Spider Baby (1968)
Three adult siblings afflicted with a fictional degenerative disorder that regresses them into feral children live under the care of their devoted chauffeur, until visiting relatives arrive to claim the family estate and trigger the household's homicidal impulses.
Shot in 1964 but shelved for three years after its producers went bankrupt, Spider Baby became a touchstone of gonzo low-budget horror-comedy and gave the aging Lon Chaney Jr. one of his last, most affectionate screen roles as the family’s loyal caretaker.
Background
Jack Hill directed Spider Baby, a horror comedy filmed in the mid-1960s and released in 1968, starring Lon Chaney Jr. as Bruno, the family’s devoted chauffeur. Sid Haig, Jill Banner and Beverly Washburn play the three adult siblings, who suffer from a fictional disorder that regresses them into feral children. The film was held back for several years before it reached a wide audience, and it has since become a cult favourite. Chaney’s late-career role is central to its reputation, and Hill went on to direct a number of exploitation films in the early 1970s.
What to watch for
Pay attention to the way the film mixes black comedy with its horror plot, treating the siblings’ condition and the household’s routines with deadpan seriousness. Chaney’s Bruno is patient and protective, and his scenes give the film an emotional anchor. The arrival of visiting relatives drives the second half, and the violence that follows is both shocking and absurd. The house and its gloomy interiors are central to the film’s look. Notice how the tone shifts between domestic comedy and menace, which makes the film hard to categorise, and which is part of its lasting appeal.
