Films: Eight Legged Freaks (2002)

Alias: Various, notably tarantulas, trap-door spiders, jumping spiders, orb weavers, spitting spiders, and Consuela

Type: Mutant

Location: Civilized Area/Desert/Underground

Height/Weight: Ranges from that of large dogs to twice that of tanks.

Affiliation: Neutral, leaning on Evil

Summary: Take the arthropod-laden mayhem of the 50s, the offbeat dark humor of "Gremlins", a few contemporary elements, and you have the absolute carnage that struck a small town in Arizona in the form of a massive army of spiders.

History: Somewhere in the quiet and rapidly dying town of Prosperity, Arizona, a well-meaning man keeps a menagerie of different spider species. Unfortunately, toxic waste left unchecked by the careless mayor has irradiated the local cricket population that the man feeds to the spiders. Upon eating the crickets, the arachnids grow to gigantic sizes. All of them. Before you know it, the whole town is under attack by a horde of diverse spiders led by Consuela, a red-marked female orb weaver that has her brethren bring her the humans they don't eat for her to slurp up. It will be a night of blood, terror, and morbid levity on both sides.

Notable Kills: The pinktoe tarantula being the first to score a kill, a cat and a spider taking each other out in a vent, a man accidentally swallowing some spider eggs that hatch within before another spider puts him out of his misery, the trapdoor spiders raiding an ostrich farm, that undeniably badass chase between the jumping spiders and the bikers that ends in a truck explosion, the absolute mayhem that is their attack on the town, a codger getting offed by an orb weaver hiding in a tent.

Final Fate: After all the chaos, our heroes find Consuela's lair, and proceed to blow it up, engulfing her and all the other surviving spiders in a massive explosion that also takes out that stupid mall the mayor was counting on.

Powers/Abilities: All mutated spiders retain their natural niche after mutation, such as the jumping spiders' agility and the tarantulas' immense strength. They are also considerably more sentient, capable of emotions such as rage and glee.

Weakness: Anything conventional.

Scariness Factor: 3.5-A horde of spiders coming in all shapes and sizes should be the most terrifying thing you can think of. And in some ways, it still is. But not only is the CGI not exactly the greatest, but the spiders are at times quite hilarious. From the cartoonish sound effects they make to some rather amusing body gestures, these guys are almost adorable in their carnage. The same cannot be said for the giant red-knee and Consuela herself though.

Trivia: -What makes the pinktoe tarantula death so baffling is that of all tarantula species, you won't find another as timid and docile as this one. Then again, mutations and all of that.

-The orb weaver spider is one of the most recognized weavers of the traditional circular spider web. The largest of which are the golden silk orb weavers, which are so big with their spindly long legs that they can catch birds to eat.