The 42nd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at Foellinger Auditorium, on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Hosted by the Entomology Graduate Students Association in the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, this year's theme is Tarantulas: Hairy, Scary Spiders - movies featuring tarantulas. Spiders of all kinds stoke our fears with their many legs, fast movements, and venomous fangs. Tarantulas, as some of the most recognizable spiders in the animal kingdom, have the capacity to both fascinate and terrify us. While tarantulas are popular pets for some, others are alarmed by their large size, their 8 eyes, and their hairy bodies.
It's no surprise that Hollywood has capitalized on these fears to produce a wide variety of horror films with tarantulas in the starring role. Special guest Steven Kutcher, a renowned Hollywood"bug wrangler", will present a number of clips showing off his work in a multitude of horror films, many of which feature tarantulas. Then, the festival will screen Arachnophobia (1990), in which a California town must defend itself from a legion of deadly spiders and stop their spread across the world.
This event is FREE and open to the public. Activities will begin at 5:00 pm CST, and film introductions will start at 7:00 pm. A full schedule will be available on our website. This year's festival will feature:
- An insect petting zoo - featuring tarantulas (which actually are arachnids, not insects)!
- Bugscope (scanning electron microscope) to get up-close and personal with tarantulas, other kinds of spiders, and other arthropods
- Insect arts and crafts for the whole family
- A gallery of the annual IFFF art contest entries featuring insect- and spider-themed artwork by local K-12 students
- ...and more!!!
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, February 22, 2025! For more information, including a link to purchase t-shirts with the logo seen above, please visit the IFFF website, our Facebook page, or contact Annaliese Wargin (awargin2@illinois.edu) or Joseph Spina (jmspina2@illinois.edu).