History Film / EarthVsTheSpider

The name is also shared by a [[Film/EarthVsTheSpiser2001 2001 horror movie]], made as a ''tribute'' to the original, though this version can also be seen something of a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of ''ComicBook/SpiderMan''. The tribute revolves around a comic-book-loving security guard at a lab that does genetic modification research on spiders. When his partner is killed, he deliberately infuses himself with spider [=DNA=] in hopes of becoming like his favorite super-hero. Instead, he is warped into a [[BodyHorror grotesque hybrid of human and spider traits]] and is consumed by an insatiable appetite for human flesh, voraciously eating person after person until a police officer manages to shoot him before he can snack on the girl he had a crush on.

The name is also shared by a 2001 horror movie, made as a ''tribute'' to the original, though this version can also be seen something of a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of ''ComicBook/SpiderMan''. The tribute revolves around a comic-book-loving security guard at a lab that does genetic modification research on spiders. When his partner is killed, he deliberately infuses himself with spider [=DNA=] in hopes of becoming like his favorite super-hero. Instead, he is warped into a [[BodyHorror grotesque hybrid of human and spider traits]] and is consumed by an insatiable appetite for human flesh, voraciously eating person after person until a police officer manages to shoot him before he can snack on the girl he had a crush on.

The name is also shared by a 2001 horror movie, made as a ''tribute'' to the original, though this version can also be seen something of a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of ''Franchise/SpiderMan''. The tribute revolves around a comic-book-loving security guard at a lab that does genetic modification research on spiders. When his partner is killed, he deliberately infuses himself with spider [=DNA=] in hopes of becoming like his favorite super-hero. Instead, he is warped into a [[BodyHorror grotesque hybrid of human and spider traits]] and is consumed by an insatiable appetite for human flesh, voraciously eating person after person until a police officer manages to shoot him before he can snack on the girl he had a crush on.

* DisconnectedByDeath: Hugo, the high school janitor at the start of the spider's rampage in town.

[[NamesTheSame The name is also shared by]] a 2001 horror movie, made as a ''tribute'' to the original, though this version can also be seen something of a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of ''Franchise/SpiderMan''. The tribute revolves around a comic-book-loving security guard at a lab that does genetic modification research on spiders. When his partner is killed, he deliberately infuses himself with spider [=DNA=] in hopes of becoming like his favorite super-hero. Instead, he is warped into a [[BodyHorror grotesque hybrid of human and spider traits]] and is consumed by an insatiable appetite for human flesh, voraciously eating person after person until a police officer manages to shoot him before he can snack on the girl he had a crush on.

* HollywoodDarkness: The cave. They don't even bother with flashlights or torches in the slightest, though this is HandWaved with a mention of luminescent algae.
** There's a reason for this: The movie was filmed in Carlsbad Caverns in UsefulNotes/NewMexico, but only on the condition that they not use any studio lights, as that would accelerate the growth of microscopic organisms that would deteriorate the cave's structure much faster.

* SurvivorGuilt: Carol heavily blames herself for her dad's death.

''Earth vs. the Spider'' (also known as ''The Spider'' and ''Earth vs. the Giant Spider'') is a 1958 Creator/AmericanInternationalPictures black and white SciFiHorror film produced and directed by Creator/BertIGordon, who also wrote the story which the screenplay by George Worthing Yates and Laszlo Gorog is based upon. It starred Ed Kemmer, Eugene Persson and June Kenney.

The film is about a giant Spider terrorizing a town as well as teenagers and other 1950s things.

[[NamesTheSame The name is also shared by]] a 2001 horror movie, made as a ''tribute'' to the original, though this version can also be seen something of a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of ''Franchise/SpiderMan''. This movie revolves around a comic book-loving security guard at a lab doing genetic modification research on spiders. When his partner is killed, he deliberately infuses himself with spider [=DNA=] in hopes of becoming like his favorite super-hero. Instead, he is warped into a [[BodyHorror grotesque hybrid of human and spider traits]] and is consumed by an insatiable appetite for human flesh, voraciously eating person after person until a police officer manages to shoot him before he can snack on the girl he had a crush on.

** Whatever Joe, who is conducting the band, is doing, it ain't conducting. "Having an epileptic fit while holding a stick" would probably be a better description.

* BadassNormal: Mr. Kingman as he always maintains a cool head and has a logical scientific explanation for every circumstance. He proves to be the real hero of the film in not only being willing to fight the spider but also being the one who devises the solution to permanently kill it.

* CassandraTruth: Sheriff Cagle refuses to believe the kids about the existence of the giant spider until he can see it for himself. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor He quickly changes his attitude about it when he does see it.]] Unusually for a movie of this type, Cagle ''does'' take the appropriate actions for a giant spider outbreak -- even calling in a tanker truck of [=DDT=] and gas masks -- on the say-so of the kids' science teacher Mr. Kingman. Even so, neither he nor the half-dozen deputies and insecticide techs take it seriously, until one of them dies...

* DisconnectedByDeath: Hugo the high school janitor at the start of the spider's rampage in town.

** There's a reason for this: The movie was filmed in Carlsbad Caverns in UsefulNotes/NewMexico, but only on the condition that they didn't use any studio lights, as that would accelerate the growth of microscopic organisms that would deteriorate the cave's structure much faster.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Zigzagged with Sheriff Cagle. He literally can't stop laughing when told about the Spider at first. But he does organize a search party to find Carol's missing father as there's more than enough proof of something happening to him, and begrudgingly lets the Science teacher come along as it's another pair of eyes. He dismisses the death of Carol's father, despite looking like a mummy, but quickly turns serious when faced with undeniable proof. The later mishaps and errors happen because he and his deputies really have no training or equipment for such an occurrence.

* SomewhereAnEntomologistIsCrying: Spiders aren't insects, they're arachnids. You'd think a scientist would know that.

* ChekhovsLecture: Mr. Kingman's lecture on electrons and poles, complete with demonstration. (A bit... heady for a ''high school'' science class, then or now, but it works.)

* ChekhovsGun: Mr. Kingman's lecture on electrons and poles, complete with demonstration. (A bit... heady for a ''high school'' science class, then or now, but it works.)

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/earthvsthespider.png]]

''Earth vs. the Spider'' (also known as ''The Spider'' and ''Earth vs. the Giant Spider'') is a 1958 Creator/AmericanInternationalPictures black and white science fiction horror film produced and directed by Creator/BertIGordon, who also wrote the story which the screenplay by George Worthing Yates and Laszlo Gorog is based upon. It starred Ed Kemmer, Eugene Persson and June Kenney.

[[NamesTheSame The name is also shared by]] a 2001 horror movie, made as a ''tribute'' to the original, though this version can be seen more as a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of Franchise/SpiderMan. This movie revolves around a comic book-loving security guard at a lab doing genetic modification research on spiders. When his partner is killed, he deliberately infuses himself with spider [=DNA=] in hopes of becoming like his favorite super-hero. Instead, he is warped into a [[BodyHorror grotesque hybrid of human and spider traits]] and is consumed by an insatiable appetite for human flesh, voraciously eating person after person until a police officer manages to shoot him before he can snack on the girl he had a crush on.

* Expy: In the 2001 remake, comic book character "The Arachnid" is clearly a stand-in for Spider-Man.

* SwissCheeseSecurity: Even if the spider had been dead when it's body was stored in the gym, one would think security surrounding it would be at a higher level than allowing a bunch or air-headed teenagers to hold an impromptu sock-hop in the same room!

** The school's resident rock and roll band decide to hold a spontaneous dance in the same gym where the spider is being held. Even if they thought it was dead at the time, the sheer number of unknowns relating to its biology and how it got so big should have been a major cause for concern!

* ArtisticLicenseMusic: Whatever Joe, who is conducting the band, is doing, it ain't conducting. "Having an epileptic fit while holding a stick" would probably be a better description.

* BadassNormal: Mr. Kingman as he always maintains a cool head and has a logical scientific explanation for every circumstance. He proves to be the real hero of the film in not only being willing to fight the spider and being the one who devises the solution to permanently kill it.

* CassandraTruth: Sheriff Cagle refuses to believe the kids about the existence of the giant spider until he can see it for himself. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor He quickly changes his attitude about it when he does see it.]]
** Unusually for a movie of this type, Cagle ''does'' take the appropriate actions for a giant spider outbreak - even calling in a tanker truck of [=DDT=] and gas masks - on the say-so of the kids' science teacher Mr. Kingman. Neither he nor the half-dozen deputies and insecticide techs take it seriously, until one of them dies...

** There's a reason for this: The movie was filmed in Carlsbad Caverns in UsefulNotes/NewMexico, but only if they didn't use any studio lights, as that would accelerate the growth of microscopic organisms that would deteriorate the cave's structure much faster.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Zigzagged with Sheriff Cagle. He literally can't stop laughing when told about the Spider at first. But he does organize a search party to find Carol's missing father as there's more than enough proof of something happening to him, and begrudgingly lets the Science teacher come along as it's another pair of eyes. He dismisses the death of Carol's father, despite looking like a mummy, but quickly turns serious when face with undeniable proof. The later mishaps and errors happen because he and his deputies really have no training or equipment for such an occurrence.

* TooDumbToLive: Carol drops her bracelet in the giant cave after nearly being killed by the giant spider. What does she do? She goes back in to look for her bracelet, resulting in her and Mike nearly getting killed six ways to Sunday.[[note]]The bracelet was something her dad was planning to give her when he was killed, and she had every reason to believe the spider was both dead and ''not'' in the cave the second time they entered it.[[/note]]

[[NamesTheSame The name is also shared by]] a 2001 horror movie, made as a ''tribute'' to the original, though this version can be seen more as a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of SpiderMan. This movie revolves around a comic book-loving security guard at a lab doing genetic modification research on spiders. When his partner is killed, he deliberately infuses himself with spider [=DNA=] in hopes of becoming like his favorite super-hero. Instead, he is warped into a [[BodyHorror grotesque hybrid of human and spider traits]] and is consumed by an insatiable appetite for human flesh, voraciously eating person after person until a police officer manages to shoot him before he can snack on the girl he had a crush on.

* ArtisticLicenseMusic: Real rock bands don't have conductors.
** Plus, whatever he's doing, it ain't conducting. "Having an epileptic fit while holding a stick" would probably be a better description.

* DawsonCasting: Some of the supposed high school students. Joe looks like he's at least forty.

* FollowTheLeader: 1950s and big bugs and giant arachnids kind of go together once ''Film/{{Them}}'' came out. And on all the ads the film became "The Spider" once ''Film/TheFly1958'' saw success.