[1] The film centers on a shy, obsessive comic book fan who gets injected with an experimental serum derived from spiders, which gives him minor superpowers.

When his partner is killed during a botched robbery at the research laboratory where he works, Quentin is fired and he injects himself with an experimental serum derived from spiders.

Quentin later returns to his apartment and finds Stephanie being interviewed by Detective Frank Grillo in hopes of identifying her savior.

The next day the police converge on the store and find the man's body, which has been sucked dry of all fluids, and the woman in a state of shock.

Detective Grillo is confused by the state of the man's body and by the presence of what appears to be spider webs at the scene as well as Williams's badge.

[6] Earth vs. the Spider received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with many perceiving it as derivative of David Cronenberg's The Fly.

TV Guide awarded the film 2/4 stars, criticizing Gummersall's performance and the special effects, calling them "goofy".

[8] G. Noel Gross from DVD Talk rated the film two and a half out of five stars, criticizing the slow start, uneven execution, and the irrelevance of Aykroyd's character.

"[10] Movie-gazette.com gave the film 3/10 stars, calling it "A bizarre mix of comic book camp and The Fly-style horror.

"[11] Mick Martin and Marsha Porter in their DVD and Video Guide gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, complimenting the special effects and performances.

[12] Felix Vasquez from Cinema Crazed.com called it "a fun guilty pleasure", commending the film's make-up and special effects, Gummersall and Cho's performances, and Ziehl's direction.