Shatner, Woody Strode, and thousands of spiders, creepy little film.

http://www.fangoria.com/home/news/16...rd-se-dvd.html

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 starring William Shatner and Tiffany Bolling, KINGDOM is set in a small Southwestern town where the local tarantulas start turning on cattle and then humans after pesticides wipe out their normal food supply. Eschewing special FX, the movie elicits real chills through the use of thousands of real live arachnids. We’ll bring you more details on the DVD as they come to light.

I remember seeing this a long time ago on tv. Definitely had some creepy moments.

This is good news indeed!

Looks fun. I may pick this up.

I was wondering when this would get an actual good release. Looks like it's finally going to happen.

I love this movie. It's classic vintage Shatner.

Awesome movie with an unexpected ending.

Seems like a somewhat unlikely SE candidate, but looks like fun.

I think there's probably a good interest base for an SE with this movie. It's one of the best killer spider flicks, and I know I've been wanting something better than the bare bones one that's been available.

Not much stiff competition in that department, I assume.

It is an admittedly narrow field.

Someone I knew casually has a (very) small part in this movie - and it's always been one of my favorite cheesy flicks.

I'll grab this one the minute it's out!

Wow, that is a surprise. I've been a fan of KINGDOM since I first saw it as a kid on the ABC Friday Night Movie back in the late 70's. I've had the FF release from Goodtimes for years, and was even amazed when I came across that one, given the relative obscurity/cultishness of the film. Never expected there would ever be a proper WS release, nevermind an SE.

What about The Incredible Shrinking Man? The film doesn't feature a killer spider, per se, but not for lack of effort on the spider's part.

That goes in this sub-genre: movies that feature attacking spiders that want to kill but are menacing only by dint of being up against really tiny people, and thus technically aren't really killer spiders.

This was the first movie I ever saw on HBO, back in the days not too long before 24/7 cable. This might have been the first thing I had seen Shatner in outside of Star Trek, and I remember thinking that it was strange that he could be in something else. In my mind at the time, I guess I thought actors in movies/TV could only play one character.

I remember getting the chills down my spine everytime something lightly brushed against me after that, thinking one of those spiders was ON MY BACK!

I just ordered the old version of the DVD a couple months ago (haven't gotten it sent to me yet by my family), and didn't realize at the time it was FS. But even if I had, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have thought twice about it, since I probably watched it FS. I got it from Blockbuster during that crazy $10 off $10 promotion, so didn't pay much for it, so I don't terribly resent upgrading. Looking forward to the SE!

The old version is full screen, but it is an open-matte transfer, so all the picture information is there. I actually think the quality of the old $5 Goodtimes version is very decent.

Looking forward to this SE, hoping they allocate enough bitrate to the movie itself, and not get carried away at "cramming as many extras on as possible."

This genre of '70s "killer creatures" is one of my favorites. Let's get some other gems on DVD such as THE BEES, KILLER FISH, ISLAND CLAWS, LOCUSTS (TV, 1974), and others that can probably be licensed for a song.

And BCI ECLIPSE, what about giving us a dual treatment to the original BEN (1971) and WILLARD (1972). And why not throw in the classic DEADLY EYES (1982) while you're at it! Classic killer rats!

Anyone know if this is still coming out - considering BCI's status?

Shout Factory has picked this up. From Fangoria:

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. 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.

Up for preorder:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002NN7EY2

Thanks, Paul. I was wondering when this would show up.

Already have the original release. I'll gave to get this just to upgrade to widescreen if for nothing else.

Review (can't wait!)
http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/i...espiders77.htm

Watched this for the horror challenge and thought it was okay. I have better thoughts of it 2 months later then I did while watching it. I'll probably get the SE

Kurt's review:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/40035...f-the-spiders/