Spider Baby, or The Maddest Story Ever Told (Attack of the Liver Eaters) poster & wallpaper
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Jill Banner, Lon Chaney Jr, Sid Haig, Joan Keller, Mary Mitchell ... see more see more... , Mantan Moreland , Carol Ohmart , Quinn K. Redeker , Karl Schanzer , Beverly Washburn , Mary Mitchel

Exploitation titan Jack Hill, who went on to make such cult favorites as Switchblade Sisters, The Swinging Cheerleaders, and Foxy Brown, made his solo directorial debut with this fascinating, offbeat ... read more read more...shocker. The three surviving children of Titus W. Merrye, who represent the end of his family's line, live in a dilapidated mansion where patient servant Bruno (Lon Chaney, Jr.) watches over the increasingly eccentric Virginia (Jill Banner), Ralph (Sid Haig), and Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn). All three Merrye siblings suffer from the same rare disease that felled their father and the other members of his family -- "Merrye Syndrome," a neurological ailment that begins to manifest itself at the age of ten, causing the brain to slowly decay and sending its victims into an alternately violent and infantile state. Bald, inarticulate Ralph is supposed to be a vegetarian, but "can eat anything he can catch," while Virginia, who seems to be in a perpetual dream state, imagines herself as a human spider and catches people in her "web" (a large net) and then kills them. While it might seem best to let nature to take its course and allow the family's sad legacy to die out, the Merrye siblings have two distant cousins, Emily Howe (Carol Ohmart) and Peter Howe (Quinn K. Redeker), who are interested in laying claim to the family mansion and any money remaining in the Merrye Estate. But not long after they pay a visit to Bruno, they start to have serious regrets about their decision to see the family. Shot in 1964, Spider Baby sat on the shelf until 1968, when it was briefly released as the second half of a horror double-bill on the drive-in circuit. But after it appeared on home video in the early '80s and was the subject of an enthusiastic essay in the book RE/Search: Incredibly Strange Films, the film began to develop a potent cult following and is now regarded as a minor classic of '60s horror. The film has also appeared under the misleading titles Cannibal Orgy and The Liver Eaters, as well as Spider Baby, or the Maddest Story Ever Told. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

77% liked it

4,339 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

8 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: Jack Hill

Release Date: January 1, 1968

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DVD Release Date: September 14, 1999

Stats: 288 reviews

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Sid Haig and Carol Ohmart Virginia
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Flixster Reviews (288)

  • bbcfloridabound
    August 5, 2009
    bbcfloridabound
    A pretty bizarre B-Movie. Black & White we open up with a little 1960'ties Black Comedy. The postman goes to what is rumored to be a haunted mansion, After the initial opening it turns real has into B- Suspense/ Horror. As the post man sticks his head in the window to see what t... read morehat noise was, he is slashed by the young daughter of Lon Chaney Jr. A young couple come to adopt the two girls and the fun begins. This is just a B-Movie Cult Classic, though I often wonder what a film has to do to become a cult Classic. I can only squeeze out a 2 star rating on this one.
  • RCCLBC
    July 25, 2008
    RCCLBC
    Think "Baby Doll" meets "Baby Jane".

    Director Jack Hill is to Lon Chaney Jr what Ed Wood was to Bella Lugosi. Only Hill did it with a lot more style.

    If you love horror films (cheesy or otherwise), this should be right up your alley. And you can't help but notice just how... read more much this "cult classic" influenced many of the more successful horror directors of our time.

    And although the story and the special effects are a little weak...the acting and some of the cinematography are remarkably good.
  • kenstachnik
    July 13, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Fantastically bizarre horror spoof/homage featuring a very young, very bald Sig Haig
  • 366weirdmovies
    April 6, 2008
    366weirdmovies
    A family of three childlike adults, one of whom is obsessed with spiders, is taken care of by family chauffeur Lon Chaney Jr. in a dilapidated house, until some outsiders come calling. The unsettling atmosphere created by director Jack Hill is utterly unique and almost impossib... read morele to convey: horrifying, surreal, humorous, touching, and supersaturated with sublimated sexuality.
  • mjgildea
    November 14, 2006
    mjgildea
    One of the most absurd, non-sensical and greatest horro cult classics ever.
  • Doctor0Quinzel
    April 25, 2009
    Doctor0Quinzel
    I thought it was an interesting film. Some aspects of the film I liked, other things I was not so crazy about. I was entertained for an hour and half.
  • robfearon
    August 7, 2008
    robfearon
    MIFF '08: Spider Baby (aka The Maddest Story Ever Told, aka Attack of the Liver Eaters, aka CANNIBAL ORGY), was a really fun midnight festival treat. I'd love to make a film like this - a trashy camp-horror-comedy. It was pretty slow in the first half (especially when the lawyers... read more were exploring the house - boring!) But when the caretaker left, it got more exciting. The two girls were consistently hilarious but creepy - Ralph got a bit tired, though. It reminded me of The Addams Family, just with savage killings. There was one really sad moment - when the caretaker and the girls cry over wanting to be together forever. But what was with his special 'toy' at the end?! Totally not expecting that - I felt really bad for the girls.
  • silentbob66
    March 20, 2008
    silentbob66
    nice little b movie from director jack hill and a very funny performance from a young sid haig way before devil's rejects also another highlight is lon chaney singing the theme song and not lookin very sober threw out the film another fav of mine
  • chelano
    September 5, 2011
    chelano
    Nothing like seeing an older take on what zombies are like. But this is a bit deeper. It is a slow disease that takes time until you become a mentally challenged person who likes fresh meat; or what we consider zombies. The last was really good in this film. Beverly Washburn ... read moreand Jill Banner were a great team of creepy young girls in their first state of getting the disease. Famous horror star Sid Haig played a man who was almost in the final stage of the disease. Lon Chaney Jr, who you might of seen playing a wolf man or a mummy, was the butler in charge of taking care of these people. This is until another side of the family wants to come and take the girls and the house away. But things go wrong. This movie has a lot of classic horror that you just don't see now a days. You get a lot of creepiness and some small scary scenes. Then a mix of a little comedy too for your enjoyment. Pretty good film.
  • TransmissionsFromNostromo
    February 27, 2011
    TransmissionsFromNostromo
    Unlike other crazy cult films of the '60s, this one actually works. Watch it for Sid Haig and Chaney Jr., love it for the crazy plot and the way the cast devotes themselves 100% to their roles. Rob Zombie definitely had this one in mind when he made "House of 1000 Corpses."

View All Spider Baby, or The Maddest Story Ever Told (Attack of the Liver Eaters) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jeremiah Kipp
September 29, 2007
Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine

Though hampered by bad distribution deals and multiple title changes, word of mouth helped Spider Baby to connect with fans of schlock cinema. Full Review

Staci Layne Wilson
September 28, 2007
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com

Two-Legged Freaks! Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 18, 2007
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

If you like trashy horror films, you should be thrilled with this special treat. Full Review

Ken Hanke
February 3, 2005
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Lon Chaney sings the theme song. What more do you want?

Jeffrey M. Anderson
May 17, 2004
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

It's one of the greatest films ever made. Full Review

Andy Klein
July 30, 2005
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat

No review available.

Laura Clifford
May 31, 2003
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

No review available.

Marc Savlov
January 1, 2000
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

Click to read the article Full Review

November 2, 2001
Orlando Weekly

No review available.

Bob McCabe
January 1, 2000
Bob McCabe, Empire Magazine

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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