Scarlett Johansson's cult classic horror film, with 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, is still brilliant fun 22 years later

Scarlett Johansson's spider-infested horror film Eight-Legged Freaks received negative reviews upon its initial release in 2002, but remains an underrated gem. These days, Johansson is known for starring in giant box office hits like Avengers: Endgame and Oscar-winning dramas like Marriage story and Jojo Coelho. But earlier in her career, she appeared in a wider range of projects — and that includes some of Johansson's best films. She has appeared in critical darlings like Lost in translation and Vicky Cristina Barcelonabut she also starred in her share of B movies.

Johansson co-stars with Ewan McGregor in Michael Bay's sci-fi thriller The Islandshe played Alex Pruitt's older sister in Home Alone 3and she played the sheriff's daughter in Ellory Elkayem's horror comedy Eight-Legged Freaks. This film shows a swarm of spiders being exposed to mutagenic toxic waste, growing to kaiju size, and attacking a small mining town. It was poorly received by critics, earning a “rotten” score of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it's a lot of fun.

Eight Legged Freaks is ridiculous, but it's still a lot of fun to watch

Eight Legged Freaks has all the fun of a goofy monster movie, like critters or tremors

Many of the critics who gave Eight-Legged Freaks a negative reviewer probably wrote half the review before even seeing the movie. Like a monster movie with a far-fetched premise and no substance beneath its superficial entertainment value, Eight-Legged Freaks is an easy target for snobbish film critics. But it needs to be looked at on its own terms. Compared to Citizen KaneIt's a terrible film. But compared to the Creatures franchise, is another fun entry into the monster movie canon.

Eight-Legged Freaks It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it takes itself seriously enough to be scary. He has a good balance between self-aware laughter, mockery of your own ridiculousness, and genuine emotionsextracting every scare possible from the premise of giant spiders attacking people. It's a great addition to the spider subgenre along with Infested and Arachnophobia. It may not be the best film ever made – or even close to Johansson's best work – but it's a lot of fun.

Why Eight Legged Freaks Became a Minor Cult Classic

It's the epitome of early 2000s creature features

In the years since its release, Eight-Legged Freaks has become a minor cult classic. It is not the cornerstone of cult cinema that Plan 9 from outer space or The Rocky Horror Picture Show are, but have been reevaluated. With its wonky CG effects and over-the-top acting, Eight-Legged Freaks it exemplifies all the so-bad-it's-good qualities of the early 2000s creature features. It embodies that bygone era so well that it's strangely nostalgic for millennials and Gen Z kids who grew up in the 2000s.