Does Whatever a Spider Can: 6 Great Spider Flicks

This coming Tuesday sees the much anticipated release of the controversial reboot of the Spider-Man movie series with "The Amazing Spider-Man". Make sure you check out our video review and our written review here. With a new Peter Parker and a new story arc entirely, fans of the web crawler are skeptical and at odds with the retcon idea and what it will offer fans who have remained loyal to the web-slinger for years. Now that your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is making his way in to theaters, to gear up for the return of spider-man, here are six great films celebrating the very cause of Peter Parker's sudden emergence as a masked superhero. Arachnophobes beware.

6. Eight Legged Freaks (2002)

Wouldn't life be grand if while you were dating Scarlett Johannson, you found out her mother is Kari Wuhrer? If only life were that kind to us. Before co-starring in one of the highest grossing blockbuster films of all time as an ass kicking Russian spy, Scarlett Johannson played third banana to Kari Wuhrer and David Arquette in this often forgotten little gem from 2003 about giant spiders that wreak havoc on a small town. With the tone of a Tim Burton movie, and the wonky comedy of a William Castle film, "Eight Legged Freaks" is a weird and eccentric monster movie with some genuinely excellent monster moments. From jumping spiders chasing and mowing down dirt bikers, to a killer rumble between a house cat and a spider inside of a wall, "Eight Legged Freaks" is a hilarious and entertaining genre romp with cult appeal that sadly never quite caught on. "Eight Legged Freaks" has all of the basic elements of a great horror comedy with deadpan performances in reaction to gross out gags and subtle pop culture references, while the climax gives way to one of the best mall battles since the pie fight in Romero's "Dawn of the Dead." Oddly enough "Eight Legged Freaks" was released the same year as Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man." And as an added bonus there's Johannson in a towel being sprayed by white goo. Do with that what you want. Click "next" below to read the next entry...