William Shatner made a special appearance and if you were lucky enough to be in the limited line, you could pay for an autograph and a pic with "Captain Kirk". Mr Shatner arrived with a security detail and took his seat next to Brent Spiner (Data).
We took this shot from a distance because security had the area closed off to ensure that the people in line were able to get their signature and photo quickly and efficiently. Hats off to the crew for handling this event smoothly.
We spoke to a few people who had stood in the line and they were happy with the experience, although some complained about the $75 fee. (most of the other celebrities only charged $20-$30). Some fans brought their own collectibles to get signed while others purchased stock photos and got them signed.
Picture "Night of the Living Dead" with spiders instead of zombies. To add to the horror, William (dramatic pause) Shatner is the leading hero. He still gets the girls, even without the captain outfit.
Mr Shatner plays Rack Hansen, an animal vet who teams up with Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling), an entomologist, to try to stop an army of spiders who have run out of food due to our overuse of pesticides. The spiders have discovered that we are easy food. Hunting cooperatively, thousands and thousands of spiders ravish a small Arizona town.
This cult classic has been brought back to life as a special edition with (gasp) bonus material. This includes an interview with William Shatner, a featurette, audio commentary by the director, behind the scenes footage and the original theatrical trailer.
As if the campy feeling of the movie wasn't MSTK fodder enough, during the Shatner interview, he proudly boasts that he did not use "stunt spiders", they were real.
Definitely not a "scary" movie, unless you're arachnophobic, but sometimes the cheesey, campy horror movies are more fun to watch and this one is right up there with the best of it's kind.
Cringe once more at this legendary, eight-legged invasion
New widescreen film presentation
With all-new interviews with william shatner and filmmakers, commentaries, special featurettes, rare behind-the-scenes footage and more!
ARRIVES ON DVD JANUARY 19, 2010
From Shout! Factory
Before Arachnophobia and Eight Legged Freaks...there was Kingdom of the Spiders.
While sophisticated digital effects have made it possible for swarms of beetles, bees and other insects to rampage across movie screens throughout the last decade, back in the Seventies filmmakers had no such tool. If you wanted to have scores of bugs invade the set, many of them had to be real or it looked hokey. Films about nature seeking revenge were all the rage thirty years ago, and the 1977 cult film Kingdom of the Spiders starring William Shatner pulled no punches � those were live tarantulas crawling all over the set...and the cast!
On January 19, 2010, Shout! Factory will unleash the Kingdom of the Spiders Special Edition on DVD. Featuring all-new anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film, this Special Edition DVD release contains an all-new interview with William Shatner; an in-depth commentary featuring director John Bud Cardos, producer Igor Kantor, spider wrangler Jim Brockett and cinematographer John Morrill, moderated by HOSTEL producer Scott Spiegel and Lee Christian; rare behind-the-scenes footage; �Jim Brockett: Spider Wrangler� featurette; poster gallery and the original theatrical trailer. The collectible Kingdom of the Spiders Special Edition DVD is priced to own at $19.99.
SYNOPSIS
William Shatner stars as veterinarian �Rack� Hansen in this cult film about an Arizona town infested with a horde of arachnids that turn on the humans whose insecticides have depleted their natural food supply. After livestock belonging to Rack�s friend, rancher Walter Colby (Woody Strode), fall victim to a spider attack, entomologist Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling) arrives and tries to help Rack deal with the crisis � but with the big county fair fast approaching, Mayor Connors (Roy Engel) refuses to let them quarantine Colby�s ranch. Soon the remaining residents of the town must barricade themselves at lodge of Emma Washburn (Lieux Dressler) lodge in an effort to save themselves from the eight-legged invaders in the ultimate man versus spider showdown.
Directed by John Bud Cardos and written by Richard Robinson and Alan Caillou, Kingdom of the Spiders was released in 1977, grossing a respectable $17 million against a $500,000 budget.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
All New Interview with William Shatner
Audio commentary by Director John Bud Cardos, Producer Igor Kantor, spider wrangler
Jim Brockett and Cinematographer John Morrill, moderated by HOSTEL producer
