The contorted look of insanity that Kraven constantly gives off while hunting Spider-Man is absolutely chilling, and the look alone terrifies Spider-Man enough to make him open for an attack. The story really went the extra mile to show how Kraven had really lost his mind at this point.
Just look at the cover! Kraven hunched on a perch like Spidey, only difference is he’s branding a shotgun and a psychotic grin. Pretty much says gives a good idea of what the reader’s in for.
Kraven reinforces his hunting spirit by bathing completely naked in a room full of spiders, squishing them, eating them!
Vermin, despite sounding and looking quite harmless compared to other famous villains, is just terrifying. He eats people for starters while describing the smell and texture of his victims, if he doesn't send his swarm of mind-controlled rats to do it! The looks on the faces of his poor victims is chilling.
Peter spent two weeks Buried Alive while undergoing horrible visions of death in the meantime, and eventually has to dig himself out.
While he's buried alive, Peter hallucinates being visited by Ned Leeds, and reminds him that he's supposed to be dead. Upon realizing this, we're immediately treated to the lovely visuals of Ned's body rapidly decomposing until he's a pile of smoldering bones.
Kraven acting like a complete maniac while masquerading as Spider-Man. During his short stint, he goes on a spree crippling and killing criminals before going to personally find and deliver a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown to Vermin in a sewer. He brings the beaten Vermin to his home where he tortures him inside an electric cage.
The entire scene of Kraven committing suicide. After putting on his smoking jacket, having one last drink and reminiscing about his family and life, Kraven shoots himself in the mouth with his own hunting rifle. His corpse is sent falling (from the recoil) into an open casket he set up behind him, and blood can be seen splattered across a nearby photo from his childhood. Despite being at the end of a very dark arc, it all feels a bit too real and might be the story's most shocking scene.
The What If? issue based on this story ups the darkness factor even further. In this version, Kraven opts to actually kill Spider-Man with a shotgun blast (as opposed to merely burying him alive while tranquilized). It is later revealed that Kravinoff has been routinely eating pieces of the deceased Peter's flesh in order to "achieve Spider-ness" and gain his powers. He is captured and subdued by Captain America and the Human Torch (who witness the grisly scene) and he is confined to a mental institution for the rest of his life, deemed incurably mad. Cap, the Torch and Daredevil have to break the horrific news to Mary Jane that her husband is dead.
