‘Fire burns… lava bites’
Lavalantula is a 2015 science-fiction horror film directed by Mike Mendez (The Convent; The Gravedancers; Big Ass Spider!; Tales of Halloween) from a screenplay by Neil Elman (The Sea Beast; Mongolian Death Worm; I Spit on Your Grave 2), Ashley O’Neil (story editor on I Spit on Your Grave remake). The film was produced by Anthony Frankhauser (Sand Sharks; Poseidon Rex; Jurassic City).
The film which reunited four of the lead actors from Police Academy (1984) debuted on the American Syfy channel on July 25, 2015. The movie was released in the US on DVD on November 3, 2015.
Main cast:
Steve Guttenberg, Nia Peeples, Leslie Easterbrook, Ralph Garman, Patrick Renna, Noah Hunt, Danny Woodburn, Diana Hopper, Leeann Tweeden, Jessica McMillin, Felisha Cooper, Michael Winslow, Marion Ramsey.
Giant lava breathing tarantulas – lavalantulas – erupt out of ancient volcanos in the Santa Monica mountains, raining death and destruction upon Los Angeles. With the City of Angels on the verge of incineration, only a washed up ‘90s action hero actor (Steve Guttenberg) stands in the way of this monstrous swarm of bloodthirsty creatures who burn their victims alive…
Reviews:
“With the perfect blend of stupidity and genuine entertainment, including what is easily the most charmingly awful Syfy finale of all time, Lavalantula is a B-movie done right, packed with fun characters and full of monster action. It’s fun without trying too hard to become the next big hashtag trend, making it a nice antidote to Sharknado fever that plays around in the same silly ballpark.” CONtv
” … a massive step down from Mendez’s last film, Big Ass Spider. Whereas that movie was not only a well-made ode to older giant-creature features, such as Earth vs. The Spider and The Giant Spider Invasion, it was also a fun, horror actioner in the same spirit as Tremors. Lavalantula is nothing more than a director cashing in on the latest fad and abandoning everything that made his previous effort charming.” Horror and Sons
“Yes, it’s ridiculous and yes it’s over the top, but who cares. You get plenty of action in this flick, and really how can you go wrong with giant spiders that spit lava? Sure this motion picture may not be as big as Sharknado, in fact there’s a little nod to that film in here as well, but Lavalantula stands on its own thanks to its cast and sense of fun and adventure.” Girls of Geek 12
Related: Arachnophobia: Spiders on the Screen – article
Trailer:
