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Spider

Spider

Drama · Mystery · Thriller · 2002

A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.

Movie details

Spider

“The only thing worse than losing your mind... is finding it again.”

2002 Drama · Mystery · Thriller 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Spider?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Mystery · 2011

Publisher Will Atenton quits a lucrative job in New York to relocate his wife, Libby, and their daughters to a quaint town in New England. However, as they settle into their home the Atentons discover that a woman and her children were murdered there, and the surviving husband is the town's prime suspect. With help from a neighbor who was close to the murdered family, Will pieces together a horrifying chain of events.

Peacock

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Mystic River

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Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Crime · 1964

Working-class British housewife Myra Savage reinvents herself as a medium, holding seances in the sitting room of her home with the hidden assistance of her under-employed, asthmatic husband, Billy. In an attempt to enhance her credibility as a psychic, Myra hatches an elaborate, ill-conceived plot to kidnap a wealthy couple's young daughter so that she can then help the police "find" the missing girl.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

David Cronenberg

Written by

Patrick McGrath

Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Fiennes

Spider

Miranda Richardson

Miranda Richardson

Yvonne / Mrs. Cleg

Gabriel Byrne

Gabriel Byrne

Bill Cleg

Lynn Redgrave

Lynn Redgrave

Mrs. Wilkinson

John Neville

John Neville

Terrence

Philip Craig

Philip Craig

John

Bradley Hall

Bradley Hall

Spider Boy

Court is in session

Put Spider on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.