I am in love with the works of Christopher Mihm, his family, and collective of associates. My father and I bonded over drive-in monster and horror movies that he enjoyed as a child (the first one he shared with me was the Thing from Another World).Perhaps these movies are not for everyone. Personally, I love the DIY film-making and total commitment to the world (or Mihmiverse) that the story creates. Some might find the movies amateur or wooden. To me, these are loving homages to the atomic age science fiction and horror movies that shaped my childhood. Many of those films were also created by independent filmmakers on limited budget. Mihm recreates that at all levels. The creators possess self-awareness, but there is such a genuine love of the genre pumped into the productions that it prevents them from crossing over into lame parody and mockery. In a way, this even better replicates the labors of love that independent auteurs back in the day brought to their own creations (now remembered as schlock masterpieces). Mihm and his crew imbue their films with actual humanity (and a refreshing abundance of stronger female characters than the genre typically presents), enjoyable and goofy monsters, solid special and practical effects, an undeniably Great Lakes brand of humor, and a true love of the kind of cinema where people shine flashlights in their own faces to make sure they work and monsters broadcast their menace by wiggling their fingers.The Giant Spider delivers on its title. Phantom Lake County faces the linear threat of a truly giant spider (produced with great process shots the likes of which Bert I Gordon should aspire to as well as some great puppeteering) making a beeline for the center of town. Along the way, the spider makes short work of canoe-patrol maidens, a drunk, the bickering parents of a stray goat, a drive-in movie theater under evangelical protest, and a barn dance that reminds one of the Giant Gila monster. Academic science, the military, the press, and the love of a Polish immigrant must come together to save the day from the Giant Spider.