Spider-women, mad science, and mutant minions stalk the desert in this pulpy 1950s fever dream.
MESA OF LOST WOMEN
A race of deadly spider-women luring men to their death!
A mad scientist named Dr. Arana is creating giant spiders and dwarfs in his lab on Zarpa Mesa in Mexico. He wants to create a master race of superwomen by injecting his female subjects with spider venom.
Proof that a little spider venom goes a long way when you’re low on budget and high on imagination.
Only in 1950s drive-in cinema could you get a mad scientist named Dr. Aranya (that’s Spanish for spider) mixing human women and tarantulas for fun and world domination. Add some barefoot spider-women, a cantina dance, and a heavy-handed narrator, and you’ve got a psychotronic cocktail straight from the atomic age.
— SassyFlix Programmer
Mesa of Lost Women is a 1953 American horror and science fiction film directed by Ron Ormond and Herbert Tevos about a mad scientist in Mexico who creates giant spiders and superhuman women using spider venom.
- Directors
- Ron Ormond, Herbert Tevos
- Writer
- Herbert Tevos
- Release
- 1953
- Runtime
- 1h 10m
- Country
- United States of America
- Language
- English
- Genres
- Horror, Science Fiction
Overview
Why Cult
Dr. Aranya’s bizarre experiments with spider venom and human subjects are a pulpy distillation of 1950s B-movie science gone wild.
Witness human-sized tarantulas and spider-women with regenerative powers, all lurking on a remote mesa in the Mexican desert.
A story told through layered flashbacks and voiceover, with a narrator who isn’t shy about mocking humanity’s cosmic insignificance.
From erotic dances to catfights and mutant minions, the film delivers a deliriously weird mix of horror, sci-fi, and exploitation tropes.
Threat File
Mad scientist's experiments with spider venom
Superhuman spider-women and giant spiders
Death, insanity, and mutant minions in the desert
Zarpa Mesa, Mexican desert
Cast & Crew
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Scene Gallery
Trailers & Clips
Questions from the Vault
What is Mesa of Lost Women about? +
Mesa of Lost Women is about a mad scientist in Mexico who creates giant spiders and superhuman women using spider venom in his quest for a master race.
When was Mesa of Lost Women released? +
Mesa of Lost Women was released in 1953.
Who directed Mesa of Lost Women? +
Mesa of Lost Women was directed by Ron Ormond and Herbert Tevos.
How long is Mesa of Lost Women? +
Mesa of Lost Women has a runtime of 70 minutes.
What genre is Mesa of Lost Women? +
Mesa of Lost Women is a horror and science fiction film.
How are the spider-women created in Mesa of Lost Women? +
Dr. Aranya creates his superhuman spider-women by injecting female subjects with spider venom in his secret laboratory on Zarpa Mesa.
What is special about Tarantella in Mesa of Lost Women? +
Tarantella, one of Aranya’s creations, possesses non-human claws, the ability to regrow limbs, and is expected to live for centuries.
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Keywords
Alternative Titles
Lost Women, Lost Women of Zarpa, The Mesa of Lost Women