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The Spider and the Fly

The Spider and the Fly

TV movie199487 minMidcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Director
Michael Katleman
Starring
Mel Harris, Kim Coates, Colm Feore, Frankie Faison

A wager between two novelists about committing the perfect crime becomes real when a murder occurs under the circumstances they had plotted in jest and either one of them might be the killer.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Spider and the Fly?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove does not list The Spider and the Fly on any major US streaming service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Spider and the Fly?

The Spider and the Fly earns 1 badge: Low Budget.

Reception

Is The Spider and the Fly worth watching?

The Spider and the Fly's Midcredits score is the 29th percentile of all films, from 119 ratings across 2 sources. 34% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

29th percentile

Better received than 29% of films

47th percentile among Mystery32nd percentile among 1990s
Acclaim (how much people like it)31st
Approval (how many liked it)29th

56 /100

31st percentile of all films

50th percentile among Mystery33rd percentile among 1990s

Rating distribution

The crowd leans negative, with most ratings sitting in the bottom half of the scale.

Approval

How many liked it

34% liked it

29th percentile of all films

46th percentile among Mystery31st percentile among 1990s
34% rated it 7–1066% rated it 1–6

22nd percentile

119 ratings across platforms

19th percentile among Mystery12th percentile among 1990s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 49% in 30 days

Watch experience

What is The Spider and the Fly like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

No single mood: browse every movie of this kindNo one kind of watch fits it, so it is described by how heavy it is.

Watch this when you want something serious but easy to take.

It leaves you satisfied.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Nothing out of the ordinary.

What it feels like

Moods
TenseThrilling
Heaviest: throughout
Slapstick humor
Register
Wry · 7% of films: Amused and slightly dry about it.Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its murder-mystery premise straight and takes the plot seriously, with only the police providing lighter comic-relief beats.
The rideSustained suspense as characters are killed off one by one and the police fail to crack the case.
StructureA conventional murder mystery told in order, following the authors and police as the killings mount toward a reveal.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Satisfied.

Cathartic · 6% of filmsThought-provoking
Why it leaves you this wayA satisfying mystery resolution leaves a lingering question about how fiction and real murder blur.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet endingTwist

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MysteryPuzzle
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7% (this title): Puzzle 1% (this title) · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Mystery: A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered. · Puzzle: A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).

7% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe story is driven by an unanswered question — who killed the publisher and why are the main characters being killed off one by one — and ends when the truth is revealed, the classic whodunit shape.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfDeception
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16% (this title): Justice 13% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9% (this title)
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Morality

Deception · 9% of filmsJustice · 13% of films
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film's engine is hidden truth and manipulation as a murder mystery unfolds among rival authors and an inept police investigation.
StanceThe film presents a whodunit about hidden truth without moralising, letting the puzzle and the character kills carry the drama.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanInstitutionalRealistic
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Richard Bellis
SettingRival authors publicizing a book and film while a killer murders people using one of their plot lines; police investigate the publisher's death.
MusicA serviceable orchestral television-thriller score, credited to Richard Bellis.

Content guide

Is The Spider and the Fly okay for kids?

Ratings in 1 other country
  • Germany16

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does The Spider and the Fly have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Spider and the Fly?

Cast

Mel Harris
as Dianna Taylor
Kim Coates
as Detective John De Luca
Colm Feore
as Detective Evan Taylor
Frankie Faison
as Detective Turner
Cynthia Belliveau
as Blair Delaney
Barry Flatman
as Jake Sadoff
Ted Shackelford
as Michael Moore
Kenneth Welsh
as Irwin Stroud
Peggy Lipton
as Helen Stroud
Phillip Jarrett
as Detective Kimura

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Spider and the Fly?

The closest match to The Spider and the Fly is The Mirror Crack'd (1980); both are puzzle films.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Spider and the Fly?

2.4K other films share the rarest tag below, relationship: rivals. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.