The Giant Spider Invasion – Dark Force Entertainment (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1975
Director: Bill Rebane
Writers: Richard L. Huff, Robert Easton
Cast: Steve Brodie, Barbara Hale, Robert Easton, Leslie Parrish, Alan Hale Jr., Bill Williams, Kevin Brodie, Christiane Schmidtmer 

Release Date: December 10th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 79 Minutes 46 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: PG
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $39.95

"giant arachnids from outer space begin to invade Earth after a huge black hole appears in a farmer's field outside a small town in Wisconsin. A NASA scientist deduces the invasion is the result of some sort of intergalactic gateway and devises a plan to stop the huge, hairy, creeping crawlers from devouring the local population.." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

The Giant Spider Invasion comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 58.4 GB

Feature: 57.7 GB

The source looks excellent; colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio:

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English subtitles. Any limitations of the audio are related to its low budget. That said, the dialog comes through clear enough to follow, and range-wise, things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release are limited to an audio commentary titled Demon Dave & Joe’s 'Savage Tracks Vol 3’ with ‘Demon’ Dave DeFalco, Joe Rubin, actors Doug Dunning and Randy Cognata.

Summary:

Giant spiders from another dimension invade a rural town in Wisconsin.

The creative force behind The Giant Spider Invasion is Bill Rebane, a DOY filmmaker, and though most of his films were shot in Wisconsin, he was able to get name actors to appear in his films. Many of his films succeed because his imagination exceeds any budget or other limitations. Case in point: The Giant Spider Invasion, a film that features a solid premise, and it is overflowing with enthusiasm.

When it comes to Z-grade cinema, far too many people go into these films with negative thoughts. And though many of these films deserve the scorn they get, there are far too many instances to count of films that are actually a lot of fun when given a fair shake. That said, it's best to go into these types of films with tempered expectations.

The most surprising aspect of The Giant Spider Invasion is its cast and how entertaining their performances are. There are several notable cast members: Barbara Hale (Perry Mason), who portrays a scientist, and Alan Hale Jr. (Gilligan's Island), who portrays a bumbling sheriff. In the case of the latter, his character and the absurd-looking giant spiders provide all of the humor.

From a production standpoint, The Giant Spider Invasion is arguably Bill Rebane’s most polished film. The premise is well-executed, and at just under 80 minutes, the narrative never overstays its welcome. Other strengths include strong visuals, and the score does a great job reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, The Giant Spider Invasion is a fun film in the style of 1950s sci-fi.

The Giant Spider Invasion gets a first-rate release from Dark Force Entertainment that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an entertaining audio commentary, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer