If bugs or insects make you squeamish, and want to battle the fear of tiny poisonous creatures, free streaming platform Tubi has got you covered. Starting October 1, the ad-based platform is set to stream 1990’s Arachnophobia, giving modern viewers the chance to watch one of the most unsettling movies in the “creature feature” subgenre of horror.
Directed by Frank Marshall and produced by Steven Spielberg, Arachnophobia follows a doctor who moves with his family to a new town in California. However, Dr. Jennings isn’t the only new arrival. A very poisonous spider has killed a local photographer on a trip to Venezuela, and it has found a first-class ticket to sunny California. Jennings suffers from an intense fear of spiders, so perhaps moving to this small town was not the best idea. When locals start dying in mysterious circumstances, Jennings will be forced to face his greatest fear. The Rotten Tomatoes synopsis reads:
After a nature photographer (Mark L. Taylor) dies on assignment in Venezuela, a poisonous spider hitches a ride in his coffin to his hometown in rural California, where arachnophobe Dr. Ross Jennings (Jeff Daniels) has just moved in with his wife, Molly (Harley Jane Kozak), and young son. As town residents start turning up dead, Jennings begins to suspect spiders, and must face his fears as he and no-nonsense exterminator Delbert McClintock (John Goodman) fight to stop a deadly infestation.
Arachnophobia was released in the summer of 1990 by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. It was the directorial debut of Marshall, the legendary second-unit director in several of Steven Spielberg’s projects. On the other hand, it was the first movie to be produced by Hollywood Pictures, the now-defunct production company owned by Disney that focused on more adult-oriented films (their most important production was The Sixth Sense).
The horror comedy was released to critical acclaim, although the audience reception wasn’t huge. It only grossed over $53 million from its $22 million production budget. On Rotten Tomatoes, it boasts a 93% critics’ score, while the audience score is significantly lower, at 55%.
‘Arachnophobia’ Is Apt for a Modern Remake
While the original film from 1990 does have some nostalgic value, it is one of those films that could be remade, but with a shift in tone. The practical effects are impressive, especially considering live spiders were used in several sequences. Nevertheless, the comedy horror mashup is hard to sell today, especially in the big studio system.
The Arachnophobia remake was in development at one point, with modern horror visionary Christopher Landon (Freaky, Happy Death Day) sitting in the director’s chair. However, the project seems to have been scrapped as no more news surfaced about it. Landon declared a few months ago that his vision for Arachnophobia did not sit well with executives: “There was a component that the studio was very nervous about and uncomfortable with—and that’s where we parted. I wasn’t willing to compromise on that. I wasn’t going to make a change that really felt like a soul-crushing, sell-out, bad change.”
- Release Date
-
July 20, 1990
- Runtime
-
109 minutes
- Writers
-
Don Jakoby, Al Williams, Wesley Strick