Scarlett Johanssonhas played a lot of major roles throughout her career, but one of her least-appreciated parts was in a horror B-movie that deserves more attention. Johannson may be most recognizable for her portrayal ofNatasha Romanoff or Black Widowin various Marvel superhero movies, but the actress has enjoyed a full and diverse career outside the action genre.Johansson’s best movies include heartbreaking dramas, mind-bending sci-fi flicks, and more.
Considering that Johansson’s career began when she was around 11 years old, it makes sense that many of her movies would go under the radar for audiences. For example,her first lead role was in a drama calledManny and Lo,where Johannson played a young foster care escapeewho must help her pregnant sister. Some may even forget about some lesser-knownScarlett Johansson movies, including 1997’sHome Alone 3orThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. However, among these many entries, there is one movie that doesn’t get nearly enough recognition, despite its rather poor critical reception.
Scarlett Johansson Starred In The Underrated Horror B-Movie Eight Legged Freaks
Eight Legged Freaks' Performance Explained
In 2002, Johansson starred in an under-the-radar horror comedy movie calledEight Legged Freaks.The film tells the story of a rural mining town whereina large chemical spill causes spiders to grow to the size of cars. Thus, a mining engineer must team up with the local sheriff to figure out how to take down these monstrosities before the town is swallowed by its eight-legged enemies.Eight Legged Freaksstars David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, and Scott Terra. Johansson plays Ashley Parker, the daughter of the sheriff. As Ashley, Johansson breaks up with her boyfriend and nearly escapes abduction.
Watch VFX Artist Freak Out While Roasting 2000s Cult Horror Comedy’s CGI Spiders
One VFX artist freaks outs while roasting a 2000s cult horror comedy film, Eight Legged Freaks, and its CGI spiders during various scenes.
The performance ofEight Legged Freakswas somewhat mixed. On a budget of $30 million, the movie only grossed $45 million at the box office. Furthermore, it earned a disappointing 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. AlthoughEight Legged Freakswas praised for being an homage to thesilly horror B-moviesof the 1950s, it fails to carry out its story to the fullest extent. The pace becomes slower in the second half, losing its audience’s attention. However, not everyone left the theater disappointed.Some felt thatEight Legged Freakswas fun, entertaining, and perfectly self-awareof its silliness.
Eight Legged Freaks Deserves More Love As A Horror Creature Feature
What Makes Eight Legged Freaks Good
Regardless of its box office performance and negative critical reviews,Eight Legged Freaksdeserves more praise. The movie may not have blown critics' minds, but it still offers an exciting time for those who love horror comedy and creature features. The eponymous spiders of the movie have a quality to them that is nostalgic for the old days of monster horror. Plus, the movie doesn’t hold back when it comes to the disgusting destruction of the spiders, which ooze with green entrails. Audiences may not be scared, but they’ll certainly have something to say about the giant spiders.
For those seeking a movie that they can dig into critically,Eight Legged Freaksis not the way to go.
In reality,Eight Legged Freaks’imperfections are what make it so good. The movie is far from perfect but has a charm to it. It is an homage to B-movies, after all.Eight Legged Freakssuccessfully gets to the core of Hollywood’s infamous B-movieswhile also unexpectedly becoming one along the way. It is meta, over-the-top, and flawed in the best of ways. For those seeking a movie that they can dig into critically,Eight Legged Freaksis not the way to go. It is for pure entertainment purposes.
Scarlett Johansson’s Acting Career Took A Great Turn After Eight Legged Freaks
Johansson’s Other Horror Movies
Eight Legged Freaksis also notable because it can be considered a turning point in Johansson’s acting career. After appearing in the horror comedy, Johansson earned her breakout role inSofia Coppola’s movie,Lost in Translation.This movie not only put Johansson into a leading role, but it also put her in collaboration with major Hollywood stars such as Bill Murray and Coppola.Lost in Translationput Johansson on the map, and led to her next big projects, such asGirl with a Pearl Earring, The Prestige,andThe Other Boleyn Girl.
Eight Legged Freaksalso stands out as one of Johansson’s only horror moviesto date. Although some of the actress' films have bordered on scary, including 2013’sUnder the Skin,Eight Legged Freaksis the only film on her resume that is truly situated in the horror genre. Even then, it is still a horror comedy. In this way,Eight Legged Freaksis a reminder that perhapsScarlet Johanssonshould try out another horror movie someday.
Eight Legged Freaks
Cast
Eight Legged Freaks is a horror-comedy film that takes place in the Arizona town of Prosperity, where toxic waste dumping has caused spiders to grow to enormous size and become aggressive. The spiders begin to attack the town’s residents, and a group of survivors, including a spider expert and the local sheriff, must band together to stop the eight-legged menace.
