Jack Hill’s maddest film ever comes back onto DVD thanks to Dark Sky Films in a brand, new director’s cut remastered from the 35mm original negative. Some nice special features complete the package that you’d have to be the maddest not to add to your collection.
A messenger (Mantan Moreland) is trying to deliver a letter to Merrye House. He gets caught in a window and gets to meet Virginia Merrye (Jill Banner) a little too up close and personal. Seems she has a habit of thinking she’s a spider and killing folks. The entire Merrye clan, including sister Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn) and elder brother Ralphie (Sid Haig), is afflicted with a genetic disease that’s named after their family, the Merrye Syndrome.
It mentally reverses the aging process, leaving the afflicted babes trapped in adult bodies. Insanity is another nice symptom of this peculiar illness. Family butler/chauffer Bruno (Lon Chaney, Jr.) finds Virginia’s handiwork and the letter (and the dutiful servant disposes of the evidence). It seems some distant relations and their lawyer is coming to the mansion to try and get an inheritance.
Brother and sister Peter (Quinn Redeker) and Emily (Carol Ohmart) arrive at the house and await their attorney Schlocker (Karl Schanzer) and his assistant Ann (Mary Mitchell). Once everyone arrives the Merryes prepare a meal for their guests so begins the maddest story ever told.
Considered a lost film for a long time and only available from poor 16mm prints, director Jack Hill swore that he’d find a better way to release the film. He weaseled a VHS copy of the original 35mm elements out of the production house that had them and this was the version that he and Johnny Legend released on DVD via Image in 1999 (now out of print).
Dark Sky and Hill have now gotten access to that 35mm negative and have madly remastered the film for high definition that adds footage that was thought to be lost back into the picture. Attack of the Liver Eaters, The Liver Eaters, Cannibal Orgy, or whatever the film has been called through the ages, this is the definitive edition of Hill’s maddest work. The film was previewed for theater owners in the 60s, who didn’t react well, and the company that was financing the film went belly up.
This lead to the film being locked away in the vault for a long time where it developed a reputation because of the inability to see it. Some bad 16mm prints were on the market and Hill sought to correct that situation and make a better version more widely available. The film has a camp quality and in other hands could’ve really been terrible. Hill just gives it that something that makes it extremely watchable.
Equal parts comedy and horror, the film also has excellent photography by Alfred Taylor and some truly creepy images. What the film also features is a fine, heartfelt performance by Lon Chaney, Jr. and is probably the finest work that he put on the screen during the time period (and some funny bits alluding to the Wolfman). If you’re a fan, even if you have the previous release, do yourself a favor and pick up this release.
Spider Baby is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.66:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary with writer/director Jack Hill and Sid Haig. The 31 minute “Hatching of Spider Baby” interviews spider fan/director Joe Dante, Hill, Karl Schanzer, Haig, director of photography Alfred Taylor, Mary Mitchel, Quinn Redeker, Beverly Washburn, and head programmer of the American Cinematheque Chris D.
Basically anybody who is still alive it seems. Some interesting tidbits include that John Carradine was considered for the role because Chaney wanted too much money at first and Taylor’s grand comments about black and white filmmaking (there’s artistry in black and white, anybody can shoot color). The 11-minute “Spider Stravinsky” is about composer Ronald Stein and interviews filmmaker/historian Ted Newsom and Stein’s widow Harlene.
Beware; you’ll just want to pull out your copy of Stein’s works and fire up the stereo. I need to find my copy of The Haunted Palace/Premature Burial CD or I’ll descend into madness without a soundtrack. The 7-minute “Merrye House Revisited” has Hill and filmmaker Elijah Drenner returning to the gothic manse used in the film in October 2006.
Next are a still gallery, a 2-minute alternate opening (the film’s called Cannibal Orgy here), and a 4-minute extended scene of Schlocker being chauffeured to Merrye House. You can feel the love that both the supplement filmmakers and participants have for the film come through.
Spider Baby is probably an acquired case, but it does boast the best later day performance by Lon Chaney Jr. and a quirky storyline. It really should’ve been terrible but fine acting and directing elevates it beyond the $60,000 price tag that it cost to make it. Dark Sky has produced a fine special edition that fans will want to catch in their webs.
Spider Baby (Special Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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