Spider Baby, or The Maddest Story Ever Told (Attack of the Liver Eaters) (1964)

100% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(4,253 ratings)

Exploitation titan Jack Hill, who went on to make such cult favorites as Switchblade Sisters, The Swinging Cheerleaders, and Foxy Brown, made his solo directorial debut with this fascinating, offbeat shocker. The three surviving children of Titus W. Merrye, who represent the end of his family's… More Exploitation titan Jack Hill, who went on to make such cult favorites as Switchblade Sisters, The Swinging Cheerleaders, and Foxy Brown, made his solo directorial debut with this fascinating, offbeat shocker. The three surviving children of Titus W. Merrye, who represent the end of his family's line, live in a dilapidated mansion where patient servant Bruno (Lon Chaney, Jr.) watches over the increasingly eccentric Virginia (Jill Banner), Ralph (Sid Haig), and Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn). All three Merrye siblings suffer from the same rare disease that felled their father and the other members of his family -- "Merrye Syndrome," a neurological ailment that begins to manifest itself at the age of ten, causing the brain to slowly decay and sending its victims into an alternately violent and infantile state. Bald, inarticulate Ralph is supposed to be a vegetarian, but "can eat anything he can catch," while Virginia, who seems to be in a perpetual dream state, imagines herself as a human spider and catches people in her "web" (a large net) and then kills them. While it might seem best to let nature to take its course and allow the family's sad legacy to die out, the Merrye siblings have two distant cousins, Emily Howe (Carol Ohmart) and Peter Howe (Quinn K. Redeker), who are interested in laying claim to the family mansion and any money remaining in the Merrye Estate. But not long after they pay a visit to Bruno, they start to have serious regrets about their decision to see the family. Shot in 1964, Spider Baby sat on the shelf until 1968, when it was briefly released as the second half of a horror double-bill on the drive-in circuit. But after it appeared on home video in the early '80s and was the subject of an enthusiastic essay in the book RE/Search: Incredibly Strange Films, the film began to develop a potent cult following and is now regarded as a minor classic of '60s horror. The film has also appeared under the misleading titles Cannibal Orgy and The Liver Eaters, as well as Spider Baby, or the Maddest Story Ever Told. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Jack Hill
Written By: Jack Hill
Genres: Horror, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1968 Wide
On DVD: Sep 14, 1999

Critic Reviews

Felix Vasquez Jr., Film Threat
A sheer demented bit of cannibal cinema; It's a film that was way too ahead of its time to be appreciated...
Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine
Spider Baby is unclassifiable weirdness, and that's meant as a compliment.
Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine
Though hampered by bad distribution deals and multiple title changes, word of mouth helped Spider Baby to connect with fans of schlock cinema.
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
Two-Legged Freaks!
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
If you like trashy horror films, you should be thrilled with this special treat.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Lon Chaney sings the theme song. What more do you want?
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
It's one of the greatest films ever made.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

A pretty bizarre B-Movie. Black & White we open up with a little 1960'ties Black Comedy. The postman goes to what is rumored to be a haunted mansion, After the initial opening it turns real has into B- Suspense/ Horror. As the post man sticks his head in the window to see… More
A pretty bizarre B-Movie. Black & White we open up with a little 1960'ties Black Comedy. The postman goes to what is rumored to be a haunted mansion, After the initial opening it turns real has into B- Suspense/ Horror. As the post man sticks his head in the window to see what that noise was, he is slashed by the young daughter of Lon Chaney Jr. A young couple come to adopt the two girls and the fun begins. This is just a B-Movie Cult Classic, though I often wonder what a film has to do to become a cult Classic. I can only squeeze out a 2 star rating on this one.
Robert C

Think "Baby Doll" meets "Baby Jane". Director Jack Hill is to Lon Chaney Jr what Ed Wood was to Bella Lugosi. Only Hill did it with a lot more style. If you love horror films (cheesy or otherwise), this should be right up your alley. And you can't help… More
Think "Baby Doll" meets "Baby Jane". Director Jack Hill is to Lon Chaney Jr what Ed Wood was to Bella Lugosi. Only Hill did it with a lot more style. If you love horror films (cheesy or otherwise), this should be right up your alley. And you can't help but notice just how much this "cult classic" influenced many of the more successful horror directors of our time. And although the story and the special effects are a little weak...the acting and some of the cinematography are remarkably good.
Ken S

Fantastically bizarre horror spoof/homage featuring a very young, very bald Sig Haig
Greg S

A family of three childlike adults, one of whom is obsessed with spiders, is taken care of by family chauffeur Lon Chaney Jr. in a dilapidated house, until some outsiders come calling. The unsettling atmosphere created by director Jack Hill is utterly unique and almost impossible to… More
A family of three childlike adults, one of whom is obsessed with spiders, is taken care of by family chauffeur Lon Chaney Jr. in a dilapidated house, until some outsiders come calling. The unsettling atmosphere created by director Jack Hill is utterly unique and almost impossible to convey: horrifying, surreal, humorous, touching, and supersaturated with sublimated sexuality.
Michael G

One of the most absurd, non-sensical and greatest horro cult classics ever.
Marion R

I thought it was an interesting film. Some aspects of the film I liked, other things I was not so crazy about. I was entertained for an hour and half.
Robert F

MIFF '08: Spider Baby (aka The Maddest Story Ever Told, aka Attack of the Liver Eaters, aka CANNIBAL ORGY), was a really fun midnight festival treat. I'd love to make a film like this - a trashy camp-horror-comedy. It was pretty slow in the first half (especially when the… More
MIFF '08: Spider Baby (aka The Maddest Story Ever Told, aka Attack of the Liver Eaters, aka CANNIBAL ORGY), was a really fun midnight festival treat. I'd love to make a film like this - a trashy camp-horror-comedy. It was pretty slow in the first half (especially when the lawyers were exploring the house - boring!) But when the caretaker left, it got more exciting. The two girls were consistently hilarious but creepy - Ralph got a bit tired, though. It reminded me of The Addams Family, just with savage killings. There was one really sad moment - when the caretaker and the girls cry over wanting to be together forever. But what was with his special 'toy' at the end?! Totally not expecting that - I felt really bad for the girls.
ken j

nice little b movie from director jack hill and a very funny performance from a young sid haig way before devil's rejects also another highlight is lon chaney singing the theme song and not lookin very sober threw out the film another fav of mine

Read all 8 featured audience ratings

Cast

Jill Banner
as Virginia
Lon Chaney Jr
as Bruno
Sid Haig
as Ralph

See full cast