Earth vs The Spider (1958)
Directed by Bert I. Gordon—nicknamed “Mr. B.I.G.” for his love of oversized monsters—Earth vs. the Spider is a classic 1950s creature feature that delivers radioactive thrills, teenage heroes, and a giant arachnid with a taste for small-town chaos. Despite its title suggesting global catastrophe, the film’s scope is charmingly local: one cave, one spider, and one very unlucky high school.
Plot Summary
Teenagers Carol and Mike go searching for Carol’s missing father and stumble into a cave filled with webbing—and a giant tarantula. After escaping, they convince their science teacher and the sheriff to investigate. Armed with DDT, the posse kills the spider and hauls its body to the high school gym for study.
But during a rock ‘n’ roll band rehearsal, the vibrations revive the spider, which breaks loose and terrorizes the town. After a series of attacks, the creature retreats to its cave, where the final showdown unfolds amid webs and screams.
Cast Highlights
- Ed Kemmer as Mr. Kingman, the science teacher
- June Kenney as Carol
- Eugene Persson as Mike
- Gene Roth as Sheriff Cagle
- The spider was portrayed using real tarantula footage, composited with miniatures and matte shots
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- Originally titled The Spider, the film was renamed to capitalize on the success of The Fly (1958)
- The cave scenes were filmed at Bronson Caves in Griffith Park, also used in Batman and Back to the Future
- The town’s movie theater marquee features The Amazing Colossal Man and Attack of the Puppet People, both Gordon films
- Actor Troy Patterson, who played a teenager, was actually 35 years old at the time
- The spider’s size inconsistently changes throughout the film—small in the gym, massive in the cave, and gargantuan in town
