Okay, I just finished watching Spider Baby for the first time and I need to watch it again right now.   I’m going to wait a little while and write this while my mind is reeling.  I really cannot believe this film was released in 1964!  I would love to know how audiuences in the 1960′s reacted to this wonderfully dark comedic film.  Spider Baby was written and directed by Jack Hill and originally was titled Cannibal Orgy, and was also known by the title The Maddest Story Ever Told.  Any of these titles are appropriate, even though the film is very difficult to categorize.  

Plot:  The last generation of the Merrye family is afflicted with Merrye disease.  A disease that causes the victim to mentally regress in the middle of childhood.  Not just regress in a childlike way, but in a primeval cannibalistic way.  Lon Chaney Jr. plays Bruno the incredibly kind and patient caretaker of the three remaining Merrye children; Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn), Virginia (Jill Banner), and Ralph (Sid Haig).  I was sucked in after the first scene where Virginia, with a butcher knife in each hand, plays “spider” with a messenger that stops by the house.  The family has to prepare for visitors, and needless to say this family is not used to geting a lot of company.  A couple of cousins who want to take the home and put the Merrye children in an institution are coming for a visit.  They are bringing along their lawyer and his assistant.  The children are all hilarious and even though they play nice in the beginning you know it won’t last.  The dinner scene is one of the funniest scenes in a horror film that I have ever watched.  Sid Haig wearing a childs sailer suit had me laughing in hysterics.   By far the best performance came from Lon Chaney Jr., in fact it is difficult to imagine anyone doing a finer job.  He shows nothing but heartfelt unconditional love for the murderous children and sincere devotion to the wishes of their deceased father.  Enjoy friends! 

Sid Haig as Ralph

Spiders bite!

The Merrye Children

Hurry Up!

He said he wanted to play.