Larger Than Life

i saw this movie once, and it was good fun.

now that i know the director is the one that directed 8 legged freaks, i'm absolutely amazed!

i hope the latter makes money, though it doesn't seem to be yet.

too bad for dean devlin and the gang.

`Larger than Life' comes as an extra feature on the `Eight Legged Freaks'-DVD and was the inspiration and budget-raiser for it. This pleasantly surprising film only lasts 13 minutes and it's a clean, pure tribute to legendary monster films like Them! And Tarantula. When talking about atmosphere and tension, Larger Than Life totally beats the crap out of Eight Legged Freaks.The black and white shots, along with the cheap - yet very convincing - effects are pure 50's! A few drops of toxic waste cause some spiders to mutate into gigantic killing machines and they go on terrorizing a young woman in her newly bought house. That's it.and that's all it has to be! Highly recommended.do watch it when you buy the Eight Legged Freaks DVD. It's not that time-absorbing.

A woman moves into her new house that she find out that she shares with a couple of creepy crawlies, but these aren't your normal spiders as they are huge. This is because of some chemical substance that has been washed into the suburbs drains. She decides to get a bug exterminator to rid these pests, but it suddenly falls back onto her to finish the job or she might be their next victim.

This particular short by Ellory Elkayem went on to help to spawn the feature length film '8 Legged Freaks' (2003). Just like his feature length production and this movie short, it's basically homage and owes a lot to the 1950's age of paranoia and B-grade Sci-fi flicks that flooded that era. It runs for about just under 15 minutes and Elkayem has ingeniously put together an enticing story that becomes good fun. I even go to say I enjoyed it more than the bigger production. This piece didn't entirely just play for laughs and I thought it worked better that way. Most of the time it was highly taut, suspenseful and the director keeps things running smoothly. They worked in the small slabs of humour rather well, by making certain aspects that are naturally funny, than actually trying to be so. Without the stupidity and goofiness of the feature length. The effects range from rubbery to computer generated, but it definitely isn't distracting, but adds a nice charm to it all. But hey at least its not overcooked with its effects, but it generates an uneasy feel, especially if you can't stand spiders. A mostly upbeat tempo within the score makes it move along and adds more to the atmosphere. That being shot in black and white contributed a lot too. The few performances are subtly good, but they aren't really given too much to do as the script reasonably sparse, with the main concentration on the mood it creates and gripping action pieces.

'Larger than Life' is a refreshing, brisk and well-executed short that might get under your skin.

This short story film was the "inspiration" for "Eight-Legged Freaks," and I can see why! It is an amazing little 13-minute film that will keep riveted to your TV set for the complete short ride.

This New Zealand film done by Ellory Elkayem is beautifully-filmed in black-and-white and is masterful at building up suspense in such a short time. I spent half the movie with my mouth gaping at what I was seeing.

The story couldn't be simpler: toxic waste produces a spider who gets bigger and bigger with each camera shot. Unfortunately for some poor woman living alone at home, the spider's growth spurt takes place in her residence and she witnesses this transformation.

Calling an exterminator doesn't help because the insect kills that skeptic in no time! Then it's either her or the insect to see who will survive. Rebecca Hobbs did a nice job in the lead role.

I just loved the direction and photography in here. The music also was perfect for the film. This was a great start for an unknown and young director. I enjoyed "Eight-Legged Freaks" and it was on that DVD where I saw this film.

I would like to see Elkayem go on and make more of these black-and-white type sci-fi homages to the '50s films. So far, this short film is probably the best thing he's done.

A pleasure to view this film. A simple story, well crafted and so beautifully shot. Filming in black and white enhanced the tension right through to the climax.

As with the majority of short films made by young directors, the budget would of curtailed any extravagance but the simplicity of the set design and beauty of the pictures made it look as though money was no object.

Larger than Life brought Ellery to the attention of feature film makers and so that's what he went on to do - naturally. Well done Ellery.

Wherever you are now I hope you and your cinematographer are accepting the rewards and acclaim you both so richly deserve.