‘They’re back… and this time they’re breeding mad!’
Spiders 2 – aka Spiders 2: Breeding Ground – is a 2001 science fiction horror directed by action-specialist Sam Firstenberg from a screenplay by Stephen David Brooks (Spiders; The Mangler) and co-producer Boaz Davidson (director of X-Ray; producer of Spiders 3D; Mega Snake; Octopus and its sequel, plus many more).
Main cast:
Stephanie Niznik, Greg Cromer, Daniel Quinn (Fetish Factory; Psychophonia; Rubber), Richard Moll (Ghost Shark; Sorority Party Massacre; The Dungeonmaster), Harel Noff, Yuri Safchev, Dimiter Kuzov, Miroslava Bonjeva, Peter Antonov, Velimir Velev.
Plot:
Jason (Greg Cromer) and Alexander (Stephanie Niznik) are sailing to Honolulu when they comeacross a burnt out yacht with a body aboard. Caught in a raging storm, they are rescued by a passing shipping vessel. Unfortunately, a mad scientist is aboard and deep in the hold, a giant spider and its offspring are eagerly awaiting their next meal…
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Reviews:
“The CGI spider effects by Scott Coulter, Chris Manabe and others are very good – more so than the puppet spiders – and the monsters are sensibly restricted to glimpses and partially hidden shots until the all-out arachnofest finale.” MJ Simpson, Cult films and the people who make them
“Where the movie really falls on its face is towards the end when said cargo ship is being overrun by giant spiders ranging from Volkswagen Beetle-sized ones to Alien face hugger types. Here you can practically see the inert rubber beasties being dragged along by pieces of string!” Sci-Fi Movie Page
“Despite hammy acting by the villainous Moll, there are decent performances from Niznik as the tough heroine, and Daniel Quinn as the cargo ship’s charming yet corrupt Captain Bigelow … It’s only in the later action sequences that director Sam Firstenberg loses control of the thriller atmosphere and a sense of shameless absurdity takes over.” Christopher Geary, The Zone
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” …mad doctor Moll rants about how some people must die so that science can flourish. Niznik, who went on to a steady career in television, is likeable and strong as the heroine, and Moll is properly evil without hamming too much. The practical effects are pretty decent, but the digital spider effects are crazy fake.” Simon Brennan, Letterboxd.com
Choice dialogue:
Dr. Grbac: “Too bad you’ll never make it! That lab is crawling with spiders! Spiders of my own creation! And they are more vicious, more cunning than anything that ever walked the face of the Earth! They’ll stop you before you ever got close…”
Filming locations:
Bulgaria
IMDb | Related: Arachnophobia: Spiders on the Screen – article by David Flint