Big Ass Spider!
Half spider. Half ass. All monster.
Big Ass Spider! is a 2013 American giant monster comedy film directed by Mike Mendez. The story follows a giant spider that escapes from a military lab and wreaks havoc on Los Angeles, with a motley crew of exterminators and soldiers trying to stop it. The film blends B-movie horror with self-aware humor and practical creature effects.
- release_year
- 2013
- director
- Mike Mendez
- runtime_minutes
- 80
- budget_estimate
- $1 million
- box_office
- N/A (direct-to-video)
- saturn_award_nomination
- Best DVD or Blu-ray Release
- monster_size
- Approximately 50 feet tall
Quick Facts
- Director
- Mike Mendez
- Producer
- Shaked Berenson / Patrick Ewald / Travis Stevens / Klaus von Sayn-Wittgenstein
- Writer
- Gregory Gieras
- Starring
- Greg Grunberg / Lin Shaye / Patrick Bauchau / Ray Wise / Clare Kramer / Lombardo Boyar
- Music
- Ceiri Torjussen
- Cinematography
- Benji Bakshi
- Studio
- Epic Pictures Group
- Distributor
- Epic Pictures Releasing
- Released
- 2013 · 10 · 18
- Runtime
- 80 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film opens with a military experiment gone wrong, where a common brown recluse spider is exposed to a growth serum, causing it to rapidly expand to the size of a building. The creature escapes from a secured facility in Los Angeles, and the military quickly loses control. Exterminator Alex Mathis, played by Greg Grunberg, is reluctantly recruited by the Army to help track and neutralize the spider, using his knowledge of arachnid behavior. Alongside a spunky sidekick and a skeptical colonel, Alex must improvise weapons and traps to stop the spider from spinning a massive web across the city.
The spider’s rampage includes iconic set pieces like climbing the Hollywood sign and attacking a hospital. The film pays homage to classic giant monster movies like Them! and Tarantula, but with a comedic twist. The monster itself is a mix of CGI and practical animatronics, designed to look both terrifying and slightly ridiculous. In the climax, Alex and his team lure the spider to a power plant, where they use an electrified trap and a giant syringe of insecticide to finally bring it down. The film ends with a hint that a second, even larger spider may still be out there.
Reader's Guide
Big Ass Spider! is significant as a modern homage to low-budget creature features, embracing its B-movie silliness with a self-aware tone. The film's production was marked by cost-saving measures, such as using the director's Facebook friends as extras due to budget constraints. Originally titled Dino Spider, distributors pushed for the name Mega Spider, but director Mike Mendez insisted on keeping Big Ass Spider!, which he felt was the right title. The film received a 78% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its good-natured campiness, though some found it predictable or humorless. It earned a Saturn Award for Best DVD or Blu-ray for its home media release. The film's legacy lies in its successful execution of a knowingly silly premise, appealing to fans of schlocky horror-comedy.
Did You Know?
- The film was shot in just 18 days on a budget of $1 million.
- Director Mike Mendez previously made the cult horror film The Gravedancers.
- The spider's design was inspired by the brown recluse, but its size was exaggerated for comedic effect.
- A sequel, titled Big Ass Spider 2, was announced but never produced.
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