Arachnid (film)

Arachnid is a 2001 American horror film directed by Jack Sholder. The film centers on a group of plane crash survivors who are stalked and killed by giant alien spiders. The film stars Alex Reid, Chris Potter, Rocqueford Allen, Robert Vicencio and José Sancho.

Arachnid
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJack Sholder
Produced byBrian Yuzna
Written byMark Sevi
StarringAlex Reid
Chris Potter
Rocqueford Allen
Robert Vicencio
José Sancho
Music byFrancesc Gener
CinematographyCarlos González
Edited byJaume Vilalta
Distributed byLions Gate Films
Release date
June 29, 2001
Running time
95 minutes
CountrySpain
LanguageEnglish
Budget$570,000 (estimated)
Box office$1,123,000

Plot

A plane crashes on an island, and the pilot comes across a giant spider, which kills both him and an alien. One year later, Mercer (Alex Reid), the sister of the pilot, accompanies Valentine (Chris Potter) to the same island to locate her brother. On the way to a native village to examine several natives who are dying of spider bites, ticks burrow into Reyes (Luis Lorenzo Crespo). Upon reaching the village, they discover that the village has moved on. Reyes begins to cough up the ticks and Bear (Rocqueford Allen) decides to shoot him to end his suffering.

That night, Mercer wanders off and is attacked by a mutated spider, but is saved by a native, who ends up getting bitten and dying the next morning. The group moves on, and are attacked by a giant spider, which kills Henry (an "arachnologist") and Samuel (the group's doctor). A smaller spider attacks Bear, and another native is killed. Valentine, Mercer and Susana (Neus Asensi), Samuel's assistant, hole up in a military bunker. While Mercer keeps watching, the spiders attack and force the survivors into a closet. Susana panics when she sees the spider is gone and is killed when she tries to escape. Mercer and Valentine escape through a bomb tunnel into the forest, where Valentine slips into unconsciousness from a bite he sustained.

In the morning, Valentine awakes to discover that Bear and "Toe Boy" (Robert Vicencio) are the only surviving natives. The four head into the cave, where they find the spider in a cocoon. Mercer attempts to cut the cocoon down so Bear can shoot it, but it wakes up before she can cut it down and Bear is killed. The spider sets chase after Mercer and she ends up wrapped in its silk, which she uses to pull the spider from the ceiling and it falls onto a stalagmite, killing it. As Mercer, Valentine and Toe Boy leave, another spider watches them from an overhead cliff.

Cast
  • Alex Reid ... Mercer
  • Chris Potter ... Valentine
  • Rocqueford Allen ... Bear
  • Robert Vicencio ... Toe Boy (as Robert Gabriel Vicencio)
  • José Sancho ... Dr. Samuel Leon
  • Neus Asensi ... Susana Gabriel
  • Ravil Isyanov ... Henry Capri
  • Luis Lorenzo Crespo ... Reyes (as Luis Lorenzo)
  • Jesús Cabrero ... Lightfoot
  • Héctor Chiquín ... Native 1
  • Conejo Wilson ... Native 2
  • Fausto Gualsaqui ... Native 3

Production

In an interview for the film's documentary, "Behind the Curtain Part II" (2012), director Jack Sholder, had this to say about this film:

I basically did it for the money and it was a stupid script . . . I got to live in Barcelona for six months and, you know, they paid me well. Everything was good except I had to go to work everyday and shoot a dumb script. I haven't seen that one since, you know, I made it. And some people say 'Oh well, it's actually better than you think', but I basically tell people to avoid that one".[1]

Release

Theatrical release

Arachnid received a limited release. 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.

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.[2]

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 it’ll gorge from your wallet."[3] 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.[4] 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."[5]

References
  1. Jack Sholder, "Behind the Curtain Part II" (2012)
  2. "Arachnid (2001) - Jack Sholder". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  3. "Arachnid (2001)". Popcornpictures.co.uk. Popcorn Pictures. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  4. "Movie Review - Arachnid - eFilmCritic". eFilmCritic.com. The Freshmaker. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  5. McClain, Buzz. "Arachnid (2001) - Jack Sholder". Allmovie.com. Buzz McClain. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
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