Christening it "Sting" she keeps it in a large jar and feeds it various bugs and is excited to see it growing quickly.
No good will come of this.
CW: not one for arachnophobes, some gooey violence and body horror
I expected very little from this Aussie creature feature and hadn't realised it was a comedy when I pressed play but Kiah Roache-Turner really delivers.
There's a bit of Wednesday Addams about Charlotte and the building is filled with eccentric characters and their pets who "Sting" starts to knock off in grisly spidery ways. From the very beginning I was laughing along with it and only really bogs down when they introduce elements of a family argument about serious topics briefly in the middle. This extra character detail sprinkled throughout does however make us care more about all the people involved.
This is not going to set the world of cinema alight but it is a bit of a breath of fresh air populated with talent well known in Oz but rarely seen in US/European productions who all absolutely nail it. Alyla Browne is a joy: going a bit 'Home Alone' to tool up and track down "Sting" in the improbably huge heating ducts of the apartment. There's also great comedy from Noni Hazelhurst as the forgetful grandma who's completely oblivious to the carnage going on around her.
Excellent lightweight fun 7/10.