it was her first role in a film shot entirely in English, also because this type of movies are not normally made in Spain.
Production
It is the second film under the Fantastic Factory label and the second film to be released by the label in 2001 after Faust: Love of the Damned got released in Spain in January. The film was shot in between Barcelona and Mexico during May and July 2000.
Brian Yuzna contacted Robert Kurtzman and Tobe Hooper to direct the film but Julio Fernndez, one of the producers and creators of Fantastic Factory, suggested Jack Sholder after watching The Hidden. The main spider design and other creatures practical effects were created by Steve Johnson and his team, XFX.
In an interview for the film's documentary, "Behind the Curtain Part II" (2012), director Jack Sholder, confessed that he disliked the movie:
Release
Theatrical release
Arachnid received a limited release in United States on October 12, 2001. It grossed $1.123 million. It opened #9 opening weekend. On its second weekend, it fell to #26, and went downhill from there. It made 81% of its gross on its opening weekend.
In Spain got released on June 29, 2001. It grossed around 301.832 ($351.364) and had 73.542 viewers.
Home media
The film was released on DVD by Mosaic Movies on February 18, 2002. It was re-released by both Lionsgate and Maple Pictures in the United States and Canada respectively on March 26, 2002. It was released by Mosaic Movies again on February 17, 2003.In Spain had a VHS and DVD release in late 2001. The DVD version includes a trailer, interviews (with Jos Sancho, Neus Asensi and Luis Lorenzo Crespo), making of, Spanish TV spots and some storyboards. This DVD version was also included in a Fantastic Factory DVD collection along Faust: Love of the Damned, Dagon and Romasanta.
In April 2011, Arrow Video released in United Kingdom a DVD collection named "Fantastic Factory presents..." which included Arachnid, Faust: Love of the Damned, Romasanta and Beyond Re-Animator. This DVD has the original trailer and interviews with producer Brian Yuzna and creature designer Steve Johnson.
Reception
'Arachnid' received mostly negative reviews. Actor Richard Dreyfuss claimed to have seen it at a local theater, saying in one of his blogs "It was better than expected, by far." 'Popcorn Pictures.com' gave the film a negative score of three out of ten, writing,"'Arachnid' is a cheap and lacklustre giant spider flick, ultimately indistinguishable from the next spider flick and where the only bite is the amount itll gorge from your wallet." 'eFilmCritic.com' awarded the film two out of five stars, calling it "A step up in quality", but also criticized the film's unappealing characters, and poor creature effects. Buzz McClain from Allmovie gave the film a more positive review. In his review of the film, McClain noted that in spite of the film's numerous flaws, "There's a certain brainless charm to it all that will amuse those looking for nothing more than a few cool maulings and no amount of intellectual challenge."
References
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