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Spiders Are Scary: Difference between revisions
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(Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.SpidersAreScary 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.SpidersAreScary, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
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In lieu of either of these spiders, however, the spider most likely to be used to inspire fear and revulsion is one of a wide variety of tarantula species. Despite being relatively harmless to humans, their size and appearance is a grade of [[Nightmare Fuel]] all by themselves. Even when a spider really is dangerous to humans--such as the Sydney funnel web or Brazilian wandering spider--they won't aggressively attack people under normal circumstances (see [[Animal Assassin]] for more information).
In reality, more people are killed each year by champagne corks or falling vending machines than spiders<ref>Yet you'll never see anyone standing on a table screaming "Yeeewww, champagne cork!"</ref>. A rather unimpressive record compared to, say, [[
Compare: [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]], [[Giant Spider]], [[Scary Scorpions]].
Not to be confused with [[Demonic Spiders]], which is a gameplay trope, though the two can certainly overlap.
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{{examples
== [[Advertising]] ==
* A recent [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcr2uWkJkzI Samsung commercial] capitalizes on this trope.
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** The second season also had Arukenimon.
** The first season had what's [[All There in the Manual|apparently named Kodokugumon]]. Those are the ''zillions and zillions of mini-Dokugumon'' that appeared with the first one.
** Or you can not bother with mini-mes and go for an army of ''the full-sized ones!'' That's what happened in season five. If Gaogamon's [[Mid
* The Johto episodes of ''[[Pokémon (Anime)|Pokémon]]'' introduced Spinarak and its evolved form, Ariados, while the Unova episodes introduced Joltik and its evolved form, Galvantula.
** Even more frightening that both Joltik and Galvantula have the ability, Unnerve.
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* Subverted by [[Spider-Man]] who calls himself "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man" and is loved (or at least tolerated) by everyone in New York but J. Jonah Jameson; but played straight by spider-motif enemies Venom and Carnage. Sort of.
** Even then, Spider-Man is ''supposed'' to be creepy. When shown from the villains' point of view, we're shown a guy who moves and stands nothing like a human being (putting him in the [[Uncanny Valley]]), can come out of freaking nowhere, and no matter how far you run or how sneaky you think you're being, you ''will'' find him hanging upside down in front of you with the giant bug-eyed eyepieces staring into your soul.
* Twisted and played with with [[Nightwing]] cast member Tarantula. The original was a [[The Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]] hero. The current day one was an [[Anti
* In the [[Tintin (Comic Book)]] book ''The Shooting Star'', Tintin sees a meteorite through a telescope and nearly has a heart attack when he sees a spider covering the entire thing. It turns out it was just a spider through the telescope, which causes Snowy to laugh at him... until he sees it himself and jumps three feet in the air (which blossoms a running gag through the series).
** Snowy is also shown being frightened by a spider in ''The Black Island''.
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* The late-1970s [[William Shatner]] film ''[[Kingdom of the Spiders (Film)|Kingdom of the Spiders]]'' was about a Southwestern town that was overrun by a bunch of killer spiders.
* Similarly, the 1950s sci-fi film ''[[Earth vs. the Spider]]'' was about a giant mutant spider that invaded a nearby city.
** No relation to a [[
* [[Spider Tank|The giant mechanical spider]] from the [[Will Smith]] movie ''[[Wild Wild West (Film)|Wild Wild West]]''
* The movie ''[[Eight Legged Freaks]]'' is [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin]].
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* In an episode of BBC kids' show ''Kerwhizz'' Twist is really scared of meeting Kaboodle's pet spider Cynthia, but being a boy he unconvincingly pretends not to be. Averted in the end when he actually meets Cynthia and discovers that she's cute and friendly.
* [[Transformers Animated|Optimus Prime]] apparently has a fear of spiders ever since the day both he and [[Jerkass|Sentinel]] accidentally left [[Psycho Ex Girlfriend|Blackarachnia]] behind on a spider-infested planet.
* In ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' Princess Luna, [[Heel Face Turn|formerly]] [[Sealed Evil in A Can|Nightmare Moon]], in a rather misguided attempt to make the ponies of Ponyville no longer afraid of her, brings several large beanie baby-esque spider toys to life which doesn't help matters.
* Fang from ''[[Teen Titans (Animation)|Teen Titans]]'', who shoots paralysis-inflicting venom beams.
** His design is a doozy. Picture a giant spider... with a human body dangling from it and sorta swaying in the wind as the spider body does... stuff. He basically has a spider five times his size ''for a head.''
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