BC-CNS-Tarantula Portrayals,150

by Adnan Alam

SOME PORTRAYALS OF TARANTULAS IN THE POPULAR MEDIA

With BC-CNS-The Lovable Tarantula

By Cronkite News Service

Here are some less-than-accurate portrayals of tarantulas in movies and on TV:

Kingdom of the Spiders, 1977

  • Plot: William Shatner stars in this cult classic pitting the residents of Camp Verde, Ariz., against an army of hungry tarantulas. “A living, crawling hell on earth,” the movie poster exclaims.
  • Reality check: Tarantulas are solitary creatures. In fact, the many tarantulas used in making this movie had to be kept in separate cages because tarantulas don’t get along with each other.

Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo, 1977

  • Plot: Claude Akins stars in this made-for-TV movie in which deadly tarantulas spill from the hold of a crashed plane and terrorize a small town. “Terror has 8 legs,” the DVD cover exclaims.
  • Reality check: Tarantulas aren’t deadly. Their bites are about as powerful as bee stings.

The Brady Bunch: Pass the Tabu, 1972

  • Plot: A cursed tiki brings bad luck while the bunch vacations in Hawaii, including a tarantula crawling menacingly onto Peter Brady’s chest.
  • Reality check: Tarantulas don’t stalk people. And there are no native tarantulas in Hawaii.