Film

Kingdom of the Spiders

Name: Kingdom of the Spiders
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction
Released: 1977
Cast: William Shatner, Tiffany Bolling, Woody Strode, Lieux Dressler, David McLean

A 1977 creature feature where William Shatner's small-town vet discovers his Arizona community sits in the path of migrating tarantulas. As the arachnid swarms grow, the film balances genuine ecological dread with B-movie spectacle. It's earnest disaster cinema with real spiders doing real things—creepy, unpretentious fun that trusts its premise completely.

TMDb rating

2.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy creature features played straight-faced, where the B-movie plot is earnest and the tarantula menace is the real pleasure, with a 1970s drive-in sincerity that feels closer to Tremors than to glossy modern horror.

Skip it if you need the spiders to be convincing or the characters to be sharp, since the effects are obviously staged and some of the dialogue and acting lands with a clunk.

What it asks of you: Under ninety-801 minutes of patience is all it takes: a short, unhurried build toward a lot of hairy set-piece chaos, with the tone steady rather than frightening.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Them!1954

The atomic-age template that Kingdom borrows: giant creatures, rural setting, scientific protagonist slowly convincing authorities of an unstoppable threat. A masterclass in building dread from a simple, terrifying idea.

But Black-and-white, 1950s pacing, and the creature effects only occasionally look convincing. Rewarding if you're patient, frustrating if you need constant action.

Day of the Animals1977

Another 1977 creature assault film with that same year's mixture of earnestness and B-movie energy. Animals attack a hiking group in the mountains; it has the same 'nature turning against us' premise and similar low-budget ingenuity.

But The animal rights subtext ages awkwardly. Some of the creature moments feel genuinely unpleasant rather than thrilling, which may or may not appeal to you.

Arachnophobia1990

A much more polished spider-attack film with genuine scares and humor. Jeff Daniels is excellent, the premise is tighter, and it understands how to make eight-legged creatures deeply unsettling without relying on scale or science fiction.

But It's slicker, which means less of the weird texture that makes Kingdom interesting. If you like B-movie roughness, this Hollywood version might feel too tame.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Kingdom of the Spiders

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Lair of the White Worm1988

Both use a rural setting and an invading force (spiders vs. ancient evil) to explore how quickly civilization collapses and communities turn primal. Both trust their premise absolutely, no winking.

Ken Russell's deranged adaptation of Bram Stoker, where Amanda Donohoe's vampire priestess seduces a town into submission. It shares Kingdom's sinister-nature-corrupting-rural-community theme but through surrealism, camp, and sexual transgression instead of swarms.

But It's sexually explicit and deeply strange in ways that have nothing to do with creature threats. If you want plot coherence or conventional horror, you'll hate it.

The Swarm1978

Killer bees instead of spiders, but the same structure: a threat that builds exponentially, a skeptical expert, a small town under siege. An all-star ensemble cast (Michael Caine, Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland) brings a B-movie premise to A-movie scale.

But At 156 minutes, it's exhausting, and the tonal shifts between disaster spectacle and melodrama feel uneven. Even fans of the film admit it's a bit bloated.

Frogs1972

Nature-revenge film where amphibians gradually turn on a Southern family. It builds paranoia and ecological threat through accumulation rather than spectacle—more intelligent than it has any right to be.

But Long stretches have no creatures at all, just family drama. If you want constant action, you'll find it slow-paced and repetitive.

Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo1977

A TV movie from the same year about tarantulas loose in a small town—a mirror-image premise. It has that specific warmth of mid-70s television and a different take on the exact same threat.

But As a TV movie, it's gentler and more domestic in scope. The production values are lower, and it may feel slight compared to Kingdom's ambition.

Eight Legged Freaks2002

Giant spiders in a small Arizona town—it's almost a spiritual remake, but shot in vivid color and with modern action sensibilities. David Arquette leads a genuinely fun ensemble, and it plays the premise with humor and style.

But It's campy in a knowing way that some find charming and others find exhausting. The 2000s CGI, while better than 1977, is now dated in its own way.

The Plague of the Zombies1966

Both build horror from a single unstoppable threat that authorities refuse to believe until it's too late. Both are more interested in community breakdown than in the creature itself.

A Hammer film where zombies overrun a Cornish village, causing paranoia and social collapse. It's beautifully shot and genuinely unsettling, with the same structure as Kingdom: investigation, disbelief, siege, survival.

But It's a period British horror film with slower pacing and Gothic atmosphere. If you want modern speed and explicit creature effects, this will feel stuffy.

Bug1975

Both explore nature as an intelligent, coordinated force rather than mindless swarms. Both suggest that insects operate on logic we can't understand or stop—not evil, just indifferent and vastly more numerous than us.

William Castle's final film: sentient cockroaches emerge from underground and begin a slow, methodical assault on Los Angeles. It's thoughtful, eerie, and builds dread through accumulation. Bradford Dillman carries genuine scientific curiosity and terror.

But It's slow-burn and philosophical rather than action-packed. The insects aren't flashy; scenes of them simply existing can feel tedious if you're not attuned to the mood.