This is writer-director Kiah Roache-Turner's first film set in America, as opposed to his native Australia.
Ryan Corr - Ethan
Alyia Browne - Charlotte
Penelope Mitchell - Heather
Robyn Nevin - Gunter
Noni Hazlehurst - Helga
Silvia Colloca - Maria
Danny Kim - Eric
Jermaine Fowler - Frank
Summary
During a massive ice storm, Helga contacts an exterminator called Frank to investigate the noises inside her walls.
Something drags him away and he's presumably killed off-screen.
4 days earlier.
After a meteorite crash-lands inside an apartment block, fragment spawns a mysterious spider.
When Charlotte (as in Web) stumbles across 'Sting', rebellious 12-year-old begins feeding it bugs and pet becomes huge.
Armed with intelligence and an insatiable appetite, arachnid unleashes hell.
Eat and kill
Apart from the obvious, the main difference between this and Infested is tone.
Although serious, situation feels a bit goofy, when everybody should be shitting themselves.
Gore can be nice and undoubtedly the standout moment is Sting forcing its way inside Maria's mush.
Mixing CG and old-school puppetry, creature is an impressive creation and never looks fake.
Comedy character Frank at one point remarks:
"It's bleeding, that means we can kill it."
Yeah, an obvious nod to Predator.
Also, Sting mimics sounds to lure prey.
As spiders don't have vocal cords, it's a good job that beastie is from another world.
Fuck all that though, as ugly motherfucker is essentially an eight-legged xenomorph and sounds like a Dilophosaurus.
Even apartment block setting is very Alien/Aliens.
Prior to being crushed by a trash compressor, it's revealed that Sting laid several eggs.
But unlike spider, I don't think a sequel will be born.
