takes far, far too long to get going, and once it does, it still needs the finale to really notion towards any sense of payoff for a lukewarm creature feature that should boast and abundance of terror and laughs. Arachnophobia certainly has an eye for suspense, classically executed with unbeknownst imminent danger that is amusing to witness as it plays out (nearly in Hitchcockian-camerawork reminiscence) and gets close to riotous/nervous “woo”’s and claps, but never quite makes it there. perhaps due to the lingering normalcy and cowardly Jeff Daniels that does not quite generate enough comedic value to match the subtle horror: it feels a bit too flimsy and becomes difficult to adhere to as the unlikely hero, and Goodman, try as he might, simply is not pivotal enough to up the ante. credit must be given where it is due, however, and that surrounds the usage of actual spiders for the film. the creepy-crawly aspect soars, giving goosebumps a proper home throughout a lot of the runtime via patience and great sound design, and the dedication to such craft must be recognized. the final showdown, though obviously not an eight-legged freak of reality, has an incredible tracking shot following the little bug as it dodges Daniels’ feeble attempts at killing it, and it is worthy of a couple of rewinds to marvel at.