Mesa of Lost Women (1953)

A couple are found wandering nearly dead in a desert. Recovering, they tell their story. The movie flashes back a year. A mad scientist, Dr. Aranya (Jackie Coogan), has created giant spiders in his Mexican lab in Zarpa Mesa to create a race of superwomen by injecting spiders with human pituitary growth hormones. Women develop miraculous regenerative powers, but men mutate into disfigured dwarves. Spiders grow to human size and intelligence. Aranya invites another scientist, Dr. Masterson, to join him. Masterson visits Zarpa but is horrified. Aranya has him injected with a drug, turning him into a doddering simpleton. Masterson escapes, and visits a cantina. A rich man (Jan van Croft) and his young American fiancee also visit the cantina while their private plane is repaired. Masterson joins them and fawns over Doreen. Tarantella, (Tandra Quinn) one of Aranya’s best spider women, does a strange and sensual dance for Masterson. He shoots Tarantella (although she recovers). Masterson hijacks Van Croft’s group, forcing them to fly in the un-repaired plane. They crash land onto Zarpa Mesa. Soon the small group begins to be killed off one by one by giant spiders. Grant (the pilot), Doreen and Masterson are captured by Dr. Aranya. Masterson recovers from his drug-induced imbecility, sacrifices himself to let the others escape, blowing up the lab. Grant and Doreen wanders into the desert until picked up by the oil surveyor from the movie’s opening scenes.