I have memories of having seen this, but I don't recall all of it.
This is Southern Gothic at its finest. In a decaying mansion belonging to the Merrye family, Lon Chaney, Jr. as the manservant, Bruno, watches over siblings Ralph, Virginia, and Elizabeth, all of whom have inherited some family genetic degeneration that reduces them to physical and mental disturbance, and, in one instance, causes one of the girls--the title character--to become obsessed with spiders, wanting to act like one, and eat them. Sort of an adolescent version of R. M. Renfield in "Dracula."
But the real reason to see the film is Carol Ohmart, as Cousin Emily. She and her brother Peter, have come to steal the family money, not knowing that Uncle Ned, Aunt Clara, and Aunt Martha have degenerated into such horrible and dangerous monsters they have to be kept in the cellar.
How does Lon Chaney, Jr. cope with all this?????????????
The reason to see this film, especially for hormonal male teens, is Carol Ohmart, who continually runs throughout the house in her black negligee, and stockings, with garters exposed. This woman is a real tramp, who thinks even sex will get degenerates to cooperate with her. My guess is she comes to as bad an end as when she played Annabelle Loren in 1959's "House On Haunted Hill," and was forced, by a skeleton, to fall into a vat of acid!!!!!!!!!!! Who knows what gets done to her here??????????
I can tell you Ohmart does get it, because Peter survives the Merrye housed encounter. He marries a distant family member, Ann, and writes a book on the family disease, maintaining there is now enough distance from it ever recurring again.
But the film closes on Peter's young daughter, Virginia, admiring a spider in its web.
Which is what this will next lead to!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, those family ties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Certainly not a Christmas horror film, but one I have meant to write about. Fun for everyone, darlings, except those suffering arachnophobia!!!!!!!!!!
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