
Episode 5: Kingdom of the Spiders – Eight-Legged Terror, Small-Town Screams & Maximum Shatner
B-Movie Blitzkrieg Podcast – Season 2 Episode 5 Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) Hide your shoes, check the corners of the room, and whatever you do...don't look under the bed, because Duncan & The Baz are marching into one of the creepiest, crawliest and most gloriously committed creature features of the 1970s. This week on The B-Movie Blitzkrieg Podcast, we're tackling Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)...the film where William Shatner, a small Arizona town and approximately one million eight-legged nightmares collide in a wonderfully hairy explosion of panic, polyester and arachnophobia. Imagine if Jaws replaced the shark with spiders, The Birds gave everyone eight legs, and William Shatner was allowed to dramatically react to absolutely everything. That's Kingdom of the Spiders. When livestock start dying under mysterious circumstances and venomous spiders begin appearing in alarming numbers, local veterinarian Robert "Rack" Hansen finds himself facing a threat considerably more difficult to put down than a sick cow. Unfortunately for Rack, these spiders aren't interested in staying politely outdoors. As the infestation spreads, the body count rises and the entire town finds itself trapped in a battle against an enemy that can crawl through windows, ceilings, cars and apparently every available gap in the Arizona landscape. Powered by William Shatner's maximum Shatner energy, a surprisingly effective sense of dread and an army of very real spiders, Kingdom of the Spiders turns a simple creature-feature premise into something far more unsettling. In This Episode: We tackle the burning questions no exterminator, veterinarian or arachnophobe ever dared to ask: How many spiders is too many spiders...and why is the answer apparently "never" for this production? Is Rack Hansen the greatest small-town vet in cinema history...or simply William Shatner wearing cowboy boots? At what point should a spider problem officially be upgraded to a military emergency? And seriously...who convinced hundreds of tarantulas to participate in a movie? Top 5 Rad / Sad & Bad Moments: William Shatner as Rack Hansen – delivering heroics, one-liners and enough intensity to suggest every spider personally offended him. The Spider Invasion – nothing says escalating tension like discovering there are suddenly thousands of them. The Bravest Kid Actor Ever – aint nobody getting spiders on either of your 'very' brave hosts The 'Shat of the Dance – think River Dance meets William Shatner The Final Nightmare – a genuinely memorable ending that takes the phrase "surrounded by spiders" to horrifying new levels. We celebrate a classic VHS creature feature, marvel at the sheer number of real spiders, and ask...is Kingdom of the Spiders 70s creature-feature brilliance, or just William Shatner shouting at tarantulas? The answer? Probably both. So grab a flamethrower ‘figuratively’, obviously, check your boots before putting them on, and remember... Here at B-Movie Blitzkrieg, the bizarre meets the brilliant one B-Movie at a time. Next Episode Drops Friday 11th September: We're leaving Arizona behind and heading for the sleazy streets of New York as Duncan & The Baz crack open one of the ultimate 80s cult classics...Basket Case (1982). Frank Henenlotter unleashes a tale of revenge, brotherly love, questionable motel etiquette and one very angry lump of flesh living inside a wicker basket. Because apparently family reunions weren't weird enough. Expect grimy New York streets, gloriously practical effects and enough mutant carnage to make you think twice before carrying hand luggage. Until then...check your shoes, avoid abandoned barns, and if you hear scratching from inside a wicker basket... Don't open it. Seriously. TIMECODE: 00:00:00 - THEME SONG 00:00:45 - INTRO 00:05:18 - PLOT 00:10:02 - TOP 5 RAD/SAD/BAD MOMENTS 00:17:52 - BEST/WORST LINES 00:20:55 - PLOTHOLES 00:25:48 - SCORE 00:27:19 - CLOSE
















