A disturbed teenage girl unleashes her pet tarantula against her "enemies."A disturbed teenage girl unleashes her pet tarantula against her "enemies."A disturbed teenage girl unleashes her pet tarantula against her "enemies."
Ernesto Macias
- Walter Bradley
- (as Eric Mason)
Jay Scott
- Bo Richards
- (as Jay Scott Neal)
Ron Prather
- Bob Havens
- (as Ronald Prather)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThere are four family members that are in this film. Beverly Eddins (mom) plays the mother, Martha Bradley, W. James Eddins (dad) plays Sgt. Wes Matthews, Rebecca Eddins (older daughter) plays Susan Bradley at age 10, and Susan Eddins (younger daughter) plays Susan at age 5.
- GoofsWhen Susan is lying on her bed reading a book, before her uncle enters the room, she is wearing stockings. Moments later, when her uncle accosts her and they are wrestling on the staircase, she is no longer wearing stockings.
- ConnectionsFeatured in TJ and the All Night Theatre: Kiss of the Tarantula (1981)
Featured review
Kiss of the uncle sickie
When a cheating wife is discovered plotting her husband's death, her oddball daughter commits matricide with the aid of some hairy, eight legged companions. Creepy little thriller is a poor man's "Willard" in which the beguiling Susan (Suzanne Ling - never seen before or again) is remarkably naive to the cruel intentions of various sleazy characters with whom she comes into contact. High on the pervert-alert, is her nefarious uncle (Mason), the local police chief who's been chasing her tail since puberty, discovers her involvement in a series of unexplained deaths and seeks to protect his political ambitions abetting a cover-up to divert suspicion away from his family. Mason is the epitome of ugliness, and his predatory pursuit of the adolescent Ling, is as appealing from a cinematic perspective as it is morally repulsive.
Intense over acting and varying breeds of comically amateurish supporting performances coupled with laughable set-ups contrived for lukewarm climaxes, successfully mar what could have potentially been a minor sleeper, such is the satisfying symmetry in the storyline. Director Munger's casual treatment and unimaginative scene construction, display a lack of detail that is evident throughout the film, though he does manage to conjure some modicum of suspense at every critical peak – it's just a shame there's not a more palpable indication of the tarantula's impact on the victims (most seem to succumb to shock and hyper-anxiety, or is that just the quality of the acting?).
"Kiss of the Tarantula" takes a convenient pathway to imagined justice, while the central character's psycho-sexual motivation, which is intimated throughout the film, is never properly explored or connected to her deviant behaviour. As such, Ling's character is little more than a facade, and much of the film's promise is diluted by the superficial treatment. Perhaps lethally hampered by the budget, while there's lots of potential, overall, it's significantly lacking in the execution.
Intense over acting and varying breeds of comically amateurish supporting performances coupled with laughable set-ups contrived for lukewarm climaxes, successfully mar what could have potentially been a minor sleeper, such is the satisfying symmetry in the storyline. Director Munger's casual treatment and unimaginative scene construction, display a lack of detail that is evident throughout the film, though he does manage to conjure some modicum of suspense at every critical peak – it's just a shame there's not a more palpable indication of the tarantula's impact on the victims (most seem to succumb to shock and hyper-anxiety, or is that just the quality of the acting?).
"Kiss of the Tarantula" takes a convenient pathway to imagined justice, while the central character's psycho-sexual motivation, which is intimated throughout the film, is never properly explored or connected to her deviant behaviour. As such, Ling's character is little more than a facade, and much of the film's promise is diluted by the superficial treatment. Perhaps lethally hampered by the budget, while there's lots of potential, overall, it's significantly lacking in the execution.
helpful•107
- Chase_Witherspoon
- Apr 29, 2011
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Tarantula
- Filming locations
- Pickwick Drive-In, 1100 W. Alameda Ave., Burbank, California, USA(location of Drive-In scenes)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $200,000 (estimated)
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Top Gap
By what name was Kiss of the Tarantula (1975) officially released in Canada in English?
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