10 Obscure Movies You Haven't Seen (But Should)

Before the internet, late night television and the long aisles of a video store were to cinephiles what ancient ruins were to archeologists. Somewhere deep and sometimes in the dark was that treasure just waiting to be discovered and shared with the world Archeologists got fame and glory. Cinephiles got the credit for showing you something you€™ve never seen before. But now in our new modern age of the internet and digital media, the search for those obscurities in the celluloid vaults has become a far more difficult undertaking. With video stores going the way of the dodo and revival houses always in danger of closing down, some films may never see the light of public consciousness again (if they ever saw it in the first place). It€™s a scary possibility that audiences may be deprived of some of the best offbeat and obscure visions from filmmakers who strive to think outside the box. This cannot be allowed to happen. In an attempt to keep these oddities from being forgotten in time, here€™s a list of films you€™ve never seen but definitely should:

10. Spider Baby (1964)

Before he made exploitation classics like Switchblade Sisters and Coffey, Jack Hill wrote and directed Spider Baby. It€™s a film too clever to be mere exploitation but too low budget to be regarded by most as anything but. In the tragically short list of black comedies dealing with dementia, cannibalism, and incest, Spider Baby tops them all. How this gem continues to slip through the cracks of public consciousness is as intriguing a mystery as the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Jill Banner and Beverly Washburn play Virginia and Elizabeth Merrye, two ordinary looking gals who suffer from a rare disease called Merrye Syndrome. It€™s so rare that it only exists within their bloodline and causes everyone in the family to rapidly regress to a primal state the older they get. A pre-Rob Zombie films Sid Haig plays brother Ralphie, drooling and incoherent throughout the film. He€™s well on his way to joining the rest of the family locked in the basement who have completely to regressed to madness and cannibalism. The original Wolf Man himself, Lon Chaney Jr, is the poor guy who€™s tasked with looking after these teen misfits, a job he does admirably. That is, until some greedy distant relatives show up looking to stake claim on the family fortune. All hell breaks loose from here. There€™s a lot being asked in Spider Baby behind all the insanity. Are the villains the Merrye kids, suffering from a disease out of their control? Sure, they€™ve turned murder into a game a kid would play but they can€™t help it. Or are the real bad guys those relatives that plan to take advantage of the whole mess and strike rich? The next time you feel like your family is weird, find a copy of Spider Baby. You€™ll be singing a different tune.