Review of Spider Baby (1967) by Jake P — 21 Feb 2012

Lon Chaney Jr stars as Bruno, a servant who takes care of three children in a dilapidated mansion. Their father has passed and Bruno takes care of the increasingly eccentric children: Virginia, Ralph, and Elizabeth.

All three children suffer from the same neurological disease as their late father, which makes them increasingly violent yet maintaining a very infantile state. An oddity of the 1960s that's depiction of a family of psychotic children is far ahead of it's time.

The film creates an uneasy atmosphere which aids a film that is horrifying, funny, strange and even oddly sexual in parts. The performances of the three children are effective and bizarre, no doubt influencing a lot of horror for generations to come with these off-kilter strange performances.

Through all this unapologetic campy violence and tasteless mayhem lies Lon Chaney Jr's performance of Bruno. A man who cares much for this family of misfits and is out to protect them, even if they are psychotic.

It's a very interesting character. Big Spider is one of those films that is hard to really quantify; it's a strange campy horror film with above average cinematography and some fun, absurd performances.