Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967) on Netflix
NR19671h 21mComedyHorrorSci-Fi
At the decaying Merrye House, chauffeur Bruno cares for Ralph, Virginia and Elizabeth Merrye, siblings whose family syndrome makes them regress. Relatives and a lawyer arrive to take the house.
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- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb6.7/109,000 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes94%
Trailer
Plot summary
Ralph, Virginia and Elizabeth Merrye live in seclusion at the decaying Merrye House with Bruno, the chauffeur who has looked after them since their parents died. The three share Merrye Syndrome, a hereditary condition that begins in late childhood and sends them backward, mentally and physically, down the evolutionary ladder. Ralph, mentally deficient, gets around the house by dumbwaiter; Virginia is fixated on spiders; Elizabeth, whom Bruno regards as the most responsible, is also scheming and drawn to the idea of hate. The children respect Bruno but increasingly ignore his warnings. Bruno promised their father he would keep them safe, and he coaches them in manners when Peter Howe and his sister Emily arrive with the lawyer Schlocker and his secretary Ann, relatives who mean to take the estate from them.
Cast
- Joan Keller Sternas Aunt Martha
- Carolyn Cooperas Aunt Clara
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Hill wrote the script with Lon Chaney Jr. in mind for Bruno, but Chaney's agent said the $2,500 lead fee was far too little for an actor of his prestige. When the producers asked whether John Carradine, handled by the same agent, wanted the role, the agent wrote back that Chaney would take it for $2,500.
SPOILER
Hill wanted Mantan Moreland for the part of the messenger because he believed that, in light of Moreland being known for comedic roles, his character being brutally murdered would be a good opening shock to audiences.- The cinematographer was Alfred Taylor, who had previously worked on The Atomic Brain. There was no power available in the Smith Estate when the opening scene was filmed, so Taylor arranged a series of reflectors to guide sunlight into the house.
- Jack Hill wrote Spider Baby with Lon Chaney Jr. in mind for the part of Bruno, but Chaney's agent called the producers' $2,500 fee far too little for an actor of his prestige. When the producers asked whether John Carradine, who shared that agent, would take the role, the agent replied that Chaney would accept it for the $2,500.
- Spider Baby was shot in only 12 days, in black and white, for a total production cost of about $65,000.
- The financiers behind Spider Baby owned a real estate business that went bankrupt, and Jack Hill recalled the film sitting locked in a vault for three years. Hill's friend David L. Hewitt tracked it through all the litigation and re-edited it, a version Hill thought improved the film.
- There was no power at the Smith Estate when the opening scene was filmed, so cinematographer Alfred Taylor, who had previously shot The Atomic Brain, arranged reflectors to pipe sunlight into the house and light the interiors.
- Jack Hill cast Mantan Moreland as the messenger because Moreland was known for comedy, so having his character brutally murdered would give audiences a good opening shock.
