An excellent example of early 50s horror. This is a black & white thriller that lets your imagination fill in the gory details. The aftermath is there to fuel the fear of the over grown tarantula. Leo G. Carroll plays a professor experimenting with a synthetic food stuff with intent to feed the crowded earth in 2000. His experiments on animals cause them to mature in three to six days. A rat can grow to the size of a dog in about 12 days. Two assistants die after injecting themselves with the secret supplement. The professor is injected while fighting off one of his dying helpers that is setting fire to the lab. An oversized tarantula escapes the fire to terrorize the area.
John Agar is the county doctor that leads in the destruction of the hairy legged menace. Mara Corday is the new assistant to the dying deformed professor. Character actors Nestor Paiva and Hank Patterson also star. And of note: very brief screen time for unknown Clint Eastwood as a jet fighter pilot and Bing Russell as a deputy.
I remember seeing this at the Saturday Kiddie Double Feature. My Milk Duds and Cherry Root Beer didn't last very long. Besides both hands were needed to hold on to the seat. This was pretty darn scary back then. Not to say it wouldn't scare a few grade schoolers today. Catch it on AMC or SFN and relive those days when we were frightened by an over grown anything. Bigger the scarier.
John Agar is the county doctor that leads in the destruction of the hairy legged menace. Mara Corday is the new assistant to the dying deformed professor. Character actors Nestor Paiva and Hank Patterson also star. And of note: very brief screen time for unknown Clint Eastwood as a jet fighter pilot and Bing Russell as a deputy.
I remember seeing this at the Saturday Kiddie Double Feature. My Milk Duds and Cherry Root Beer didn't last very long. Besides both hands were needed to hold on to the seat. This was pretty darn scary back then. Not to say it wouldn't scare a few grade schoolers today. Catch it on AMC or SFN and relive those days when we were frightened by an over grown anything. Bigger the scarier.