"Actor: Randall Huber"

• Earth vs The Spider | DVD | (01/04/2002) from £9.21   |  Saving you £10.78 (117.05%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Earth vs. The Spider can't really make up its mind whether it's an homage to the B-movie horror genre (the title, but nothing else, has been lifted from the 1958 drive-in "classic"), a too-ironic-for-its-own-good spoof, or an uncomplicated but genuine monster flick. It passes as any of the above, so take your pick. The plot is hardly demanding: nerd's pal is murdered, nerd vows revenge, nerd injects himself with bug juice which turns him into a spider-like monstrosity, offs some bad guys then gets shot dead. Despite its lack of content, the movie's merciful brevity (one hour 26 minutes, roughly what all movies used to be) means that the pace is fast and that there's no room for padding (or real sub-plots, for that matter). The special effects are good and used surprisingly sparingly, which is a nice touch, and the brief coda is sarcastically witty. There's also what seems at first to be a nod in the direction of Toho's multi-monster epics, but those two giant furry caterpillars are in fact Theresa Russell's eyebrows. On the DVD: Earth vs. The Spider on disc is presented in 1.77:1 ratio. Extras include filmographies and a very brief "making of". The preliminary sketches of the creature in the photo gallery are well worth seeing. --Roger Thomas