Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Arachnophobia’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

Each and of every one of us out there, harbor a genuine fear of something specific in this world. It might be the dark, since one doesn’t quite know what lurks within the shadows. Or it could be death, since some of us worry about accomplishing everything on our bucket lists before the end arrives, or it could straight up be clowns because well, they are creepy in their own right. But regardless of whatever it is that gets your blood pumping with anxiety, for the most part, that specific fear is catered to the individual above all else. But there are some things in this world that we all share a fear of, and one of them, is the always creepy spider.

Because despite their tiny size and their benefits to the environment, their eight-legged bodies just send chills down our spines and that’s something I’ve always found to be fascinating to say the least. Because in all honesty, they’re really not that big of a deal, but they elicit genuine fear the instant people see them slinking down their carefully spun webs. But what matters more, is that they’re creepy and eerie enough that they’ve motivated us to deal with our fear of them in the most obvious way imaginable; by putting them on film. And of the many spider related movies that have popped up over the years, only one stands out as the finest of the lot, Arachnophobia.

Now this is another horror film that doesn’t warrant much discussion when it comes to the plot because if you’re reading this review, you’ve seen this movie and if you haven’t, well know that the movie involves a mean ass spider, and also, go see it. So, instead, what we really need to spend time on today, is discussing how this ended up becoming the finest spider related horror film out there. Because even after all these years, this is a creepy and scary film, and that’s no small feat when it comes to this sub-genre of horror. Since often times, any spider related movie features ones that are either genetically modified and huge or an abnormality of the breed that figures out how to work together, taking the scares right out of the equation.

But instead, this movie accomplishes a genuine sense of terror by going old school quite frankly. And by keeping the spiders out of sight and establishing their lethal ability early on in the story, they become a powerful threat for the audience. Because just like that, it seems as though you’re being watched, and their brief appearances on screen and the clever way they’re filmed elicits those age old fears of them and that terror is only ramped up as the movie progresses, making this a brilliant horror film when all is said and done. For the finest scary movies out their prey upon our primal fears and this one does that in masterful fashion through and through.

However, while there are some genuinely solid scares to be found in this motion picture, it has plenty to more to offer outside of creepy crawlies. Because this is a movie that also features some dynamic characters and some surprisingly lighthearted moments, most of them supplied by John Goodman of course, since he’s the coolest exterminator to ever appear on the silver screen and really, all of these elements are what have helped this film become a modern classic in its own right and withstand the test of time. And if by chance you haven’t seen this one yet, and can stomach the number of spiders in it, please do as soon as you can. Because this really is a delightful horror film, one that makes your skin crawl, and one that sends chills down your spine all while putting a smile on your face and that really is a rare treat when all is said and done. 

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