Earth vs. the Spider

Earth vs. the Spider is a 1958 film about teenagers from a rural community and their high school science teacher who join forces to battle a giant mutant spider.

Directed by Bert I. Gordon. Written by László Görög.

The Spider will eat you alive!  (taglines)

Mr. Kingman

• Well, speaking of spiders - are you sure rifles are just the thing? Insects have a pretty simple nervous system, sheriff. You could plug holes in one all day and never hit a vital spot. If you want to be on the safe side, call the pest control people in Springdale and have 'em send out all the DDT they can find.

• [to Mrs. Kingman] It'd be a good idea if you'd stay inside the house for awhile.

Dialogue

Sheriff Cagle: [to a deputy after finding a desiccated body in a cave] Uh, you get back to town and make up a coroner's report. Just put down Jack Flynn as the name and the cause of death... uh...

Mr. Kingman: It was a spider drained all the liquid out of his body.

Sheriff Cagle: [Officiously] Just put down "cause unknown" and let the coroner worry about the rest. That's the trouble with you eggheads - you jump to conclusions! I know what I see and I see a dead man, but, uh, I don't see any spider.

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Sheriff Cagle: Bring your bug juice and let's go!

Pest Control Man: What are we using it on?

Sheriff Cagle: Does it make a difference?

Pest Control Man: Well, I gotta mix the DDT according to what you want killed.

Sheriff Cagle: What do I tell him Professor... . uh, spiders?

Pest Control Man: A 2 to 4 percent solution is the usual dose.

Mr. Kingman: Make it 50!

Taglines

• The Spider will eat you alive!
• Bullets...won't kill it! Flames...can't burn it! Nothing...can stop it!
• 50 tons of creeping black horror!
• It Must Eat You to Live!

About

• It was actually one of the easier films.
• I used a real spider in the film…as I did on many of my films. I used some nice tarantulas that were very friendly.
  • Bert I. Gordon, Interview with Bert I. Gordon (March 17, 2011)

Cast

• Ed Kemmer — Mr. Kingman
• June Kenney — Carol Flynn
• Eugene Persson — Mike Simpson
• Gene Roth — Sheriff Cagle

External links

• Earth vs. the Spider quotes at the Internet Movie Database