Spider Baby

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Spider Baby, also sometimes known as Spider Baby, or The Maddest Story Ever Told is the title of a 1964 horror-comedy cult film directed and written by Jack Hill. Although filmed in the early 1960's, the film was not released until 1968. It suffered from poor marketing as well as a series of inappropriate title changes, sometimes being shown as The Liver Eaters, Attack of the Liver Eaters, or Cannibal Orgy, or The Maddest Story Ever Told. None of these alternate titles relates to the story.

Three children of the Merrye family live in a decaying rural mansion with their guardian and chauffeur Bruno (Lon Chaney, Jr.). The children suffer from Merrye's syndrome, a genetic affliction unique to members of their family, which cause them to begin to mentally regress starting in late childhood. When two distant relatives and their lawyer arrive to attempt to take control of the property, Bruno's shaky control over the children is lost, with both startling and amusing results.

Most fans consider casting as one of the movie's strong points. The children, played by Sid Haig, Jill Banner, and Beverly Washburn are demented and dangerous, but they are also recognizably children, exhibiting playfulness and even innocence. Chaney is also quite well cast as the children's protector, capable enough in normal times, but unable to control them once visitors arrive. Strangely, he also sings the title song as the film opens - this adds greatly to the tone of the film, as does the very capable cinematography of Alfred Taylor, who had previously worked on the cult movie Atomic Brain, and who later became famous for his work on the television series, The Paper Chase.