Product Details

• Actors: William Shatner, Tiffany Bolling, Woody Strode, Lieux Dressler
• Directors: John 'Bud' Cardos
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Shout! Factory
• DVD Release Date: January 19, 2010
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002NN7EY2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,970 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Kingdom Of The Spiders [Special Edition]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS SE - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rampaging tarantulas make meal of Arizona residents., October 2, 2004

By 

P. Ferrigno "firehouse444" (Melbourne, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kingdom Of The Spiders (DVD)

Cult 1977 low budget "nature gone haywire" film with Arizona veterinarian William Shatner ( that's about as far away from the bridge of the USS Enterprise as you can get ! ) firstly investigating unexplained livestock deaths. After Shatner takes bio samples from the dead animals and sends them off for analysis, then enter ice cool blonde entomologist Tiffany Boling to explain the animals are succumbing to massive doses of spider venom. Shattered farmer Woody Strode then shows Shatner and Boling a huge dirt mound seething with hairy, agressive tarantulas, and it soon becomes apparent that something is very wrong with the local spider population !

I first saw this film theatrically upon it's release back in 1978, and 25 + years later, when you stack it up against other "bugs on the rampage" films like "Frogs", "It Happened at Lakewood Manor" & "The Naked Jungle"....it holds up as one of the best. Sure, its as cheesy as a block of cheddar, and Shatner is a hammy actor, but it's a real guilty pleasure movie and seems to tick along quite well without getting bogged down with boring characterisations, or long winded explanations about why the spiders are now hunting much larger prey !

For my money, all the actors involved in this one deserve bravery awards for sharing the screen with hundreds and hundreds of genuine LIVE Mexican red knee tarantulas. On top of that most of the key cast members ( Shatner, Bolling, Strode, Dressler, Hughes & Lafferty ) get attacked and covered in these creepy arachnids. Nowadays, film makers would just cheat and use CGI effects, but back in low budget productions in 1977, they just tipped a bucket of real tarantulas on the actors and filmed the shot.....YECCH ! Well know Hollywood animal trainer's Lou Schumacher & Jim Brockett who have worked on similar projects such as "Day of the Animals", "Night of the Lepus", "Alligator" & "Dracula"s Dog" supplied & wrangled the spiders for KOTS, and I would have asked for a hotel room a long, long way away from Lou & Jims.....lest some of their "pets" went out for a stroll.

Although this release by Good Times DVD is only a mono soundtrack and a standard full frame presentation, the print is excellent and the transfer has been done very well. If you're a fan of this genre of horror movie, the "Kingdom Of The Spiders" definitely belongs in your DVD collection.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Arachnid fans should web this up quickly !, October 23, 2009

By 

D. Steigman "Movie fan from silents to now" (SF, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kingdom Of The Spiders [Special Edition] (DVD)

On January 19, 2010, Shout! Factory will unleash the Kingdom of the Spiders Special Edition on DVD. This is the 70's bug flick with William Star Trek Shatner as a vet fighting off spiders who are looking to take over an entire town. The spiders (tarantulas)are mad at the pesticides in their food and attack mankind..Very chilling. This is a chilling underrated movie that no bug horror film fan should miss. Directed by John Bud Carlos, this is far superior to movies like Ants! , Tarantulas,the Deadly Cargo, Empire of the Ants,etc. While there are no giant spiders (like Giant Spider Invasion) this movie contains hundreds(thousands maybe?)of nice size hairy spiders crawling & webbing their way toward mankind. This was released from Goodtimes full frame & uncut - now we can see it uncut and in its original aspect ratio...
Features include : all-new anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film, this Special Edition DVD release contains an all-new interview with William Shatner; an in-depth commentary featuring director John Bud Cardos, producer Igor Kantor, spider wrangler Jim Brockett and cinematographer John Morrill, moderated by HOSTEL producer Scott Spiegel and Lee Christian; rare behind-the-scenes footage; "Jim Brockett: Spider Wrangler" featurette; poster gallery and the original theatrical trailer.
This is the holy grail DVD release of Kingdom of the Spiders & is not to be missed..
Thank you Shout Factory !

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shatner, King Of Spiders, February 5, 2009

By 

Jon M. Mcclain "Jon McClain" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kingdom Of The Spiders (DVD)

When faced with the absolute magnificence one witnesses in this film, it's difficult to find the words needed to express such joy, let alone organize them in any manner. I feel a rush of sensations, all blindly driving my passions into a whirlwind of pleasure. Yes, the great William Shatner stars in this outing, and his impeccable acting alone is worthy of admission costs, but surprisingly, he is upstaged by two things: hordes of tarantulas stealing the scenes, and the most exquisitely cultivated male scream you will EVER encounter.

In one solitary scene, this movie lays waste to every other cinematic achievement in the history of motion pictures. The town's mayor has hired a crop-dusting pilot to spray deadly insecticide across the region infested with tarantulas, thus ensuring the annual local fair will proceed as scheduled, but our eight-legged protaganists counter with a deadly plan that transforms the pilot's cockpit into a tomb. In his final moments, this heroic, godlike vision of a man is swarmed by warmly embracing arachnids, and he unleashes the grandest of all screams. He continues to evoke his heavenly shrieking for the entire duration of his glorious exit from the realm of the living. I'm left speechless when attempting to describe the sheer beauty of this scene, but every creature walking this earth is but a mere speck of dust in comparison to the divine frequency unlocked by this man's diaphragm. This, without question, is the peak of cinematic mastery.

The rest of the movie is not without value either. The work of William Shatner is a configuration of talent that needs no introduction, for he is admired by the masses, worshipped as an artistic genius, and for his very existence we are all unworthy to serve as viewers. His role in this movie need not be discussed, for it goes without saying that his time onscreen is comparable to a sultan's ransom in fine jewels. Only a sheer fool will deny this. I am no fool.

I am also indebted to this film for the knowledge it has bestowed upon me. In the case that I, or my loved ones, were ever to be trapped in a ranch-styled hotel/restaurant blanketed by deadly tarantulas, we are now fully educated with the proper means of survival. First, and most importantly, if you're carrying a handgun, and a tarantula is biting your opposing hand, the best thing to do is shoot this hand off as gorily as possible. After evaluating this scenario countless times, I can see no better way to handle the situation. Second, if a ceiling vent appears to be blocked by tarantulas, the best thing to do is remove the vent while standing directly underneath it, so as to provide a landing space for the falling beasts, as this will better allow you to assess the situation, rather than allowing the spiders freedom to land elsewhere. The third and final lesson to be mentioned here is that if you're driving, and suddenly realise that tarantulas are crawling across your flesh, the quickest and most logical solution is to drive off the nearest cliff, and pray that flames will consume the scoundrels.

The quality of the dvd release is exceptional. There is footage present which I had not seen in previous releases, or even on television as a child. The picture quality is perfect, as well as the audio, and although some will complain about a lack of "extra" features, I am more than happy just being able to see the movies I grew up with in pristine shape. All other movies cower at the mention of this film, and it's impossible to deny this reality. Perfection is too light of a term to confine the overwhelming qualities of this magical cinematic experience, so rush out and enlighten yourself to the absolute grandeur of KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS.