“Feb-u-HAIRY” Kicks Off with “Tarantula” Tonight!

Our theme for this month is "Feb-U-HAIRY"- featuring furry and hairy menaces of various types! We start it all off with a much-requested 1950s feature with radioactive isotope-spawned serum causing all sorts of mutation- including ghastly growth of some animal life, especially one "Tarantula"!

Young Dr. Matt Hastings is called in to view a dead body found in the desert- a strange disfigured unfortunate , diagnosed as suffering from acromegaly ( a very real syndrome- famed wrestler Andre the Giant suffered from it!) After determining that the man was an assistant to scientist Dr. Deemer, whose laboratory home is located out in the desert, Matt  heads out to Deemer's place, where he learns that the scientist has been working on a super nutrient, fueled by an atomic isotope, that will make animals grow to larger size, thus creating more food for the expanding population.The dead man was an assistant who injected himself with the nutrient serum, which has not been fully perfected.

After Matt leaves, more trouble hits the lab due to the serum, and, among the disastrous occurrences- an oversized tarantula escapes the compound! The next day, when Matt is heading back to the lab for more information, he runs into a lovely young woman- who turns out to be a NEW assistant hired by Deemer! She has no idea of the terror she is headed into- and, as missing cattle, missing ranchers, and strange puddles of...who knows what?... start to appear in the area, both she and Matt must  try to save the townspeople from the ever-growing menace!

This 1955 chiller helmed by Jack Arnold  is a great representation of  those "giant creature spawned by radiation" sci fi films, and the cast- the esteemed actor Leo G. Carroll, leading man John Agar, 50s Playboy Playmate Mara Corday, and a few cameos, including, about as obscured as most of your neighbors bundled up against the cold (you'll get what I mean), Clint Eastwood- is definitely a big reason why this movie has so many fans. We'll tell you all about them, certain techniques used in this film, and bring you a song that has a very real link to the title creature!

"Tarantula" crawls onto your screen on Me-TV tonight at 10 pm eastern and pacific, 9 pm central, and, if you are unsure of what time we run in your area, please check your local listings. For those in our Chicago viewing area, you can get an encore look at the fine Bela Lugosi/ Boris Karloff fright flick "Invisible Ray" on WCIU, the U, at 11 am this morning.

With the weather being what it is in so many parts of the country, having creatures  ensconced in fur seems pretty appropriate! Make sure you join us every Saturday night this month of "Feb-U-HAIRY" for some hair-raising horror!