bsmith5552 "Tarantula" was one of a series of Sci/Fi/mutated monster films that were popular in the 1950s. This one is better than most.A mutated man turns up dead in the desert. He turns out to be a scientist named Jacobs. He has apparently died from an affliction that takes several years to develop but has developed it in just a few days. Town doctor Matt Hastings (John Agar) becomes suspicious. Professor Gerald Deemer (Leo G. Carroll), Jacobs associate confirms that the man had died from the dreaded disease over a period of four days.Later at Professor Deemer's lab we learn that he has been experimenting with a nutrient that accelerates the growth in animals and spiders (eeeuuu!). The professor is attacked by his other assistant Lund, who causes a fire during which a giant tarantula escapes. Before he dies, Lund injects the professor with the deadly nutrient.The comely young Stephanie "Steve" Clayton arrives to take up a post with Jacobs, however since he is dead Professor Deemer takes her on. "Steve" and Matt become attracted to each other (who knew?). Meanwhile the escaped tarantula begins to wreak havoc killing animals and whatever people cross its path. The professor was unaware that the spider had not perished in the fire you see.As the tarantula heads toward town, it stops to destroy the Professor's home...and the professor. To combat the giant spider the air force is called in and just as the jets are about to fire, I'm sure I heard the squadron leader say...Go ahead...make my day.The special effects are quite good for a low budget "B" + movie. The tarantula effects are quite convincing. John Agar, who had been married to Shirley Temple, is nothing more than a card board hero whose main purpose in the film is to ride around in his brand new '55 Ford convertible. Mara Corday is lovely as the heroine and Leo G. Carroll adds an air of sophistication as the "mad scientist".Others in the cast include Nestor Paiva as the Sheriff, Ross Elliott as the newspaper editor, Raymond Bailey as a scientist and good old Hank Patterson as the desk clerk Josh.

ben-grunert1 One of my favorite classic sci-fi horror flicks of all time. My dad and I have watched it probably about 200 times. The somewhat cheesy acting of John agar combined with the more serious tone of Leo g Carroll makes for an awesome satisfying blend. The characters and the plot in itself make for a great watch as a scientist (Carroll) named professor Deemer is using some kind of serum to grow animals in his lab that have grown well above their usual size and grow at a faster pace. Of course the tarantula is injected with this and escapes as one of Deemer's students who injected himself with it for some reason and is totally mutated fights with Deemer and knocks him out and injects him with the serum then dies. Deemerwakes up and slowly becomes mutated throughout the flick. Of course there is also a love interest between a woman who is staying at Deemer's lab as a student (Corday) and the main hero (Agar) who ends up saving her from the tarantula who kills Deemer towards the end by knocking down his house. Many random deaths ensue as the spider wreaks havoc until finally the Air Force comes in and destroys the monster after several attempts including sticks of dynamite are used to try and kill the monster. One aspect of the movie that makes all the more better is that the seemingly evil professor actually is a tragic character who didn't mean for his colleagues to suffer from the serum and didn't want all of this to happen and just wanted to increase growth of animals and food. Overall the plot and acting is great for a movie of this type/genre and of this decade of horror movies and goes down as one of my favorites and one that I would recommend for any people who love classic horror/sci-fi flicks and are looking for an entertaining watch.

ctomvelu1 Better than average giant creepy crawly monster movie from the 1950s. Instead of radioactivity from an atomic bomb, this nasty creature grows due to a serum invented by a nutty scientist (Carroll). Things start happening when the scientist's lab is trashed and his rapidly growing tarantula escapes. Pretty soon, it's eating cattle and horses and then humans. A young medical doctor (Agar) and the mad scientist's new assistant (Corday) struggle to find a way to deal with this hairy killer, which eventually is the size of a small mountain, with fangs to match. The story is well played, the desert photography terrific, and the special effects not bad for the period. And no endless stock footage of tanks or artillery! There are some shots of jet fighters, but they are not over-used. The lovely Miss Corday is the biggest reason for watching this.

Lee Eisenberg Jack Arnold's "Tarantula" is mostly your typical '50s sci-fi flick, this time focusing on a typical member of the family Theraphosidae* whom a scientist is using as a test subject in a series of experiments aimed at increasing the world's food supply: the experiments involve making animals grow really quickly. Sure enough, the arachnid gets loose, and so there's an eight-legged, 100-foot killing machine stomping through the desert, devouring anyone in its way.The professor mentions that the world population was growing by about 25 million every year. Nowadays it's closer to 80 million every year (about the population of Egypt or Germany). The professor predicted a world population of 3.6 billion in the year 2000, while in reality it reached 6 billion the previous year, and reached 7 billion last year. It's predicted to be 9 billion by 2050. Meanwhile, resources are drying up. The professor would have to work a lot harder nowadays (preferably without releasing a giant spider).OK, too much analysis. It's mostly the usual, fun sci-fi/horror flick from the era. Starring John Agar (Shirley Temple's first husband), Mara Corday (the October 1958 Playboy centerfold), Leo G. Carroll (Mr. Waverly on "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."), Raymond Bailey (Mr. Drysdale on "The Beverly Hillbillies") and an uncredited Clint Eastwood.*That's the taxonomic family to which tarantulas belong.