Scared of spiders? Then stay away from 'Sting,' a decent little horror film with a big one

Of all the things in the world that creep people out — snakes, rats, Taco Bell — spiders have to be near the top.

So naturally, horror movies take advantage of that. How could they not? It’s a guaranteed scare just sitting there, weaving its web, waiting to pounce. Remember “Arachnophobia,” from 1990? That one had a big-name cast, including Jeff Daniels and John Goodman. “Eight Legged Freaks” from 2002 enjoys a cult following. While I have never seen it, certainly 2013’s “Big Ass Spider!” is a winner in the title department.

Add “Sting” to the list. Not at the top of the list, necessarily, but writer and director Kiah Roache-Turner’s film is a solid if unspectacular entry into the eww-gross-spiders category. It’s pretty good on that front. But when it tries to wedge in some version of Meaningful Family Drama, it loses its way a little bit.

What is the plot of 'Sting?'

Charlotte (Alyla Browne) is a girl living in an apartment complex with her mom, stepdad and new baby brother. The situation probably explains her often-surly, delinquent-in-training attitude — nothing too serious, just a little breaking and entering into her grandmother’s apartment in the same building and stealing a doll. While she’s sneaking around, she sees a spider and is delighted. She captures it, puts it in a jar and starts feeding it, which, honestly, we as a society need to start showing kids horror movies at a younger age so they know that you DO NOT DO THIS.

The audience knows this is no normal spider, if there is such a thing as a normal spider. It crash-landed from space, in an amusing scene that’s surprisingly creative.

The spider, whom Charlotte names Sting after Bilbo Baggins’ sword (signaling that she is a reader and not just a troublemaker acting out), does what spiders do in horror movies — it grows ... a lot. And it starts seeking out larger meals. Sting is also a mimic, able to copy Charlotte’s whistle, even though, as the slightly creepy would-be scientist living upstairs tells her, spiders don’t have vocal cords.

'Sting' is an old-school horror movie

Outside, a snowstorm rages, effectively trapping everyone inside the apartment complex. (Except Frank, the exterminator, played by a funny Jermaine Fowler, who shows up for some welcome comic relief.) Charlotte’s stepfather Ethan (Ryan Corr) is also the building superintendent, beaten down with work. But he is also a comic book illustrator, and he and Charlotte are working together—though not always happily—on a book called “Fang Girl.” (I know, I know.)

But it’s a tenuous partnership, and the mounting pressures on Ethan start to take their toll on him and the family. It’s unfortunate that this life crisis happens to coincide exactly with a deadly spider from outer space that is getting bigger and hungrier and scarier by the minute, but truly, does life ever work out the way you want it to?

Along the way, Roache-Turner drops some not-so-subtle hints about how things might play out. Charlotte’s grandmother knits her a sweater that smells like the mothballs she’s been keeping it in. Ethan just can’t quite get the pneumatic press in the basement to work like it should. Things like that. But surprises, aside from jump scares, aren’t really what “Sting” is going for. Instead, it’s more of an old-school horror movie, something you might have seen in the 1970s that pops up again while you’re channel-surfing. The family drama seems more stilted than the giant spider story, which also tracks.

All in all, “Sting” is … fine. And now I’m curious about “Big Ass Spider!”

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'Sting' 3 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Kiah Roache-Turner.

Cast: Alyla Browne, Ryan Corr, Jermaine Fowler.

Rating: R for violent content, bloody images and language.

How to watch: In theaters Friday, April 12.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Sting' movie review: Kiah Roache-Turner's horror stars a space spider