Amazon.com Customer Reviews
 Rated 4 out of 5
Excellent
I was lucky enough to catch this on a big screen at the Cleveland Cinematheque a while ago. SPIDER BABY is an ominous study of hereditary evil that’’s not afraid to elicit laughter
along with its frights. Wonderfully warped in every way.- Rated 4 out of 5
"Ralph’’s allowed to eat anything that he catches"...
Also known as THE LIVER EATERS, and subtitled THE MADDEST STORY EVER TOLD (a variation on the DeMille movie); this 30th Anniversary DVD of Jack (FOXY BROWN) Hill’’s horror classic SPIDER BABY is a real treat. For a movie addict like myself, discovering this is like having Xmas come early.
Hill’’s script deals with an imaginary medical condition known as "Merrye’’s Syndrome", a "rotting of the brain" a disease so awful many authorities are in denial of its existance. The result of inbreeding, the sufferer experiences age regression, which is to say as the body grows, the mind gets younger. SPIDER BABY tells the story of "that fateful day ten years ago" that Merrye’’s Syndrome was wiped out forever.
Despite their name, the Merrye family are anything but and make the Addams family look like the Cleavers by comparison.
Horror legend Lon Chaney Jr has one of his best roles as Bruno Schlocker, the Merrye family’’s new chauffeur- though unknown to him the previous driver was "webbed" by Virginia Merrye (Jill Banner), one of their cute but deranged daughters. As if that wasn’’t enough the poor chap also had his ears hacked off with a pair of carving knives. What a lovely young lady. The other psychotic daughter is Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn) also cute, but suffering from radical brain rot. And last but not least is Ralph (Sid Haig) an unfortunate fellow who stalks and kills domestic cats, which the Merryes then roast and serve to their guests; who are told they’’re eating rabbit. Ironically, the Merrye family are all vegans because.... nope. No spoilers.
During dinner one of the guests asks Bruno: "Isn’’t Ralph a vegetarian too?" to which Bruno replies: "Yes, but Ralph’’s allowed to eat anything that he catches".
DVD extras include Commentary by Jack Hill: which is actually worth listening to (Unlike some bloated commentaries by Hollywood egoists and talentless film makers); filmographies for Hill and Lon Chaney Jr; plus footage of the 30th Anniversary reunion presented by archivist Johnny Legend as well as an additional 8 minutes of previously unseen footage.
A must have for cult movie buffs; SPIDER BABY is a true original and four decades on it retains its creepy fascination. Buy it and let the SPIDER BABY weave its macabre web on you!!  Rated 5 out of 5!
Not at all what I expected.
This was entirely an impulse buy. I never even heard of tihs film until I saw it on this site and bought it immediately. Honestly, I just liked the cover. But when I watched it, I realized that I had purchased a gem that I was proud to have in my dvd collection.
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