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Arachnophobia

(1990, Rated PG-13, Action/adventure, Starring Jeff Daniels, John Goodman, Julian Sands)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Creepy/clever creature feature with touches of humor.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 12–13

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Though the superficial message is Dr. Jennings facing his worst phobia and triumphing, some might detect a sub-theme: a sardonic portrayal of "peaceful" small-town USA as more treacherous, small-minded, and mean-spirited than the major metropolitan communities.

  • Role models:

    Dr. Jennings has a supportive wife and family and manages to pull himself together and fight the spider menace despite paralyzing fear. There are less flattering portrayals of the provincial California townsfolk; they seem suspicious and small-minded.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Spider bites, a few in closeup, resulting in seizures and death. A sight of hideously withered human and animal corpses. Spiders are squashed and burned; human victims include a nice old lady and a high school athlete. Climactic incendiaries and explosions, and even a projectile weapon.

  • Sex:

    No full toplessness, but female flesh as a spider in a
    shower crawls between a girl's exposed cleavage. Science discussion of the sex organs possessed by the species of spider involved. Suggestion that (married) humans and (unmarried) spiders are about to have sex.

  • Language:

    "Damn," "hell," the s-word, "SOB," "God-damned."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Some social drinking. A luxury wine collection in a cellar ends up being key to the climax.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Arachnophobia

Parents need to know that this horror-comedy features spider-bite-seizure deaths of likeable characters, including grandparent-ish types and imperiled house pets, and there is one particularly hideous corpse. Dialogue includes swearing (at the PG-level), and there is some naked female anatomy strategically revealed in a shower sequence. Needless to say, young (and old) viewers with a morbid fear of spiders may find some of the visuals uncomfortable or nightmare-inducing. There is the use of a nail gun as a weapon that may encourage unwise copycat behavior among kids.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about spiders in real life, including the bird-eating spiders of the tropics (that obviously inspired the fictional species here). Why are spiders so creepy? Ask children if they fear spiders or can tolerate them.
  • For responsible opposing viewpoints, study up on the beneficial aspects of spiders, or read pro-spider storybooks such as Charlotte's Web.
  • Discuss how this movie doesn't go the giant-mutant-bug route of sci-fi thrillers like Tarantula and Eight Legged Freaks; spiders here are realistically sized. Talk about the "inverse square law," a scientific truth oft violated by Hollywood, in which the larger an animal is, the heavier its supporting anatomy has to be. Therefore invertebrates like the ones in giant-insect flicks would be squashed by their own massive exoskeletons.
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Dvd9898
    Lives in Indiana
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 4.0

    PHOBIA

    i loved this movie it was clever and scary but not too disturbing

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
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