It is a performances centric movie

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Judging from what has been said from other commentators I was expecting one of the worst movies ever made. Make no mistake The Giant Spider Invasion is a bad movie- very bad in fact, the 2.7 rating is about right for it- but not atrocious and a long way from one of the worst movies ever made. Barbara Hale and Steve Brodie are decent, there is some unintentional entertainment value and a couple of the attacks are appropriately gruesome. To say that The Giant Spider Invasion is poorly made though is an understatement, often what is seen is close to incoherent. The spider is not a convincing threat at all, more goofy than menacing and the cheap puppet-like design is no help. The music sounds stock and inappropriate, when you can hear the dialogue you are kind of glad actually that the sound is poor and the story is thinly plotted, completely lacking in atmosphere and predictable. Apart from Barbara Hale and Steve Brodie, the acting is so terrible- especially from Alan Hale- that it's not worth any comments. All in all, not as atrocious as heard and expected but very bad. 3/10 Bethany Cox

First of all, I did not see this film when it was originally released, though I would have been at exactly the right age to have my childhood completely and utterly warped by its low budget charms. I didn't see it until well into the DVD revolution, when I snapped up the disc released by Fred Olen Ray's Retromedia outfit. So my opinions are in no way colored by nostalgia. However, having grown up scarfing down the offerings of Godzilla Week and Edgar Allen Poe/Vincent Price Week on WABC-TV's "The 4:30 Movie," as well as frequent viewings of Hammer Studios product on WOR-TV, I had all the necessary childhood exposure to shlock to appreciate this work of monster mastery by the Inoshiro Honda of Cheesheads, Bill Rebane. Having continued my education thanks to the VHS and DVD revolutions, exploring further down the pile, and finally having committed the complete works of Ed Wood to memory, I was probably finally prepared to consume the cinematic leavings of Mr. Rebane.Fortunately, this was the first of Rebane's works to meet my uncomprehending eyeballs. Good move, because if I had watched any of his other productions, I don't know if I would have bothered with TGSI. Anyway, here Rebane has some actual professional Hollywood actors on hand in the form of The Skipper and that lady that played Della Street. This helps matters immensely, and believe me, Rebane needs all the help he can get. When your monster is a beat-up VW Beetle covered in black shag carpeting and bendy straws (I'm probably making it sound more convincing with that description than it actually is), you really have to make up the difference somewhere else.Anyway, the plot unfolds pretty predictably for a story like this, and we are treated to some fun, rollicking low-budget monster action. If you go into this with a way-open mind and a sense of fun, (and perhaps some adult beverages), you might find some enjoyment here. But I would stay away from Rebane's other works---"Invasion From Inner Earth," "The Legend of Bigfoot" and several others too sad to even mention.Okay, I will mention Rebane's involvement in the worst excuse for a movie ever made, "Monster-A-Go-Go," which started off as an aborted project that Rebane never completed, and was "finished" by Herschell Gordon Lewis in one of the most cynical cash grabs ever in the history of filmmaking. But Rebane is not entirely culpable on that score, so I will give him a partial break on that.

Those of you out there looking for an intelligent, well made film, don't watch this movie. In fact, don't even read this comment. However, if you're like me and like cheesy scifi and horror movies, this is the film for you. It's currently my favorite MST3K episode and even my favorite movie. Volkswagons dressed up as spiders? Hilarious? Check. Alan Hale Jr. as a tubby sheriff? Hilarious? Check. A disgusting man with a back brace who gets eaten by a giant spider's butt? Hilarious? Check. Many more hilarious things happen in this campy, surprisingly well cast "Horror" movie, but I won't spoil it for you. I can't watch this movie without falling to the floor and rolling with laughter. It never gets old! So, in conclusion, I recommend this Bill Rebane classic to anyone looking for a good laugh and a big grin.

Giant Spider Invasion, The (1975) * (out of 4) Alan Hale Jr., best known for the Skipper in Gilligan's Island, plays the sheriff of a small Wisconsin town who gets struck by a meteor and soon are being attacked by giant spiders. This is yet another drive-in film that probably got played at the bottom of a triple bill yet today it has a small cult following thanks in large part to countless unintentional laughs. The most notorious aspect of this film is a scene where the giant spider attacks a group of people at a baseball game. The spider, in this scene, is actually a Volkswagen Beetle with spider legs attached to it. I was looking forward to this scene but when it actually came up it's rather disappointing because you never can really tell that a car is behind it. Yes, it's obvious when you know it's there but you can never actually see the car. Outside of that the film is rather bland with some really bad performances but these do get a few laughs. There's a lot of white trash comedy running throughout the film and I must admit that some of it comes off quite well. Hale, Jr. is rather funny in his role even though it's clear he's just picking up a paycheck. The director even gives him some dialogue giving a wink to his role as the Skipper. I've read an interview where the director said that originally there weren't going to be any giant spiders but the producer later demanded it when he learned he'd be going up against Jaws. Since there's really just one giant spider I'm not sure if it really added anything too special to the movie, although I'm sure bad movie lovers will eat it up.