Why Wasn’t Tobe Hooper’s ‘Spider-Man’ Ever Made?
If an established horror director seems like an awkward fit (Raimi, anyone?
), in most ways it was.
Image by Annamaria Ward
All these years later, we’ve gotdozens of different portrayals of Spidey.
Hooper’s vision, unfortunately, isn’t one of them, and it never will be.
In Hooper’s flick, Peter Parker would have been much more literally a spider man.
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
It all would’ve been agrotesque body horror in the vein ofDavid Cronenberg.
The plot, which riffs on a similar formula established in theH.G.
Think Cronenberg’sThe Fly,only with Marvel IP.
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Hooper’s body-horror Spider-Man would have likely been a disaster in the traditional sense (at least commercially).
But there’s something about it that would have assuredly been awesome, too.
A few decades later, it’s hard not to imagine what this preposterousSpider-Manfilm would’ve looked like.
Image via New Line Cinema
In this case, the trimmed budget led to the film being once again abandoned.
WhenSam Raimi helped revitalize the superhero genrewith hisSpider-Mantrilogy, everything was soon to follow suit.
As iconic as Raimi’sSpider-Manis, there’s still a lingering impression that comic book films play it too safe.
Image via Sony Pictures
Hooper’sSpider-Manwould be one of the rare comic book films willing to stray deeply into another genre.
In the case of Tobe Hooper’sSpider-Man, it simply wasn’t meant to be.
In a different universe, maybe, but here we’ve only got our speculation.
Teens and horror movies go together like high schools and scream queens.
Placing the youthful Peter Parker in a slasher-bang out movie would be a daring, though fruitful task.
There have also been times when the comics have dabbled in moments of sheer terror.
In terms of movies, there’s no reason this couldn’t translate.
Raimi specifically utilizes his lengthy background in horror toweave elements of the genreinto his superhero films.
