Arachnophobia (1990)
75%RT Audience Score: 54%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 5 nominations
Arachnophobia may not deliver genuine chills, but it’s an affectionate, solidly built tribute to Hollywood’s classic creature features
Arachnophobia is the perfect movie for anyone who loves a good scare and a good laugh. The spiders are creepy, the characters are hilarious, and the final battle between man and spider is epic. It’s like The Birds, but with eight legs! And let’s not forget John Goodman’s performance as the last samurai in the battle against bugs. He’s a quiet hoot and makes the horror palatable for people of all ages. So grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and get ready to squirm in your seat. Arachnophobia is a must-see for horror fans and spider lovers alike!
Production Company(ies)
Sputnik Yleisradio Pandora Filmproduktion,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Angel Falls, Canaima National Park, Estado Bolívar, Venezuela
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
Year of Release
1990
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): May 21, 2002
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak, John Goodman, Julian Sands, Stuart Pankin, Brian McNamara, Mark L Taylor,
directed by Frank Marshall,
written by Don Jakoby, Al Williams, Wesley Strick,
comedy, arachnophobia, Hollywood, creature features, spiders, infestation, exterminator,
box office performance, budget, PG-13,
reviewed by Ryan Murphy, Gene Siskel, James Ivory, Variety Staff, David Ansen, Geoff Andrew, Eve Tushnet, Alan Jones, Trace Thurman, Mike Massie, Jeff Simon, Felix Vasquez Jr.,
produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Richard Vane
Worldwide gross: $53,208,180
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $122,665,572
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 924
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,376,835
US/Canada gross: $53,208,180
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $122,665,572
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 616
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,045,760
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $18,548,610
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 697
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $22,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $50,718,566
Production budget ranking: 785
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $27,311,948
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $44,635,059
ROI to date (est.): 57%
ROI ranking: 1,114
Harley Jane Kozak – Molly Jennings
John Goodman – Delbert McClintock
Julian Sands – Doctor James Atherton
Stuart Pankin – Sheriff Lloyd Parsons
Brian McNamara – Chris Collins
Self – Frank Marshall (Director)
Self – Kathleen Kennedy (Producer)
Self – Richard Vane (Producer)
Don Jakoby – Writer
Al Williams – Writer
Wesley Strick – Writer
Director(s)
Frank Marshall
Writer(s)
Don Jakoby, Al Williams, Wesley Strick
Producer(s)
Kathleen Kennedy, Richard Vane
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (3)
Its screams are likely to be drowned out by a cacophony of joyful wails reverberating in the theaters when Arachnophobia creeps toward an edge-of-seat conclusion.
August 17, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Ryan Murphy
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
[Goodman] is a quiet hoot, fancying himself as the last samurai in the battle against bugs. His performance takes the edge off the horror and makes ”Arachnophobia” palatable for people of all ages.
March 7, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
The dexterity of the spiders as they merrily look for their prey is matched by the dexterity of Frank Marshall’s direction in its nimbleness and sense of fun.
January 11, 2020
James Ivory
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Frank Marshall’s sophisticated feature directing debut never indulges in ultimate gross-out effects and carefully chooses both its victims and its means of depicting their dispatch.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
First-time director Frank Marshall has long been Steven Spielberg’s producer, and he’s learned the master’s lessons well.
April 7, 2008
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Designed to reduce the audience to a squirming mass, the film yields plenty of grisly pleasures.
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Great pacing, great payoffs for all its setups, exactly enough characterization but not too much–and, of course, spiders. What more can you ask for?
May 23, 2022
Eve Tushnet
Stuff.co.nz
A tension-laden web full of solid scares and well-timed wit in what is virtually a version of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, only with eight legs.
March 7, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Alan Jones
Radio Times
What makes Arachnophobia so special is that the humor doesn’t overshadow the horror, making for a sublime creature feature with an outstanding final battle between man and spider.
December 30, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
Easily the greatest killer spider film ever made.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
It’s every bit as jolly and junky and scary as it wants to be.
April 9, 2018
Jeff Simon
Buffalo News
A slasher film with spiders doing the work for the masked serial killer, and director Marshall twists that formula around for a diverse audience.
November 2, 2014
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed…
Plot
A large spider from the jungles of South America is accidentally transported in a crate with a dead body to America where it mates with a local spider. Soon after, the residents of a small California town disappear as the result of spider bites from the deadly spider offspring. It’s up to a couple of doctors with the help of an insect exterminator to annihilate these eight legged freaks before they take over the entire town.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
John Goodman’s performance as the no-nonsense exterminator Delbert McClintock takes the edge off the horror and makes Arachnophobia palatable for people of all ages, according to Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune.
Frank-Marshall.jpg
