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{{trope}}
{{quote|"''I hate spiders more than I hate rain.''"
|''[[Garfield]]'', from [http://garfield.nfshost.com/1982/02/21/ this 1982] strip.}}
{{quote|''Nothing in the history of the entire world is more feared and hated than the spider. Nothing deserves it more, either.''
|''[[Cracked.com]]'' [[Running Gag|summarizing their views on the creatures.]]}}
We've all [[Seen It a Million Times]], some people are scared of spiders. Whenever they see a spider, they will become scared, either screaming in horror, or trying to swat the spider with a rolled-up newspaper.
Essentially, this trope is when spiders are portrayed as being scary monsters in different forms of media. Sometimes, they can be giant monsters in horror movies, while they can be normal-sized, yet still retain the scariness that they are thought to have.
They're often portrayed as extremely venomous, capable of killing or incapacitating humans. This happens occasionally in [[Real Life]] and near constantly in fiction. In fictionland, the sight of a creeping spider is comparable to that of an approaching cobra or tiger.
In reality, while there are indeed a number of deadly spiders on Earth, most of them are more likely to be found in relatively "remote" or exotic regions, such as Australia or Brazil. In America, the most notorious deadly spiders are the black widow and the brown recluse, and the very name will have an air of death and apprehension. In reality, both of these spiders are extremely docile, and their bites are rarely serious - most fatalities are children or people with weak immune systems. Tarantulas despite their looks and reputation have fairly harmless venoms (even if they can inject a lot), and most species are not aggressive, though there are exceptions -- species with bad temper or venom that causes pain for weeks or cramps all over the body for up to a month. Aggressive or moody individuals of usually docile species were observed (in captivity), too.
In lieu of either of these spiders, however, the spider most likely to be used to inspire fear and revulsion is one of a wide variety of tarantula species. Despite being relatively harmless to humans, their size and appearance is a grade of [[Nightmare Fuel]] all by themselves. Even when a spider really is dangerous to
In reality, more people are killed each year by champagne corks or falling vending machines than spiders.<ref>Yet you'll never see anyone standing on a table screaming "Yeeewww, champagne cork!"</ref>
Compare: [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]], [[Giant Spider]], [[Scary Scorpions]].
Not to be confused with [[Demonic Spiders]], which is a gameplay trope, though the two can certainly overlap.
▲{{examples|Examples:}}
== [[Advertising]] ==
* A
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* The first three seasons of ''[[
** The second season also had Arukenimon.
** The first season had what's [[All There in the Manual|apparently named Kodokugumon]]. Those are the ''zillions and zillions of mini-Dokugumon'' that appeared with the first one.
** Or you can not bother with mini-mes and go for an army of ''the full-sized ones!'' That's what happened in season five. If Gaogamon's [[Mid
* The Johto episodes of ''[[Pokémon (
** Even more frightening that both Joltik and Galvantula have the ability, Unnerve.
*** Likewise, Spinarak and Ariados both have the move, Scary Face.
*** Joltik, however, is viewed as a [[Ridiculously Cute Critter]] by the fandom. At this point, lots of fans consider it to be cuter than [[Mascot Mook|Pikachu]]!
* Arachne from ''[[
* Mentioned, but not quite seen in fruition, but in Episode 6 of the [[Little Lulu (
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Subverted by [[Spider-Man]] who calls himself "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man" and is loved (or at least tolerated) by everyone in New York but J. Jonah Jameson; but played straight by spider-motif enemies Venom and Carnage. Sort of.
** Even then, Spider-Man is ''supposed'' to be creepy. When shown from the villains' point of view, we're shown a guy who moves and stands nothing like a human being (putting him in the [[Uncanny Valley]]), can come out of freaking nowhere, and no matter how far you run or how sneaky you think you're being, you ''will'' find him hanging upside down in front of you with the giant bug-eyed eyepieces staring into your soul.
** During the rare occasions where he's been truly pushed to the edge, Spidey has shown a much darker and ruthless side to him that is downright ''terrifying''. One of the most famous examples is during the ''Back in Black'' arc, where he hunts down the sniper who accidentally shot Aunt May and is led to an imprisoned Kingpin, the man who ordered the hit. While he's struggled with Kingpin in the past, it's always been because he's been holding back so as not to severely injure or kill the man. Here, he comes after him with no restraints and ''beats the flying pigshit out of him'' before repeatedly slapping him so hard he tears his skin and coldly threatening to suffocate him by filling his lungs with webbing. While it wouldn't last thanks to ''One More Day'' meddling with the timeline, he leaves Kingpin a broken, humiliated wreck of a man with an audience of horrified inmates as witnesses to his ultimate defeat. All we can say is ''thank god'' for the restraint Spidey normally shows.
* Twisted and played with with [[Nightwing]] cast member Tarantula. The original was a [[The Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]] hero. The current day one was an [[Anti
* In the [[Tintin]] book ''The Shooting Star'', Tintin sees a meteorite through a telescope and nearly has a heart attack when he sees a spider covering the entire thing. It turns out it was just a spider through the telescope, which causes Snowy to laugh at him... until he sees it himself and jumps three feet in the air (which blossoms a running gag through the series).
** Snowy is also shown being frightened by a spider in ''The Black Island''.
== [[Fairy Tales]] ==
* The [[Nursery Rhyme]] ''Little Miss Muffet'' is probably the [[Ur Example]].
== [[Film]]
* Alex from ''[[Madagascar]]'' is spooked by a large spider on his shoulder. After it gives him a friendly "Well, howdy do."
* After all of his [[Death Trap
* ''[[The Secret of NIMH]]'': A spider stalked Mrs. Brisby without her knowing it, before it got squashed by the [[Owl Be Damned|Great Owl]].
* ''[[Arachnophobia]]'' was a film about a group of hybridized spiders that invaded a California town and began killing the inhabitants that lived there.
* The late-1970s [[William Shatner]] film ''[[
* Similarly, the 1950s sci-fi film ''[[
** No relation to a [[
▲* The late-1970s [[William Shatner]] film ''[[Kingdom of the Spiders (Film)|Kingdom of the Spiders]]'' was about a Southwestern town that was overrun by a bunch of killer spiders.
* [[Spider Tank|The giant mechanical spider]] from the [[Will Smith]] movie ''[[Wild Wild West (
▲** No relation to a [[Names the Same|similarly-titled]] 2001 movie about a lowly comic book fan who injects himself with a serum that causes him to gain the powers (not to mention the [[Body Horror|appearance]]) of a spider in order to become a superhero.
* ''[[
▲* [[Spider Tank|The giant mechanical spider]] from the [[Will Smith]] movie ''[[Wild Wild West (Film)|Wild Wild West]]''
* ''[[
▲* The movie ''[[Eight Legged Freaks]]'' is [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin]].
** As ''[[Cracked.com]]'' [http://www.cracked.com/article_16848_the-6-most-pointlessly-elaborate-movie-murder-plots_p2.html pointed out], it would have been more effective to put a guy in there. [[Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him|With a gun]].▼
▲* ''[[Annie Hall (Film)|Annie Hall]]'' - Annie calls Alvy ([[Woody Allen]]) over late at night claiming an emergency (some months after they broke up, as an excuse to see him again) - when he finds out it's for a spider in the tub, he gets peevish and exasperated at her...he enters the bathroom and comes right out, saying "''Very'' big spider. Lotta trouble, there's ''two'' of them!"
* [[Everything Trying to Kill You|One of the things trying to kill you]] in ''[[
▲* ''[[Dr. No (Film)|Dr. No]]'' - a mook plants a tarantula in Bond's hotel room at night, clearly the most terrifying thing in the world judging by the shrill soundtrack music and the obvious pane of glass between the spider and Sean Connery. In the book it was a centipede known by Bond to be deadly - guess he hadn't read up on all the arthropods...
▲** As ''[[Cracked]]'' pointed out, it would have been more effective to put a guy in there. [[Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him|With a gun]].
▲* [[Everything Trying to Kill You|One of the things trying to kill you]] in ''[[Jumanji (Film)|Jumanji]]''.
== [[Literature]] ==
Line 69 ⟶ 68:
** Ada used Bob as a weapon as {{spoiler|she blew Bob up to be the size of a stool and set him to attack Claire}} all because she was jealous of her. {{spoiler|Eventually, Bob just exploded, unable to cope with the dramatic resizing}}.
*** It was later revealed that the spider wasn't Bob, it was actually the mate Myrnin had gotten him.
* Averted in ''[[
* Initially averted in ''[[Harry Potter]]'': Harry has lived in a cupboard long enough not to be bothered by normal spiders. Subverted by [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Aragog]] from ''[[Harry Potter (
* Shelob from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.
* Ungoliant from ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.
* The Spiders of Mirkwood from ''[[The Hobbit]]''.
* [[IT|Pennywise]] turns into a demonic [[Giant Spider]].
** Also from [[Stephen King]], [[The Dark Tower|Mordred]] is described as a sort of were-spider. Fitting, given who one of his fathers is. {{spoiler|The Crimson King, who is sometimes called the "Lord of Spiders," and is somewhat were-spider-like in the comic adaptations.}}
* Used somewhat the first couple of times wolf spider is used as a morph in ''[[
* Averted in the ''Miss Spider'' books, where Miss Spider is a kindly [[Maiden Aunt]] to a [[Mouse World|town of bugs]]. Adorable, albeit subject to [[Carnivore Confusion]].
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Lt. Scott''': There was... a spider, sir.
'''Col. Young''': A spider.
'''Lt. Scott''': It was a ''sizeable'' spider, sir. }}
* The Eight-Legs of Metebelis III in the ''[[
* ''[[Power Rangers]]'' and all other [[Toku]] series have a spider [[Monster of the Week]] every so often.
** ''[[Kamen Rider]]'' makes a ''point'' of it, as [[Homage]]. The first two [[MOT Ws]] in the original series were a spider and a bat in that order, so many a modern KR will have a spider and a bat as the first monsters, or recurring enemies, or paired, or important to the story, or something. Spiders are really the ones they use to ramp up the creepy, though, so this trope is in effect whether homaging or not. Most KR monsters are [[People in Rubber Suits]], but the spider in ''[[Kamen Rider ZO]]'' was a huge horrific [[Claymation]] drider with bloodred eyes and unhingeable jaws on its otherwise human face (looks like a [[Glasgow Smile]], then opens its mouth, and... uh, you should run at that point.) ''[[Kamen Rider Ryuki]]'' gave us a giant ''CGI'' spider that revived as a giant CGI drider. ''[[Kamen Rider Double]]'' has a Spider Dopant in the teamup with ''[[Kamen Rider OOO]],'' and its design wasn't too scary but its effect was pretty horrible.
* The one thing that scares Budnick in ''[[Salute Your Shorts]]''.
* Subverted in ''[[
* Played with on ''[[
* ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' The Hawaii trilogy had one ep with a spider sneaking into the hotel room beds and scaring some of the kids. It was crawling on one of the boys.
* Averted on ''[[Star Trek:
== [[Music]] ==
* "Boris the Spider" by [[
== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
* A number of [[Garfield]] strips showed Garfield interacting with spiders, before he swats them without remorse.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* Baels in ''[[Fire Emblem:
* Phantom from ''[[Devil May Cry]]'' is a giant spider demon that can light himself on fire and is a re-occuring boss in the first game.
* There's a level in ''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns]]'' where spiders chase you down for disturbing their nest. Should the player get caught they are dragged into the swarm in true [[Nightmare Fuel]] fashion.
* In ''[[
* ''[[City of Heroes]]'' has the recurring threat of [[Nebulous Evil Organization|Arachnos]], and their leader, [[Big Bad|Lord Recluse]]. In ''[[City of Villains]]'', you can work for them, if you want.
* Why do you think these are a staple of the [[Resident Evil]] games? When people were used to the tarantula and huntsman style [[Giant Spider]] they were given several redesigns to be made more scary, and included even when they weren't needed ([[Resident Evil 5]] had realistic, normal but still huge ones in the background, and the Lost in Nightmares DLC had some bigger than Jill's ass.) [[Sarcasm Mode|Thanks, thanks a lot.]]
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[Girl Genius]]'' has an amusing episode where characters decide who should get rid of a large spider.
* ''Rock, Paper, Cynic'' has "[http://rockpapercynic.com/index.php?date=2014-09-17 14 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Spiders!]". The list quickly becomes a little unhinged.
{{quote|10. Spiders are '''not insects'''. Insects have 6 legs, while spiders have an empire of fear. }}
== [[Web Original]] ==
* ''[[Cracked
* The Internet
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In ''[[
* In ''[[The Magic School Bus]]'' episode "Spins A Web", the bus turns into a spider while the class was learning about spiders.
* Subverted on ''[[Static Shock]]'' by Anansi, who was a [[Zorro]]-type superhero who emulates Anansi the spider from African folk tales.
* Played straight then subverted in the ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'' episode, "Aduckyphobia" where the giant spider who gives Darkwing spider powers actually has [[Adult Child|the mind of a child]] and is being manipulated by the bad guy into doing his bidding.
* ''[[Adventures of the Gummi Bears]]'' also featured a [[Monster of the Week]] [[Giant Spider]] called the Spinster who captures the Gummis for dinner. Fortunately, they escape in the end.
* ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy
** There's also Jeff, who Billy is absolutely terrified of, but he's really a nice guy, and just wants his dad to love him.
* In an episode of BBC kids' show ''Kerwhizz'' Twist is really scared of meeting Kaboodle's pet spider Cynthia, but being a boy he unconvincingly pretends not to be. Averted in the end when he actually meets Cynthia and discovers that she's cute and friendly.
* [[Transformers Animated|Optimus Prime]] apparently has a fear of spiders ever since the day both he and [[Jerkass|Sentinel]] accidentally left [[Psycho Ex
* In ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
* Fang from ''[[Teen Titans (
** His design is a doozy. Picture a giant spider... with a human body dangling from it and sorta swaying in the wind as the spider body does... stuff. He basically has a spider five times his size ''for a head.''
* This is what [[The Powerpuff Girls
* ''[[
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Invertebrate Index]]
[[Category:Horror Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Trope]]
|