4. Irv And Blaire Kendall - Arachnophobia (1990)
Jeff Daniels, John Goodman and a stolen 'Psycho' shower scene makes 'Arachnophobia' a black comedy that will have you reaching for the nearest rolled up newspaper. Daniels plays a small town American physician who is plagued when a deadly pack of Venezuelan spiders attack. Goodman adds light-hearted comedy as a bumbling bug exterminator. On paper it works, but lazy effects and parodies make it little more than Friday night viewing. The film makes actual use of 374 New Zealand spiders, guided using heat on cold, meaning that the actors on set had to be more than a little friendly with their furry legged friends. The iconic death scene sees 'larger' than life Irv and Blaire Kendall sitting down for a good 'ol American evening watching 'Wheel of Fortune', taking the phone of the hook so as not to be disturbed. Stuffing their faces with popcorn while discussing whether to have real or fake butter, the duo don't notice the creepy crawlies in their late night snack. Jeff Daniels arrives a little too late, just in time to see some killer spiders crawl out the noses of some very fake looking mannequin heads. The moral of the story, gluttony kills! 'Arachnophobia' has striking similarities to 1977's 'Kingdom of Spiders', in turn 'Eight Legged Freaks' bears a resemblance to 'Arachnophobia' but with a noughties re-imagining. None of these films are going to win an Oscar any time soon, but director Frank Marshall said that he wanted Arachnophobia to be like an Alfred Hitchcock 'The Birds'. I would keep practicing Frank.