Look for a young Clint Eastwood as the (uncredited) leader of the jet squadron that attacks the tarantula in the film's climax.

Prof Deemer predicts that by the year 2000 the human population will be 3.6 billion. In fact it was almost double that at that time.

The spider that portrayed the giant tarantula later appeared in The Incredible Shrinking Man as the spider that threatened the shrinking man.

The tarantula was an actual live spider. Air jets were used to make it move in the desired way over a miniature landscape.

Leo G. Carroll and the film's title, "Tarantula," are mentioned in the song "Science Fiction Double Feature" from "Rocky Horror Picture Show."

The first of two films where Clint Eastwood plays a pilot. He would again in Firefox (1982).

Mara Corday was the lead female in this film with Clint Eastwood appearing briefly at the end, her last four films Clint Eastwood was the star and she had small brief roles.