MovieChat Forums > The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) Discussion > Another Spider(web) question

Another Spider(web) question

posted 14 years ago by rricci
9 replies | jump to latest

I haven't seen this movie in a while so I could be wrong, but doesn't Scott grab the spider web and start shaking it? If so, why didn't his hands stick the the web? The last time I checked, spider webs are sticky

[–] hubcap18 14 years ago

He does grab the spiderweb and start shaking it to irritate the tarantula. His hands not sticking to it is a goof.

Being inconsistent is better than being consistently bad.

[–] DeathFish 14 years ago

Though it is true that spider webs are sticky in general, webs do also consist of "non-sticky" strings, to allow the spider to move across it. Spiders are NOT immune to their own glue and must therefore leave some (although very few) non-sticky strings. So in theory if he was lucky enough (or somehow knew which ones to grab) he could shake the web without getting glued onto it. This is a bit of a stretch, but it provides us with an explanation (however unlikely), as to why he does not stick. So this is not necessarily a goof, maybe the writer/director/makers of the movie just knew something about spiderwebs :)

"If it can be thought, or written, it can be filmed" - Stanley Kubrick
Last film seen: The Incredible Shrinking Man (8/10).

[–] algsmail 14 years ago

Excellent analysis. Still, the details pale against the entire premise/message of this excellent film.

[–] unclesatan 14 years ago

The radial spokes of a spider's web are made of non-sticky silk so the the spider can traverse its own web without being trapped. It is the strands between the spokes that are sticky. That being said, tarantulas, while being able to create silk, do not weave webs.

[–] abepaulx 13 years ago

The web really isn't much an issue as why there's a tarantula in the house.

[–] Jinx-to-Ennien 13 years ago

I found a tarantula in my bedroom when I was growing up in Texas.

Children with autism are angels without wings.

[–] millsey72 (10571) 2 years ago

A basement is a lot different than a bedroom. The tarantula you saw was probably just tired. In the movie, it makes no sense why it would be wandering around a basement

[–] titch-2 12 years ago

I didn't think tarantulas spun webs.

[–] millsey72 (10571) 2 years ago

I've walked thru accidently spider webs before and I never got stuck in them. I think only insects who fly get stuck in them