It's about time a movie took the correct headfirst-dive approach to its own silly sci-fi/horror subject.  This year we've seen Resident Evil and Jason X give half-hearted nods to their roots, Reign of Fire take itself too seriously, and Men in Black II rely too lazily on its premise for humor.  Now here comes Eight Legged Freaks to show them all how it's done.

This new movie about giant-spider chaos may be spoofing an easy target -- those old '50s giant creature features -- but it does so with its silly spirit in high gear. Eight Legged Freaks doesn't just mock those cheesy flicks; rather, it acknowledges and celebrates their cheesiness as the reason why people get a kick out of watching them today.  Biohazardous waste, a small town, a mine shaft, a sheriff and an outsider as heroes, and disposable civilians all make their requisite appearances alongside computer-generated spiders  best described as "realistic-looking, yet totally fake."  Everyone in the movie plays it straight and hammy, letting overall ridiculousness take center stage.

Meanwhile, the movie breaks a few conventions where it can, giving the proceedings a high sense of self-awareness.  There's a tacked-on love story seen by the characters involved as more of an inevitability than a dilemma, and "the kid that no one listens to" plot device is acknowledged several times. Sure, there's a small-town sheriff, but this time she's a woman (Kari Wuhrer) who screams considerably less than she kicks spider-butt.  And instead of the usual singular breed of hulking tarantulas (although one does appear and seems to assume spider leadership), there's a variety of the invading arachnids -- jumping spiders, trap-door spiders, and cocoon-spinning spiders.  All of these elements allow the movie to be a simultaneous homage and parody.

However, not everything comes together in a tight package.  The movie drags in early spots and feels one-note in others, as the survivors of the city can do little but run, hide, and shoot.  Most of the fun comes from watching the spiders take out their unsuspecting victims -- they leap at motorcyclists and drag pedestrians in to the ground.  But the movie-makers misstepped by giving too much personality to the spiders. These creatures actually make squealing noises (even before they've grown large) and do double-takes.  This makes the atmosphere feel more cartoony than necessary.

Overall, filmmakers make up for the flick's weaknesses by delighting in the mayhem they create.  The spiders are colorful, creepy, and overwhelm the screen. Eight Legged Freaks revels in it monster-movie madness in the tradition of Tremors and Gremlins. Perhaps nothing expresses this energetic mix of cheese, silliness, horror,  and self-aware modern conventionalism than the movie's best scene, where David Arquette's character climbs an antenna tower.  Eyes popping out of his head, he stares into a cell phone and screams, "They're coming!  They're here!!  THEY'RE HEEEEERE!!!!"

(Review also posted at www.windowtothemovies.com)

Released by Warner Bros. and rated "PG-13" for sci-fi violence, brief sexuality and language.