The Movie: Spider Baby, or the Maddest Story Ever Told
(1964)
What Is It?: Exploitation
king Jack Hill tells a repellent story of inbreeding, incest, cannibalism,
rape, murder, and madness and makes it really funny and weirdly moving. Lon
Chaney Jr. is wonderful in one of his final roles as the caretaker of a family
of kids with brains that age in reverse in late childhood. Jill Banner, Beverly
Washburn, and Sid Haig all flaunt their cult stardom potential.
Why Today?: On
this day in 1968, Spider Baby was finally released after
four years in the can.
