O2D I watched this twice and I'm still not really sure what to think of it.The over all story isn't so bad but it's overshadowed by the horrible acting and dialogue.It's typical 50's giant bug fare.Middle-aged people playing teenagers, lame special effects and lots of things that don't make sense.A girl's dad is missing and instead of calling the police she asks the boy who likes her to help her find him.On top of that she asks him to borrow his friend's car.The friend can't be a day under 45 yet he's in high school with them.So they go out and immediately find his wrecked truck.There's some type of weird rope going from a tree to the other side of the road and they touch it and can't figure out what it is.Most importantly, they never say it's sticky.Then they decide to go into the cave that has a big sign saying to keep out.Plus they talk about all the stories they have heard about it.Yet they have no fear and just go right in.They fall(jump actually) into a giant spider web and can't figure out what it is.But they notice it's very sticky like the rope on the road.Ugh.And that's just the first few minutes.Watch at your own risk.

Rainey Dawn One of Bert I. Gordon's best films. This is what I call a "crazy fun" creature feature. Arachnophobes beware! I recall this seeing this one many, many years ago and have always remembered it - it's so hard to forget, it was a creepy and very memorable experience watching this. I think I got a few nightmares from it as a kid.The film poster does it justice - it says it all. It's about a giant spider vs the nearby town. A couple of teens discovered it and have enlisted the help of their science teacher and local police. It seems nothing can kill it, not DDT nor bullets. You'll have to watch the film to find out how it ends, I'm not telling.It is a worthy creature feature. It's a HUGE blast to watch.8/10

poe-48833 EARTH VS. THE SPIDER- sigh. It must've been FUN to be a professional filmmaker in the 1950s... The highlights of this one (in my own, ever humble, opinion) are the shriveled cadavers left behind by B.I.G.'s BEM (Bug-Eyed Monster). I've just gotten my hands on a copy of the McFarland book, PAUL BLAISDELL, MONSTER MAKER by the late Randy Palmer (through an interlibrary loan), and I'm looking forward to reading about Blaisdell's trials and tribulations making said cadavers. Blaisdell was one of the great unsung heroes of low-budget 1950s sci-fi movies and anyone who's read any of the articles in FILMFAX over the years about him can more fully appreciate movies like EARTH VS. THE SPIDER. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gots some readin' to do.

Wuchak Released in 1958 and shot in B&W, "Earth vs. the Spider" details the events of a small town in Southern California when a colossal spider living in a cave comes to town.While "Earth vs. the Spider" is great when you're 8 years-old its flaws surface when viewed as an adult. For one, the spider's size changes according to the sequence: In the cave it's huge, but when it's on display at the school it's noticeably smaller; then when it traverses the town it's gargantuan. Inconsistencies like this don't make for great movies. It's entertaining in some ways, like being a period piece of the late 50s, but it pales in comparison to Sci-Fi giants from the 50s like "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) and the monumental "Forbidden Planet" (1956). It doesn't help that colossal animal/monster movies made in the decades since are just all-around better, including being in color. Still, "Earth vs. the Spider" is worth catching if you favor these kinds of flicks and want to go back in time to the late 50s, not to mention there are some effective elements, like the horrific sounds the spider makes and the drained remains of its victims. The film runs 73 minutes and was shot in Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park and Los Angeles, California, with additional footage from Carlsbad Caverns National Park. GRADE: C