MovieChat Forums > Spider Baby or, the Maddest Story Ever Told (1967) Discussion > Who is the Spider Baby?

Who is the Spider Baby?

posted 18 years ago by rkubik
4 replies | jump to latest

This is a great little film, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it for the first time on TCM Underground last weekend. I think the title "Spider Baby" refers to the child we see at the end of the movie, the daughter of character Peter Howe. Is it possible this un-credited non-speaking part was played by a young Shelly Duvall? It sures looks like her to me, she would have been 14 or 15 years old at the time. But I guess it can't be her because, according to her IMDB biography, Shelly was "discovered" in Houston in 1970 by Robert Altman.

[–] lnifan2000 18 years ago

I looked around on the net and most sites say Spider Baby is Virginia.

Seventeen-year-old Jill Banner is creepily sexy and naive in her role as Virginia the Spider Baby. Harsh and jerky when excited, soft and languorous while stalking, she does a believable spider imitation.

from: www.culturecourt.com/Ajo/film/SpiderBaby.html

[–] jtyroler 17 years ago

The young girl at the end is named Jessica and only has a couple of lines. She does looks a lot like Shelly Duvall. Could it be Didi Conn? She was doing voice work (The Jetsons) at the time and would be about 13 at the time.

[–] paperraven-2 17 years ago

i'm glad I'm not the only person who thinks that is Shelly Duvall. She would've been at least close to the right age and all. You know, some people do movies and then wish they never had...I wouldn't know why anyone wouldn't own up to this one. It is a pretty decent film, imo

[–] MrBelette 15 years ago

"You know, some people do movies and then wish they never had...I wouldn't know why anyone wouldn't own up to this one."

Maybe simply because it wasn't her