Spider Baby
Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer Selects
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1h 24m
1967 • United States • Directed by Jack Hill
This was the first solo feature by Jack Hill (Coffy, Switchblade Sisters, Foxy Brown), whom Quentin Tarantino dubbed 'the Howard Hawks of exploitation filmmaking', and it remains one of his wildest and weirdest.
The credits dub this 'the maddest story ever told', a promise that's well on the way to being fulfilled in the opening scene alone, when Virginia traps and kills a hapless deliveryman in her makeshift web.
She's one of three siblings who suffer from a unique genetic disorder that causes them to regress back to childhood, while retaining the physical strength and sexual maturity of adults.
Lon Chaney Jr gave one of his most memorable late performances as Bruno, their guardian and protector, who has managed to cover up their crimes until two distant relatives lay claim to their house. When they insist on moving in, Bruno has to cross his fingers and hope that the 'children' behave towards their new guests...
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Torso
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