Inbred children rise up . . . again!

Filmmaker Dustin Ferguson  (Space Sharks; Mega Ape; Beyond the Gates of Hell; Amityville in the Hood; Zombi VIII: Urban Decay; Apex Predators; Ebola Rex vs. Murder Hornets; Rattlers 2; Arachnado; Amityville Toybox and many, many more) continues to roll out one horror flick after another and his world building is like few others, creating moods and murderous mayhem with striking motion.  Yes, the auteur is damn near unstoppable and, truly, that is a good thing.

And his remake of Spider Baby - which actually leads with Jack Hill’s blessing as its executive producer - is yet another example of his unique ability to capitalize on movie madness with his own unique spin.  The good news is he is pretty faithful to the original film.  The bad news is that he’s maybe too faithful to the original and doesn’t really allow himself the grace to really go demented with the source material.

Sure, sure, there is nothing here in 2024’s Spider Baby that tops the original - now highly regarded as ONE OF THE CULT CLASSICS THAT MATTER - but that’s clearly not the intent here.  Maybe he wanted to dust the original off - I mean, the poster art alone is worth it! - and resurrect it for modern audiences.

Yet the film adds nothing to Spider Baby’s legacy, preferring to recreate scenes from the original through Ferguson’s demented lens.  I mean, it works.  It just doesn’t hit the same as one of his original films, which is a tad disappointing.

The SoCal Cinema Studios production stars Beverly Washburn (COOL! As she was in the original film), Brinke Stevens, Robert Allen Mukes, Vida Ghaffari, Peter Stickles, Ron Chaney (also, cool!), Traci Burr, Jennifer Moriarty, Noel Jason Scott, Jack La Pick, Christopher Bryan Gomez, Brad Banacka, Cody J. Briscoe, Skylar Fast, Freddy John James, Emma Keifer, Sophiah Koikas, Crystal Loverro, Breana Mitchell, Erik Anthony Russo and Daniel J. Stier. 

For those of you who don’t know, Spider Baby is about a family of three young adults who suffer from “Merrye syndrome,” which causes them to slowly regress to a childlike (but homicidal) state.  Their kindly caretaker tries to protect them from scheming relatives seeking to seize their ancestral homestead, but there are wrinkles everywhere and plenty of scheming to go around for all involved.

Perhaps the biggest issue here is the lack of chemistry between the actors.  There are a few standout scenes when all the adults are assembled, but they are nowhere as memorable as the original . . . which I know I shouldn’t compare (but it is hard) and this makes Ferguson’s film dip and drag a bit when it comes to its energy levels.  The actors just seem unsure as they go about the scenes.

But Ferguson’s film does have its moments where it breaks away from what came before, including its Santa Clarita setting. 

Released from Scream Team Releasing, the film is now available to purchase on blu-ray and DVD.

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 72 mins
Director: Dustin Ferguson
Writer: Dustin Ferguson
Cast: Beverly Washburn; Brinke Stevens; Robert Allen Mukes
Genre: Horror
Tagline: From Executive Producer Jack Hill
Memorable Movie Quote: 
Distributor: Scream Team Releasing
Official Site:
Release Date: January 1, 2024
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: An all new remake of the 1967 cult classic! In a dilapidated rural mansion, the last generation of the degenerate, inbred Merrye family (Skylar Fast, Emma Keifer and Cody J. Briscoe) lives with the inherited curse of a disease that causes them to mentally regress. The family chauffeur Bruno (Noel Jason Scott) looks out for them and covers up their indiscretions. Trouble comes when greedy distant relatives and their lawyer arrive to dispossess the family of their home, but the children will protect their house and bloodline at all costs. Featuring appearances by genre favorites Beverly Washburn, Ron Chaney, Robert Mukes and Brinke Stevens.