Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) Saturday Monster Movies
For the second week in a row, Saturday Monster Movies looks at a spider-themed creature feature. Released in the heyday of nature-run-amok horror films, this low-budget gem starring William Shatner is a perfect blend of schlock and genuine suspense. While its special effects and storytelling may not rival bigger productions, its message still holds up: humanity’s disruption of the natural order has consequences. Set in rural Arizona, the film follows veterinarian Rack Hansen (Shatner) as he investigates a series of livestock deaths. The culprit turns out to be an ever-growing swarm of tarantulas, driven to aggressive behavior due to the overuse of pesticides that have wiped out their normal food sources. What begins as a local nuisance escalates into full-blown horror as the spiders turn their attention to humans, overwhelming the town and trapping the survivors in an eerie, web-covered nightmare. Like many eco-horror films of the 1970s, Kingdom of the Spiders taps into environmental...
