Tarantula

An uneven but largely effective merging of mad scientist and mutant monster movie from one of the best sci-fi directors of the '50s. Though it's far more routine than, say, Creature from the Black Lagoon, not to mention The Incredible Shrinking Man, there is a pulp poetry to the desert scenes through which the giant arachnid, created by Carroll's careless experiments, stalks murdering all and sundry. The cast is as wooden as ever, though sharp eyes might catch a glimpse of a young Clint Eastwood in a minute role as a fighter pilot during the climactic napalming of the creature.