"Spider Baby" Review

 

by Daniel White

I don't often venture out of my comfort zone when reviewing movies. I cherish the flicks from the Golden Age of Hollywood, which for me is anything that is a studio released film made between the years 1915 to 1955 -- a period in the history of movie making that offers me infinite pleasure.

However, I love film, and plenty of exciting, interesting, and worthwhile movies have been released since 1955, many of them not stamped with a "Made in Hollywood" approval sticker either.

Yesterday was September 3, and I went in search of a person in film to honor who was either born or died on that date. Since I limit myself to films shown on YouTube, I'm restricted in my choices. Also the movie has to be in excellent condition and unedited, as close to it's original form upon its initial release as possible. Finally, it must be a film I've never seen.

Yesterday was tough. Alan Ladd was born on that day in 1913, but none of his noirs with Veronica Lake were available (how I've neglected those priceless gems is beyond me). Frank Capra died on that day but I couldn't find any of his Barbara Stanwyck pre codes , Lady for a Day was in poor condition, and for whatever reason, Meet John Doe holds little interest for me. Time to step out of my self imposed celluloid closet... Irene Papas! Except for The Guns of Navarone I've never seen an Irene Papas film. Alas, there was no Zorba the Greek to be had, no copy of Z that met my criteria (the movie has to be in English or suitably subtitled. Please, no dubbing!). What about Eileen Brennan or Valerie Perrine, two talented ladies both born on September 3. Maybe it was time to enjoy At Long Last Love, or Can't Stop the Music, two filmland fiascos that promise to offer up endless pleasures as only truly bad movies can. Nope, not available.

In desperation I turned to Manton Moreland, not expecting to find much. Boy, was I wrong! Mr. Moreland is well represented on YouTube, and I had my pick of this fine actors films.

I decided on Spider Baby, a 1967 cult classic that stars the first, and worthiest of wolf men, Lon Chaney Jr. (Lugosi IS Dracula, Karloff, FOREVER the Frankenstein monster, and Chaney the ONLY Wolfman).

I made a wise choice in Spider Baby, thank you Manton Moreland (although, unfortunately, Mr. M is handily disposed of eight minutes into the film in a murder by knives and windowsill that is both funny and frightening). A movie macabre that can be unsettling and silly at the same time, Spider Baby tells the tale of Bruno (Chaney), the caretaker to three very disturbing "children", two homicidal nymphets, and one hormonally charged man/boy (a very young Sid Haig!).

A film in the haunted house genre, the movie is a fine and fitting tribute to Mr. Lon Chaney. I suspect director Jack Hill harbors much love for the Universal Horror films of the thirties and forties. He treats Chaney with the reverence he is entitled. Watching his booze battered, wizened and weary face, I felt a surge of affection for the guy. Grateful for all the joy and pleasure he gave me as a kid. Grateful that Mr. Hill provided him with a meaty part in a satisfying fright film, at this late stage in his career.

Finally, I walked away from the film pondering on the history of film, the links that join one generation to another. Chaney Jr's father was the great silent horror film star Lon Chaney. From father to son to Sid Haig and Rob Zombie, the boom boom beat of horror movies goes on and on and on.

With Carol Ohmart of House on Haunted Hill fame, Spider Baby is available on YouTube-natch.