Yeah, yeah. By now, you should know I'm a die-hard Mysty (MST3K fan for the uninitiated.) Without their comments and riffs, this movie strangely enough holds it own. First off, let me warn you that it is another Bill Rebane flick! Yes, the man who brought us MONSTER A-GO-GO! And yes, we're treated to his usual trademarks: bad acting, long stretches of tedious dialogue, pointless scenes that meander, and humor that falls flat. However, occasionally there will be a gem that shines through. This time around, the budget must've been slightly bigger because we have a few veteran character actors. In the very first scene, we're introduced to Alan Hale as the sheriff and his first line is "Hey little buddy!" How can we not instantly love him? He's the jovial kind of sheriff everyone wants to have. Unfortunately, he's also pretty incompetent. A few moments later, we're treated to the most disgusting character: Mr. Kester, played by the wonderful Robert Easton. Let me pause for a minute and salute him, I think it takes a really brave actor to play someone so reprehensible. Anyway, he's disgusting because not only is he a fat, back brace-laden slob who cheats on his wife, but he also makes a few lecherous passes at Terry, his teenage sister-in-law. Though I admit, that scene is kinda funny with DELIVERANCE-style banjo music playing in the background. Finally, we also get Steve Brodie as a NASA expert of something and Barbara Hale as a stargazer. Oh did, I mention that a large comet/ meteorite lands in Mr. Kestor's backyard that spouts out tarantulas in geodes? By the way, the scene of the comet/ meteorite crashing looks oddly like a similar scene from MEN IN BLACK some twenty years later. Just thought I'd mention that. Anyway, as you can guess, the "giant spiders" crawl around and people randomly scream and/or die. As if to make matters worse, a VW Beetle (haha!) covered in brown fur, pipe cleaner legs and fangs, with giant light bulbs for eyes, begins stalking the quiet countryside. Yes, that's the "giant spider" in the title. I believe everyone involved was treating it half-seriously. It's definitely a curiosity. So I'd highly advise you watch this flick anyway you can, with Mike and the Bots or not. Their comments only help to add to the cult status of this one!

A giant gamma-mutated tarantula besieges a small Wisconsin community following an unexplained meteorological phenomenon, interrupting the drinking and fornicating of the local inbreds. Spicy script and a few suspenseful moments are the only redeemable features to this otherwise bland imitation of countless 50's creature craze films, most of whom did it better in all departments.Interesting cast (of who must be said where has-beens when this little payload rolled past their agents' desks) led by Steve Brodie and Barbara Hale as intrigued ring-ins, desperate to understand the peculiar scientific phenomenon, debating astro physics and using lots of five-syllable words, while the locals are just barely managing to avoid being devoured on mass by the colossal arachnid. The still-beautiful Leslie Parrish delivers some class in her performance as a neglected, alcohol-dependent house-wife to Robert Easton, who also, contributes a watchable, if stereotypical performance as a rugged farmer, suitably concerned about the inexplicable mutilation of his cattle.The pace is creditable, and there are some moments of suspense, though for the most part, this is a C-grade science fiction that looks like it was made in the late fifties (cast included) rather than 1975. Only a brief (and admittedly amusing) reference to "Jaws" reminds the viewer that it's a product of the mid-seventies (although that's not a compliment when you consider the production values, a limitation that director Rebane laments in the DVD extras, discussing the making of the film). As for the (anti) climax, it's both brief and disappointing, but then by that stage, no one would expect any better. Brodie and Hale come out looking like Teflon heroes, while only a handful of hapless locals are left to thank them for taking so long to do so very little.

Spiders as big as Volkswagens come to Earth and wreak havoc in a small town in this cheesy but rather enjoyable flick. The arachnids are up to no good, as is usually the case, and before long they're munching on the locals. The town's sheriff, played by Allan Hale Jr. enlists the aid of a scientist(Barbara Hale)in order to get to the bottom of all the eight legged nastiness. Unlike some B films, The Giant Spider Invasion doesn't try to hide its low budget heritage and, in this case, that works to the films' advantage. The pacing is good, the acting is restrained and the cinematography is effective more often than not. Like many other films of its type, The Giant Spider Invasion relies on your willingness to squint a bit at the watery special effects and uneven story. If you can do that, you'll have a good time.

I saw The Giant Spider Invasion on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, like most of the users on this IMDb page. You know the funny thing about this movie is that as weird and stupid as it was, it actually told the story. So at least it had that going for it, but the problem is that the story really doesn't get itself across to where everyone could understand it, but mostly I would say that it was the lousy shooting of the movie, not to mention that the acting was just horrible. But I don't know about think it was totally bad for what it was, I mean it was just a typical low budget horror, despite how ridicules that giant spider looked.Basically in Wisconsin, WOO, GO PACKERS, WOO!, there is a crash from an asteroid. The asteroid contains little rocks that have little spiders in them. The two residents that live right next to where it landed, Ev and Dan, take advantage and try to take the diamonds that are also in the rocks, but it may not be to their liking when the spiders take over the house and the whole town! But don't worry, Dr. Jenny and Dr. J.R. are on the case and are going to save Wisconsin from the giant spider that is attacking young girls in their underwear.The Giant Spider Invasion is your typical low budget horror that reminds you more of those old 50's movies with the sci-fi action. While this is a bad movie, it's a fun like drive in type of film and has a few silly laughs here and there. Not to mention that it did make for a funny episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I loved how Jenny's line of screaming the doctor's name at the end turned out and the whole scene of the giant spider attacking the young girl in her undies in her house, that was just classic how fake the puppet was. But please watch the MSTK3 episode, I guarantee you'll have a lot of fun.2/10