If you’re a fan ofFrank Herbert’sDunetrilogy, you probably appreciated how faithfulDenis Villeneuve’s recent film adaptation was to the books. For the most part, the imagery seemed to leap off the page, but one short scene left both longtime fans andDunenewbies confused: What was that spider thing?
In the scene whereReverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiamgoes to the Barron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) and his mentat, Piter de Vries (David Dastmalchian), to demand that Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and Paul (Timothee Chalamet) be spared, we briefly see a humanoid spider creature that the Barron refers to as “our pet.” Mohiam asks for the spider to leave the room before she reveals her intentions, and Piter argues that the creature can’t comprehend anything. In response, Mohiam says “It understands” and the spider is removed from the room.
There is no creature of that nature mentioned in the books or shown in any previous adaptation ofDune. So what exactly was it?
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One likely explanation is that Villaneueve merely meant the creature to be a visually unsettling nod to the Harkonnens' infamouslack of humanity and depravedness. We know from the books that Barron Harkonnen has many disturbing sexual proclivities, and he surrounds himself with humans and creatures alike to satisfy his appetite. Additionally, earlier in the movie, Dr. Yueh (Chang Chen) references the Harkonnens' part in immoral human experiments, saying that they “take people apart like dolls.” A disturbing possibility is that the Barron somehow turned Dr. Yueh’s wife into his frightening pet.
A more complicated but intriguing explanation is that the spider creature is a reference to the creations of the Bene Tleilax, a mysterious group of beings that were never mentioned in the movie butplay a role in the books. The Bene Tleilax, also sometimes called the Tleilaxu, inhabit Tleilax, the sole planet of the star Thalim, and are genetically-enhanced humans. They’re known for being intentionally isolated from the rest of the universe and churning out remarkable (but often terrifying) creations. From the books, we know that the Tleilaxu are responsible for creating many of the scariest beings in theDuneuniverse through their manipulation of genetics, including Piter de Vries. With this background knowledge, it seems likely that the spider creature is a reference to the terrifying genetic creations of the Tleilaxu, and may even foreshadow the role they will play in future movies in the series.
Other online theoriesposit that the creature is a reference to a Tarantuwolf, a creature seen inAlejandro Jodorowsky’s comic bookThe Metabarons, illustrated by Argentine artistJuan Gimenez. Jodorowsky tried unsuccessfully to adaptDunein the 1970s, but his attempt remains legendary as it was intended to be nearly twelve hours long and included collaborators likeSalvador Dalí,Orson Welles,David Carradine, andMick Jagger. We know Villeneuve referenced Jodorowsky’s attempt once in his process, using “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse” by the band Pink Floyd in his first trailer for the 2021 film, an obvious reference to the fact that Jodorowsky famously asked Pink Floyd to make music for his movie. The spider creature in Villaneueve’sDunelooks similar enough to Jodorowsky’s Tarantuwolf that it’s not a stretch to imagine Villaneueve intended the creature as a tribute to a director whose story became an immovable part ofDune’s legacy.
Hopefully, the next movie in Villaneueve’sDuneseries will shine a light on the true nature of that scary spider creature.
