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William Shatner says one of his toughest ever shoots was on the 1977 film 'Kingdom of the Spiders’ because he had to be covered in real tarantulas.The 93-year-old Hollywood legend starred as veterinarian Dr. Robert ‘Rack’ Hansen in the science-fiction horror flick set in rural Verde Valley, Arizona, overrun by killer tarantulas.Shatner's co-stars Woody Strode and Tiffany Bolling played local farmer Walter Colby and archaeologist Diane Ashley, respectively. Walter becomes frightened when his farm animals are killed by an unknown creature and after he and Hansen send off a sample to a university laboratory arachnologist Dr. Hansen arrives to inform Walter that his animals were killed by spider venom, much to the astonishment of everyone. The discovery of the killer spiders has fatal consequences for the town.To film the scenes with the tarantulas, director John 'Bud' Cardos did not use prop spiders and instead arranged for 5,000 live tarantulas...

Nature will run amok when Kino Lorber unleashes five classic eco-horrors on Blu-ray as part of its Kino Cult line:The Food of the Gods, Empire of the Ants, Frogs, Squirm, and Kingdom of the Spiders. Due out on August 20, each title comes with a slipcover and features reversible artwork. Pre-orders are up for $24.95.

1976’s The Food of the Gods is written and directed by Bert I. Gordon, based on H. G. Wells’ 1904 novel The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth. Marjoe Gortner, Pamela Franklin, Ralph Meeker, Jon Cypher, and Ida Lupino star.

In the film, “On a remote island, a mysterious substance is oozing from the ground. A farmer sees that it acts as a growth hormone and thinks his fortune is made. But when rats, chickens, worms and wasps begin sampling the potent substance, they morph into bloodthirsty giants! Now, it’s up to...

After appearing in the satanic horror movie The Devil's Rain, William Shatner squared off against terrifying tarantulas in Kingdom of the Spiders. While Code Red previously released a limited edition Blu-ray of the 1977 horror movie, Kino Lorber is teaming up with Code Red to distribute another release of their Kingdom of the Spiders Blu-ray (with different cover art) this March.

You can view the cover art and official announcement from Kino Lorber below, and in case you missed it, read Scott Drebit's Drive-In Dust Offs column on Kingdom of the Spiders.

From Kino Lorber: "Coming March 26th From Code Red DVD!

Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)

• Audio commentary with director John 'Bud' Cardos, producer Igo Kantor and star Tiffany Bolling

• Interview with Tiffany Bolling

• Theatrical Trailer

(1977) Color 97 Minutes 1.85:1 Rated PG

Television legend William Shatner stars as vet "Rack" Hansen in this cult classic about an Arizona town infested with a...

Full disclosure: I hate spiders. Like really, really despise them. God’s creatures blah blah blah – save it. They are absolutely, without a question, the most insidious, terrifying things on the planet. Now, horror films about arachnids? Well, that’s different. They have a built in creepiness factor that ensures, at the very least, it will hit the icky button with me – not my go to sensation for horror, but still creating a sensation while I watch – which promises a memorable experience.

But when you add in a level of fun, and in the case of Kingdom of the Spiders (1977), a ridiculously high quotient of it, I pivot from respect to awe in the space of 97 minutes. Not for the spiders – that will never happen as long as I’m gulping air. But the film? I’m in awe each and every viewing. It’s my favorite Animals Attack film,...

It's ring-a-ding time, with producer-star Frank Sinatra and his cooperative director Gordon Douglas doing a variation on the hipster detective saga. The two Tony Rome pictures are lively and fun and chock-ful of borderline offensive content, like smash-zooms into women's rear ends. Tony Rome & Lady in Cement Blu-ray Twilight Time 1967, 1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 110 and 93 min. / Street Date September 8, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95 Starring Frank Sinatra, Richard Conte; Tony Rome: Jill St. John, Sue Lyon, Gena Rowlands, Simon Oakland, Lloyd Bochner, Robert J. Wilke, Virginia Vincent, Joan Shawlee, Lloyd Gough, Rocky Graziano, Elisabeth Fraser, Shecky Greene, Jeanne Cooper, Joe E. Ross, Tiffany Bolling, Deanna Lund. Lady in Cement: Raquel Welch, Dan Blocker, Martin Gabel, Lainie Kazan, Paul Mungar, Richard Deacon, Joe E. Lewis, Bunny Yeager. Cinematography Joseph Biroc Original Music Billy May, Hugo Montenegro; song by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra Written by Richard L. Breen...

Violence, torture, voyeurism, gang-rape, murder, nudity, and epic levels of misogyny…..it must be time for another Late Night Grindhouse!!!

At The Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis) this Friday and Saturday nights (February 7th and 8th) at Midnight, the guys at Destroy the Brain are presenting a 35mm print of Centerfold Girls, a remarkably skanky gem from 1974. Andrew Prine, decked in saddle-shoes, a hideous leisure suit, and a shag haircut, stars in Centerfold Girls as Clement Dunne, a kooky puritanical nerd who sets out to murder a year’s worth of centerfold girls from a nudie mag. His motive is altruistic: He wants to save them from a life of posing naked, but his method, ‘saving’ them by slicing them to ribbons with a straight razor, won’t get him into heaven. The film itself is kind of an anthology, divided into three acts, each concerning one of the...

The most beautiful girls in the world… Some are for loving… Some are for killing!

Banned In Iceland! 35Mm Film Print!

Synopsis

A reedy man wearing saddle shoes and an ill-fitting suit drags the nude body of a young woman—her throat slit– along an otherwise empty beach. Soon a number of other beautiful women turn up dead, their throats also cut open. Nurses, students, stewardesses… what’s the common thread? All were centerfold models for a popular men’s magazine, prey to a bloodthirsty psychotic with a straight razor!

Framed by an unusual three-story arc and jam-packed with delectable nudity and grim violence, The Centerfold Girls is an exploitation masterpiece, a depraved hell-ride through the skuzzy Seventies grindhouse circuit where sleaze and mean-spiritedness prevailed. Starring Tiffany Bolling (The Candy Snatchers), Aldo Ray (The Psychic Killer), Ray Danton (The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond), Francine York (The Doll Squad...

“Take it easy, baby! You’re just bein’ kidnapped!”

This weekend the guys at Destroy the Brain.com are offering up the 1973 drive-in hit The Candy Snatchers as part of their monthly Late Night Grindhouse Midnight series at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater. The Candy Snatchers is a fairly obscure (and at one time, difficult to find) melding of violent exploitation sleaze and crime noir aesthetic and one tough, bitter little sleeper of a movie that’s about five times as good as you’d expect.

After a craptacular folksy theme song called “Money is the root of all happiness.”, The Candy Snatchers tells of 16-year-old Candy Phillips (Susan Sennett, former Playboy centerfold and wife of rocker Graham Nash) who is brutally abducted by a trio of amateur criminals hoping for a quick ransom exchange. Burying their innocent captive alive in the hills of Southern California with but a small tube for air,...

We are proud to bring you a very unique & rare screening of a film that a lot of you may not of heard of but it will definitely be one you won’t forget. The Candy Snatchers is what some consider a lost classic. Released by on DVD to very little fanfare, this is a true forgotten classic. Trust us, you are going to want to attend this one. Some consider it to be better than the legendary Last House on the Left.

Synopsis

16-year old Candy Philips (Susan Sennet, wife of singer Graham Nash or Crosby, Stills and Nash) is brutally abducted and buried alive in the hills of Southern California by a trio of amateur criminals hoping for a hasty ransom exchange. When Candy’s father (Ben Piazza) doesn’t show at their agreed rendezvous, the threesome—sultry blonde Jessie (Playboy Playmate and 70s B movie queen star,...

Here is last week's caption pic winner. This week's caption pic is at the bottom of the page.

Thanks to everyone for participating! The winner is ...

"Something something tragic circumcision accident something.... "

Thanks to Fred for this week's winning caption!

Weekend Birthdays! (Note: Birthday shoutouts are for out entertainers, allies, or for any celeb that seems to have a following on Ae). Matt Smith (above) is 30, Frank Ocean is 25, Jaclyn Smith is 65, Hilary Clinton is 65, Dylan McDermott is 51, Patrick Breen is 52, Natalie Mechant is 49, Keith Urban is 45, Kelly Osbourne is 28, Annie Potts is 60, Jami Gertz is 47, and Julia Roberts is 45. Proving the U.S. doesn't have a monopoly on bigoted asshats ...presenting Nick Griffin G4 has canceled the two shows that put it on the map, Attack Of The Show and X-Play. Catching up with Alicia Silverstone. "I’ve had so many crushes on gay boys. My first love was so gay,...

Put on your black leather jacket, kidnap a young girl and seal yourself up in your bathroom because episode #61 of Junk Food Dinner is here, kids!

This week we see what happens when aliens invade Earth, turning everyone into zombies and the only ones who can save us are eardrum-shattering Japanese punk rockers Guitar Wolf, when we take a look at the off-the-wall Asian splatterfest Wild Zero from 2000.

Then, an awkward teenager must hide between the walls of a sealed-off bathroom in his house after accidentally murdering a young girl, only to have a new family move in shortly after, in the 1974 made-for-tv drama Bad Ronald, starring Scott Jacoby, Kim Hunter and Dabney Coleman.

And finally, a trio of creeps kidnap a young heiress and hold her for ransom, only to have things go south quickly, in the gritty exploitation flick The Candy Snatchers from 1973 directed by Guerdon Trueblood and...

We make no bones about it ... the original Kingdom of the Spiders is a big-time favorite here around the Dread Central offices. The flick was badass, starred William Shatner, and was home to one of the best endings we've ever seen in a horror film.

At this year's Afm we reported to you that a 3D (of course) remake was on the way from Stealth Media Group that will focus on ... you guessed it ... a town that is besieged by deadly spiders.

Nuala Barton and Rene Sheridan are producing the update of the 1977 cult classic. Producers Barton and Sheridan commented: "We are delighted to be working with Stealth Media’s Jason Piette, Sean O’Kelly and Michael Cowan to bring this cult classic back to larger than life, in 3D."

The original's film synopsis is as follows: William Shatner stars as veterinarian "Rack" Hansen in this cult film about an...

One of our favorite films around the DC offices is without question the William Shatner classic Kingdom of the Spiders. Word just broke that a 3D redux is on the way, and the potential for some good old fashioned skin crawling goodness is through the roof!

According to Screen Daily Stealth Media Group has come on board for the 3D remake of Kingdom of the Spiders. No other plot details are known at this point other than it will center on a small town that is infested with spiders.

Nuala Barton and Rene Sheridan are producing the update of the 1977 cult classic. Producers Barton and Sheridan commented: "We are delighted to be working with Stealth Media’s Jason Piette, Sean O’Kelly and Michael Cowan to bring this cult classic back to larger than life, in 3D."

The original's film synopsis is as follows: William Shatner stars as veterinarian "Rack...

For better or worse, 3-D is here to stay but what of the one-shot movie gimmicks of yesteryear? House On Haunted Hill (1959) had .Emergo., a glow-in-the-dark skeleton that swooped over the audience at a key point in the movie. Earthquake had .Sensurround., massive Cerwin-Vega subwoofers that shook the theatres and for Polyester (1981), John Waters passed out self-explanatory .Odorama. cards. .Duo-Vision. was a split-screen technique used for the entire 1973 shocker Wicked, Wicked, a film as forgotten as it.s gimmick and one that is Not available on DVD. Split-screen is an effective story-telling device when used sparingly. Brian DePalma used it quite a bit in Sisters (also 1973) and in many of his other films.It was used intelligently in Woodstock (1970) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) but way overused in More American Graffiti (1979). Wicked, Wicked, where the device is used in 99% of the shots (only a couple of violent inserts and establishing...

Spiders have proven to be difficult cinematically, mostly because they are so unpleasant. The thought of the eight hairy legs of a tarantula crawling over someone and then biting you is just not fun to watch. Nor is the thought of a black widow spider, which children are told are deadly. You could write fifteen Charlotte’s Webs, and talk all about how the spider is a natural part of the circle of life… you see one trapdoor spider, or think about how spiders drain the life out of their prey, it’s enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies. But at least in Kingdom of the Spiders we get William Shatner battling these eight legged varmints. My review of Kingdom of the Spiders special edition after the jump.

Shatner plays Dr. Robert “Rack” Hansen. Like all great 70’s movies clichés, Shatner is a beer swilling ladies man veterinarian, who seems...

2010 is in full swing and some really great movies are hitting store shelves this week for the first time and for the first time on Blu-ray. This week’s releases include Gamer, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Che, Damages, the complete run of ABC’s canceled too soon Defying Gravity and the Blu-ray release of Whiteout with Kate Beckinsale (pictured above).

Check out this week’s releases:

Movies

According to Greta ~ Hilary Duff, Ellen Burstyn (DVD)

Boogie Nights ~ Mark Wahlberg, Heather Graham, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore (Blu-ray)

Bourne Supremacy (Single-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) ~ Matt Damon, Brian Cox, Karl Urban (Blu-ray)

Bourne Ultimatum (Single-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) ~ Matt Damon, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn (Blu-ray)

Che (Criterion Collection) ~ Benicio del Toro (Blu-ray)

Gamer ~ Gerard Butler, Amber Valetta, Michael C. Hall, Kyra Sedgwick (DVD and Blu-ray)

Kingdom Of The Spiders [Special Edition] ~ William Shatner, Tiffany Bolling, Woody Strode (DVD)

Magnolia ~ Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman...

William Shatner. Not since his iconic portrayal of Captain James Tiberius Kirk has he ever played as ridiculously masculine a character as he did in Kingdom of the Spiders. His character's name? "Rack" Hansen. That's right, "Rack" Friggin' Hansen, and he can take out your stupid eye and steal your woman with nothing more than a mere glance shot your way via his razor sharp animal magnetism!

Directed by John Bud Cardos and written by Richard Robinson and Alan Caillou, Kingdom of the Spiders was released in 1977, grossing a respectable $17 million against a $500,000 budget.

In celebration of the DVD's January 19th, 2010, release, Shout! Factory has assembled a video montage for the ages! Dig on it below!

Synopsis

William Shatner stars as veterinarian "Rack" Hansen in this cult film about an Arizona town infested with a horde of arachnids that turn on the humans whose insecticides have depleted their natural food supply.

As we said when the announcement first came that Kingdom of the Spiders was getting a special edition DVD release, if you've never seen William Shatner's portrayal of manly man Rack Hansen, shame on you! If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, then you Need to watch the DVD trailer and clips for the film provided by Shout! Factory.

The film's synopsis is as follows: William Shatner stars as veterinarian "Rack" Hansen in this cult film about an Arizona town infested with a horde of arachnids that turn on the humans whose insecticides have depleted their natural food supply. After livestock belonging to Rack’s friend, rancher Walter Colby (Woody Strode), fall victim to a spider attack, entomologist Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling) arrives and tries to help Rack deal with the crisis — but with the big county fair fast approaching, Mayor Connors (Roy Engel) refuses to...

If you've never seen William Shatner's seminal portrayal of Rack Hansen in the 1977 film Kingdom of the Spiders, shame on you! However, come January, 2010, you'll be able to redeem yourself as Shout! Factory will be releasing a Special Edition Uncut version of the film on DVD.

The kind folks at Shout! Factory provided us with a list of what special features will be included, and I for one cannot wait to hear Item #1:

All new interview with William Shatner Audio commentary by director John Bud Cardos, producer Igor Kantor, spider wrangler Jim Brockett, and cinematographer John Morrill, moderated by Scott Spiegel and Lee Christian Jim Brockett: Spider Wrangler featurette Rare behind-the-scenes footage Poster gallery Original theatrical trailer

The film's synopsis is as follows: William Shatner stars as veterinarian "Rack" Hansen in this cult film about an Arizona town infested with a horde of arachnids that turn on...

Shout! Factory gave Fango the scoop that it will release a special-edition DVD of the 1977 nature-run-amok cult favorite Kingdom Of The Spiders next year. The company also sent along final details on its disc of the original Stepfather, which we first told you about here.

Currently targeted for a January 19, 2010 street date, Kingdom will be presented with “a new anamorphic widescreen transfer, plus a slew of extras,” according to our source. Directed by John “Bud” Cardos, the movie stars William Shatner and The Candy Snatchers’ Tiffany Bolling as a rancher and entomologist battling an invasion of killer tarantulas in a Southwestern town. We’ll bring you more details as they come up.

The Stepfather, which cuts in October 13, will supplement its new hi-def widescreen transfer with the following bonus features:

Audio commentary by director Joseph Ruben, moderated by yours truly All new “The Stepfather Chronicles” retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Ruben,...

Since it's Tuesday, that means it's time to take a look at the genre fare hitting retail on DVD and Blu-Ray this week.

In this newly-expanded weekly version of the Fangoria Chopping List, we've got the full breakdown of titles to watch out for, along with all the info you need to make your own list.

Grindhouse Double Feature: Beast Of The Yellow Night/Keep My Grave Open: Alpha

Keep My Grave Open: A crazy woman who lives in an old mansion thinks she's with her brother/lover, who lures victims to her.

Beast: Satan saves Ashley from death on condition he become his disciple (and, as it turns out, a hairy murderous beast).

The Centerfold Girls (special edition): Dark Sky

The most beautiful girls in the world... Some are for loving... Some are for killing!

A reedy man wearing saddle shoes and an ill-fitting suit drags the nude...

Written by Arthur Marks and Bob Peete

Directed by John Peyser

Starring Jamie Lyn Bauer, Aldo Ray, Ray Danton, Francine York, Jennifer Ashley, Tiffany Bolling, and Andrew Prine

1974, Dark Sky Films

On DVD April 28th, Centerfold Girls is a gritty and grim movie not just about deranged killer stalking vapid, busty nude models, as the title first implies. It’s about all the horrible things that happen to perfectly nice girls whose only fault is talking their clothes off for a men’s magazine. The way people see them and the way they’re degraded by sex-crazed perverts is completely undeserved: most of them are actually pretty nice girls who just needed a few extra bucks. Centerfold Girls focuses on two models that are systematically stalked and killed by a very convincing Andrew Prine as 'Clement Dunne', a man who feels that posing nude is wrong and that these women need to suffer…...

One of the last great ’70s horror films not to be graced yet with a special-edition DVD is finally getting its digital due. Fango has learned that 1977’s Kingdom Of The Spiders is being given the deluxe treatment by Bci Eclipse, which recently issued another creepy-crawly cult item, William Grefé’s killer-rattlesnake flick Stanley.

Previously available only in a fullscreen, no-frills edition, Kingdom will be spiffed up and supplemented on the new disc, to be released on the Deimos label. “It will have a new 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer,” Bci’s Cliff MacMillan tells us. And while the extras are still being pulled together and talent being contacted, he reveals, “There’s going to be audio commentary and separate interviews, I believe we have some home movies and hopefully we’ll find some other stuff. Right now, we’re looking at a summer release.”

Directed by John (Bud) Cardos and...