William Shatner. Ten thousand real tarantulas. A budget that wouldn't cover the catering on a Marvel set today. Honestly, when you look back at the Kingdom of the Spiders cast, it’s a miracle anyone walked off that set without a permanent phobia. Most 1970s "nature runs amok" movies were pretty cheesy, but this one stuck. It wasn't because of the special effects—which were mostly just people throwing handfuls of spiders at each other—but because the people on screen looked genuinely terrified.
They were.
Released in 1977, this cult classic has a legacy that far outlasts its "B-movie" label. While the plot follows a classic "pesticides ruined the food chain" trope, the chemistry between the lead actors and the sheer physical presence of the arachnids created something visceral. You’ve got Shatner at the height of his post-Trek, pre-TJ Hooker era, trying to play a cowboy-vet while being literal covered in crawling legs.
Shatner and the Arizona Desert Crew
William Shatner played Dr. "Rack" Hansen. He’s basically a local vet in rural Arizona who stumbles upon a massive cow carcass that's been drained of life. Shatner gives a performance that is surprisingly grounded for him. He isn't doing the "Kirk" pauses here; he’s playing a man who is increasingly out of his depth.
He worked alongside Tiffany Bolling, who played Diane Ashley. She was the entomologist sent in to tell the locals that, yeah, things are about to get really bad. Bolling brought a certain level of gravitas to a role that could have easily been a "damsel in distress" cliché. She actually refused to use a stunt double for several of the spider-handling scenes, which is wild considering the sheer volume of tarantulas used on set.
Then you have Woody Strode as Walter Colby. Strode was a pioneer—a former NFL player and one of the first Black actors to break through in major Westerns. Seeing him in a horror flick like this adds a layer of unexpected grit. His character is the first to really suffer the consequences of the spider migration, and his performance sells the stakes before the "mass invasion" even starts.
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The Supporting Players Who Made it Real
Altovise Davis—who was married to Sammy Davis Jr. at the time—played Gwen Colby. Her performance is often overlooked, but she handles the tension of the film’s claustrophobic second half beautifully. The cast also included Lieux Dressler as Karen Stevens and David McLean as Gene Smith. McLean, interestingly enough, was the "Marlboro Man" in those famous cigarette commercials.
It’s a weirdly stacked cast for a movie about killer spiders.
- William Shatner: Rack Hansen (The charismatic lead)
- Tiffany Bolling: Diane Ashley (The brains of the operation)
- Woody Strode: Walter Colby (The first victim of the swarm)
- Altovise Davis: Gwen Colby
- Lieux Dressler: Karen Stevens
- David McLean: Gene Smith
- Natasha Ryan: Linda Stevens (The kid who had to act while spiders crawled on her toys)
The Uncredited Cast: 5,000 Tarantulas
You can't talk about the Kingdom of the Spiders cast without talking about the spiders themselves. This wasn't CGI. It wasn't even puppets for the most part. The production used approximately 5,000 live Mexican Redknee tarantulas.
The producers actually offered a bounty to locals to catch spiders. They paid about $10 per spider, which was a lot of money in 1977. Because tarantulas are cannibalistic, the crew had to keep them in separate containers—thousands of them—to prevent them from eating each other before the cameras rolled.
Jim Brockett, the lead animal trainer, had a nightmare of a job. Tarantulas aren't like dogs; they don't take direction. To get them to "attack," the crew used heaters to nudge them in certain directions or simply dropped them from above. When you see Shatner or Bolling reacting to spiders on their skin, those are real reactions. The spiders were harmless to humans (mostly), but their hairs can cause a nasty rash, and the sheer sensation of dozens of them crawling on you is enough to break anyone's composure.
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Behind the Scenes Drama and E-E-A-T Realities
John "Bud" Cardos directed the film, and he was known for being a "hands-on" guy. He had a background in animal handling and stunts, which is probably why the movie feels so physical. He insisted on realism.
Critics at the time, like those at Variety or the New York Times, were surprisingly kind to it. They recognized that while the premise was silly, the execution was tight. The cinematography by John Morrill captured the dusty, isolated vibe of Camp Verde, Arizona, making the town feel like a trap.
There's a common misconception that the spiders were harmed during filming. While some accidents happened, the production was actually quite careful. They used "spider wranglers" to try and manage the population. However, by the end of the shoot, many of the spiders had simply escaped into the Arizona desert, which is a terrifying thought if you lived nearby in the late 70s.
Why the Performances Still Hold Up
Usually, in horror movies, characters do stupid things just to move the plot. In Kingdom of the Spiders, the cast plays it like a slow-burn mystery. Shatner's character isn't a hero at first; he’s just a guy worried about his livestock. This gradual realization of the threat makes the final act—where they are boarded up in a lodge—feel earned.
The scene where the spiders come through the vents and light fixtures is a masterclass in low-budget tension. You see the actors looking up, and you can see the genuine sweat on their brows. It wasn't just the desert heat. It was the knowledge that a bucket of spiders was about to be dumped on their heads.
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Directing the Chaos
Bud Cardos didn't have the luxury of "fixing it in post." Every shot had to be choreographed with unpredictable animals. He used a mix of wide shots to show the "army" and tight close-ups on the Kingdom of the Spiders cast to show their psychological breakdown.
The ending—without spoiling it for the three people who haven't seen it—is one of the most chilling "gut-punch" finales in 70s cinema. It required the cast to convey total hopelessness without saying a word. Shatner’s face in the final shot is iconic. It’s a look of "What have we done?" mixed with "We are definitely not getting out of this."
Legacy and Where the Cast Went Next
Shatner, of course, went on to reclaim his throne as a pop-culture deity. Tiffany Bolling continued to work in television and film, becoming a staple of 70s and 80s guest spots. Woody Strode remained a legend until his passing in 1994, with a career spanning from Spartacus to The Quick and the Dead.
The movie remains a gold standard for "Creepy Crawly" horror. It’s better than Arachnophobia (1990) in terms of raw, grimy atmosphere, even if it lacks the polished scares of the Spielberg-produced flick.
How to Revisit Kingdom of the Spiders Today
If you're looking to dive back into this arachnid-infested masterpiece, keep these things in mind:
- Watch for the Practical Effects: Look closely at the scenes where the spiders cover the cars. Those are thousands of tiny movements that no computer could perfectly replicate in 1977.
- Notice the Sound Design: The "hissing" sound the spiders make isn't real—spiders are silent—but it adds an eerie layer to the cast's reactions.
- Check the Blu-ray Extras: There are several "special edition" releases that feature interviews with Tiffany Bolling and the late Bud Cardos. They talk extensively about the "spider bounty" and Shatner’s behavior on set.
- Verify the Locations: Much of the film was shot in Camp Verde, Arizona. You can still visit some of the locations, though the "lodge" was a set constructed for the film.
Don't just watch it as a joke. Watch it as a testament to a time when actors had to literally suffer for their craft by sharing their trailer with five thousand eight-legged co-stars. It’s a piece of horror history that deserves its spot on the shelf.