Jeff Danielshas shared his memories of working with a real giant rat-eating spider on the 1990 comedy-horror movieArachnophobia. As James Wan prepares to remake the cult favorite, Daniels recalled the creepy time he spent working with his eight-legged co-star in an interview withScreen Rantabout his Netflix miniseriesA Man in Full.
Arachnophobia, directed by Frank Marshall and produced by now-Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, was not a movie to watch if you break out in a sweat at the sight of that dark shape scurrying across the floor. Telling the tale of a Californian town overrun by a deadly species of spider, the film co-starred John Goodman andthe late Julian Sands, and grossed $53 million against a $22 million budget.
Arachnophobia
During his interview, Daniels recounted the last two weeks of shooting, which saw pretty much the whole cast depart, leaving him to shoot his tense final battle with “the general.” It seems, though, he was just pleased that the film did not involve a different type of scary animal. He said:
“No one’s talked to me [about Wan’s remake], but I enjoyed doing it. I’m glad it was spiders and not snakes, I couldn’t have handled it, I’d still be in therapy if it was snakes. [Chuckles] All I remember is the last two weeks of that shoot, where we said goodbye to John Goodman, and everybody clapped, and then there were two weeks left of shooting with just me and that huge spider in the basement. My costar was that spider, as big as my hand that could rear up and hiss. They would put a rat in its cage on Friday to feed it, and then they would take out the tail on Monday.”
Does Arachnophobia Need a Remake?
Asa movie released in the early ‘90s,Arachnophobiasits right in the period currently being plundered for remakes and legacy sequels, so the fact one is coming is not the biggest surprise for anyone. With the combined talents of Wan and director Christopher Landon behind the remake, there are high expectations already for what the pair can deliver in the new version.
One thing that gaveArachnophobiaits edge over many other similar movies was its perfect mix of horror and laughs. While there is no doubt that Wan andHappy Death Dayhelmer Landon can bring something gruesome to life with their remake, the movie will likely succeed or fail based on its ability to recapture the comedic values of the original. While Daniels was not in full comedy mode in the movie,John Goodman was in fine formas a hilariously dour exterminator, and earned plenty of nervous chuckles from those not too keen on the number of creepy-crawlies filling up the screen.
Why Arachnophobia Should Be a Sequel and Not a Remake
With a remake in the works for the 1990 horror-comedy Arachnophobia, here is why the Amblin classic should instead be a sequel.
If anyone is going to be able to nail a darkly comical movie, then Landon seems like a perfect choice.Happy Death Daywas a hit for Blumhouse back in 2017, and in many ways delivered the kind of comedy-horror that so many others have attempted and not quite been able to pull off. WithArachnophobia, Landon could once again tap into that vein to provide his latest success.
The originalArachnophobiais currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
