10 Movies For Arachnophobes To Avoid

Arachnophobia is not uncommon. Spiders are particularly strange-looking, after all; they’ve got too many eyes, legs, and move erratically. To make matters worse, they can bite, make webs, and prefer dark spaces.

Movies, particularly ones set in the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres can have plenty of spiders. In these genres, spiders can be portrayed at their most unsettling. They can be enormous, magical, and/or mutated. While movies typically have ratings based on content, spiders are not always considered for the sake of the comfort of those with arachnophobia. There are plenty of movies that arachnophobes might want to avoid, or at least have a friend to warn them when the spider scene(s) are coming.

10 Most Beautiful Island (2017)

This drama film is not centered on spiders, but an undocumented female protagonist that is trying to survive in New York City. It has its chilling moments though, including a major scene with a spider.

In the major scene, the woman has to lie still while a venomous spider crawls along her body. It’s uncomfortable to watch, even for those who have no spider phobias. According to some viewers, the entire scene is a metaphor for the vulnerability as well as the danger undocumented woman have to go through.

9 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002)

Even movies meant for family audiences can be tough to shallow for arachnophobes. The Harry Potter series does have its unsettling and even horrifying moments, but the Chamber of Secrets would take the cake for anyone afraid of spiders. A large part of the film has Harry and Ron investigate an army of spiders in the Forbidden Forest. They even get to meet the biggest spider of them all, a friend of Hagrids.

However, the spiders are not all quite friendly. That, on top of their terrifying forms, can make most people’s skin crawl.

8 The Beyond (1981)

This movie is an Italian Southern Gothic supernatural horror, and there is way more than just spiders going on. The plot centers around a hotel that has been built over a gate to Hell.

The spider scene of which arachnophobes should beware is one in which a paralyzed man is eaten alive by tarantulas. Information about the film’s special effects made known that some spiders seen in the movie were real, while others were fake. Either way, some viewers had to cover their eyes for that scene.

7 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Based on a novel of the same name, this movie is dark fantasy horror produced by Walt Disney Productions. The movie is loved for its non-reliance on gore, blood, and violence.

However, the movie did not exactly shy away from being creepy. In fact, arachnophobes may want to avoid it altogether. There is one scene where a ton of tarantulas crawl out of a crack and into a kids’ room. To make it all the worse, the spiders get under the sheets and try to crawl up pajama pants and get on the kids’ necks and feet.

6 Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is considered a must-see by fantasy, and movie enthusiasts. The third movie has one of the most famous spiders in fiction, Shelob. She is enormous and feeds off any orcs that pass by her web-covered cave. Poor Frodo is tricked by Gollum into entering the cave and goes face-to-face with a spider conceived from nightmares.

Unlike some spiders in other movies, Shelob is actively trying to kill and eat the characters. Her fangs and stinger are all utilized, and it’s intense to watch for arachnophobes and non-arachnophobes alike.

5 Arachnophobia (1990)

The title of this movie is like a giant sign to warn arachnophobes. The spider scenes are not contained in a couple or just one—this movie is all spiders. The main character of this movie also has arachnophobia, so, at least real-life arachnophobes will have someone with whom to relate. The character recently moved to a small town, but it gets invaded by a new kind of spider that is incredibly dangerous due to its aggressive behavior and venomous bite.

4 Enemy (2013)

Enemy has become known as one of the movies with the most confusing ending. When reading the premise, audiences would have no idea about the spiders that crawl in the shadows of this title. However, spiders are actually a big deal. The ending scene is pretty unforgettable, as it shows a giant and totally unexpected spider.

The movie is about a man who finds another man who looks exactly like him. They begin to play around with switching lives. For those that like to look for hidden meanings and symbolism, this movie is for you. Just beware of spiders.

3 The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

This old science fiction movie is about a man who just slowly ends up shrinking smaller and smaller. As he does shrink, the perils increase. Obviously, he eventually has to fight a spider. The poor man has nothing but a pin to fight it off, and it is the nightmare of any arachnophobe.

In media, when people shrink, spiders typically get a scene or two. However, this movie was definitely one of the early titles to do this.

2 Possum (2018)

This movie has less of a spider and more of an abomination puppet with a spider body. This psychological horror movie is about a puppeteer. The most horrifying aspect of the movie is his puppet, a marionette named Possum with a spider body and human head. While the spider-body is horrifying, the human head is not a comfort to look at, either.

Even if the spider is not real, arachnophobes would not be pleased in the least. In fact, a real spider puppet might be better.

1 Kingdom Of Spiders (1977)

This movie is quite like Arachnophobia in that a rural town is overrun with spiders. This time, the main character is a veterinarian though, and he is trying to figure out why the migrating spiders are killing everything. While arachnophobes might be unsettled, most viewers find the movie to be campy enough for laughs.

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