Public Domain Movies | Spider Baby

The Merrye family consists of three siblings—Virginia (Jill Banner), Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn), and Ralph (Sid Haig)—who live in a decaying mansion. They are cared for by Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.), the family chauffeur, who is aware of their unique condition and tries to protect them from the outside world.

The story takes a dark turn when distant relatives, Emily Howe (Carol Ohmart) and Peter Howe (Quinn Redeker), arrive with their lawyer, Mr. Schlocker (Karl Schanzer), to claim the family inheritance. Unbeknownst to them, the Merrye siblings suffer from a peculiar form of mental regression that leads to violent and erratic behavior.

As the relatives explore the mansion, they encounter the unsettling eccentricities of the Merrye siblings. Virginia, in particular, exhibits a fixation with spiders and a tendency for violent outbursts. The relatives soon become the unwitting subjects of the Merrye family's twisted games (1967).

Director: Jack Hill

Stars: Lon Chaney Jr., Carol Ohmart, Quinn K. Redeker, Sid Haig


Spider Baby or, the Maddest Story Ever Told (1967) on IMDb