It looks like the American black comedy horror movie, Arachnophobia, might be getting a remake, with James Wan supposedly attached as director. The original was released in 1990 to much fanfare, winning critical acclaim as well as multiple Saturn Awards. The movie follows protagonist Ross Jennings (Jeff Daniels), a general physician who moves his family from San Francisco to the small California town of Canaima. It turns out that a poisonous Amazonian spider was accidentally introduced to the town, where it mated with a house spider and hatched hundreds of lethal offspring. Jennings must confront this head-on as patients inflicted by spider bites fill his office—and as the spiders infiltrate his own home, a horror for him since he suffers from arachnophobia.

The original was acclaimed for a reason, and the remake should make sure to hang on to some of its classic elements. Viewers should still get a glimpse of the entomologist Dr. James Atherton discovering the poisonous spider species in the Amazon; perhaps this storyline could even be expanded upon. The remake should also keep the group of helpers that gradually come to Ross’s aid; characters including Atherton and his assistant, a coroner, and an exterminator use their skills to help him eradicate the infestation.

The ending of Arachnophobia should also remain the same; as Ross finishes up his battle with the spiders, eventually electrocuting the queen and shooting “the general” with a nail gun, he literally and symbolically puts an end to his own arachnophobia. And, in the black comedy ending, he moves his family back to San Francisco, where they’re welcomed by an earthquake.

Why Arachnophobia Should Get A Remake


While the 1990 movie had a pretty solid plot line, there are definitely some factors that the remake should update. Ross’s family, for example, should be a larger part of the story. He has a son who briefly deals with the spiders in the original, but it would be interesting to see a sibling team instead, with a Jumanji-esque portrayal, fighting off the arachnids that are terrorizing their home while Ross is out helping the town. Additionally, Ross’s wife should have a larger role; maybe she could work in Ross’s office or even swap roles with him and be the physician herself.

Of course, the 1990 Arachnophobia did the best it could with the technology it had. Today’s CGI technology will vastly improve upon the appearance of the spiders; as long as the animation isn’t overdone, the arachnids in the remake should be able to terrify viewers. Additionally, perhaps an R rating would better suit this movie—the original had a PG-13 rating—as it would allow for more realistic outbursts from nervous characters as well as a scarier portrayal of the spiders’ deadliness with increased bloody violence.