The story is typical of its time and not interesting at all: atomic science goes wrong, humanity is revealed to be small and helpless in the face of forces it does not comprehend. It's funny how everything on the human end of horror is what we jeer at in bad slasher movies; the slow and lumbering threat fails to convince, and that is painfully underscored by having victims trip and fall over, cars that don't start, etc.
The monster end is of some (limited) appeal. A real spider was used, it helps a great deal.
The way it is incorporated into the human landscape is mostly good: imposing shots of beast and desert, both of equal stature and balanced; perspective play for tension - 'big' humans in the foreground, 'small' spider in the background, and reversed; pov camera from the spider's mouth for the kills.
The product of haywire technology is destroyed by even more haywire, destructive technology; napalm. The town solemnly watches as the creature is engulfed in flames. In about ten years time, the town would be a Vietnamese village.
The monster end is of some (limited) appeal. A real spider was used, it helps a great deal.
The way it is incorporated into the human landscape is mostly good: imposing shots of beast and desert, both of equal stature and balanced; perspective play for tension - 'big' humans in the foreground, 'small' spider in the background, and reversed; pov camera from the spider's mouth for the kills.
The product of haywire technology is destroyed by even more haywire, destructive technology; napalm. The town solemnly watches as the creature is engulfed in flames. In about ten years time, the town would be a Vietnamese village.