contemporary review in Variety indicated "A tarantula as big as a barn puts the horror into this well-made program science-fictioner, and it is quite credibly staged and played, bringing off the far-fetched premise with a maximum of believability". In Video Movie Guide 2002, authors Mick Martin and Marsh Potter characterized Tarantula as "(a) pretty good entry in the giant bug subgenre of 1950s horror and science fiction movies". On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 92% based on 13 reviews, with an average score of 6.3/10. Home media The film was first released on DVD by Universal Studios on April 3, 2006. Universal later re-released the film as a part of its boxed set The Classic Sci-Fi Collection, which features four other classics: (The Incredible Shrinking Man, Monster on the Campus, The Monolith Monsters, and The Mole People). It was last released on September 27, 2013. The German region B Blu-ray from Koch Media features both a 1.33:1 (Academy ratio) and a 1.78:1 widescreen version of the film. Shout! Factory released a region A Blu-ray April 30, 2019. It features audio commentary by Tom Weaver, Dr. Robert J. Kiss, and David Schecter. In popular culture A clip from the movie is used in Coogan's Bluff (1968). Tarantula and lead actor Leo G. Carroll are referenced in the lyrics of "Science Fiction/Double Feature", the opening song of the musical stage production The Rocky Horror Show and its 1975 film adaptation. The film was featured on the MeTV show Svengoolie on January 15, 2022. See also List of natural horror films Monster movie List of American films of 1955 Eight Legged Freaks References Further reading Martin, Mick and Marsha Porter. Video Movie Guide 2002. New York: Ballantine Books, 2001. . Searles, Baird. Films of Science Fiction and Fantasy. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1988. . External links Rerecording of Tarantula! soundtrack 1950s monster movies 1950s science fiction films 1955 films 1955 horror films American black-and-white films American monster movies American science fiction films 1950s English-language films Films about size change Films about spiders Films directed by Jack Arnold Films scored by Henry Mancini Films set in Arizona Giant monster films Universal Pictures films 1950s American films