Beware, I’m trying to decide how to tackle spoilers in this 55 year old TV movie discussion. Well, ABC movie of the week to be exact. Proceed with caution.

Before getting too deep, Along Came a Spider follows Janet (the delightful Suzanne Pleshette). We meet her as a physics student with enough gumption to question her dashing Professor (Ed Nelson), who just so happens to see nothing wrong with romantically pursuing his students. Remember kids, 1970. Suddenly, the two are plunged into a tale of Gone Girl-esque proportions. Andrew Prine, Richard Anderson and Brooke Bundy co-star in Along Came a Spider. Lee H. Katzin directs the film from a script by Leonard Lee and Barry Oringer.

Jumping right in, it would be unfair for me not to mention Suzanne Pleshette. Most in the mid-20th century pop-culture sphere are sure to recognize her work in movies like The Birds and Rome Adventure. And I’ll be darned if her smoky, mysterious flair doesn’t sell what could be a thankless role in the hands of another actress. She’s scrappy, feisty and honestly, you want to see her come out on top. We didn’t deserve Suzanne Pleshette. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

With all that being said though, I came to this film for one reason and one alone. Ed “Dr. Michael Rossi” Nelson. I know, I’m shameless. Nelson’s plucky filmography is one of my favorites with roles in such diverse works as Peyton Place, Murder She Wrote and most notably his early years spent in low-budget, Roger Corman adjacent cinema. If you haven’t checked out The Brain Eaters, seek that one out. It ranks among The Swarm and Plan 9 from Outer Space for me among the gems of “bad movies”. It was a hoot.

As I watched this convoluted thriller, it became immediately clear just how much weight Pleshette and Nelson carry in the tone and pace of this narrative. Frankly, nailing this casting allows one to ignore a multitude of sins.

As you can tell, this cast really had me sucked in. I was surprisingly reminded of (to make a Marvel reference!) something like Jessica Jones. That series utilized the infinitely likable and charismatic David Tennant as a thoroughly despicable character. Thus a royal battle was set-up deep in my soul. I know I’m supposed to hate this man, but can’t quite bring myself to do it.

This mirrored my experience watching Along Came a Spider. I needed to dislike Ed Nelson… but I just… couldn’t… do it.

This is a film that feels very 1970 in a way that won’t gel with everyone. I did find myself a bit taken aback by Nelson’s character quite early in the film. I know Pleshette is playing an adult student… but… you get the feeling he’s done this before. This is even before we learn the true mystery in the narrative. At this point he’s just a persistent professor who has a thing for one of his students. Yep, you read that right.

Yet, through all of this, he’s Ed Nelson. Peyton Place showed us just how moony and love struck he can be and once he dives into the romance narrative, it is this easy charisma that takes over. He couldn’t possibly be capable of everything the movie thinks he is, is he?

Kids, I’m really trying to keep spoilers minimal… get ready for this to be tested in the next section.

Along Came a Spider is a film that easily would benefit from more time and more budget.

The Act 2 twist is one that felt surprisingly original coming out of this era. It isn’t now, but that’s another column. It felt dark and more than a bit mysterious. At this point, the narrative perspective pulls back enough that the audience feels as discombobulated as the characters. For large stretches I found myself in this strange state of awed befuddlement. Could he really have done something? Could she really pull that off? If so, congrats Suzanne.

However, then comes Act 3. The Letterboxd reviews on the finale are pretty brutal and I’m not going to come out and say they’re wrong.

The film wraps up with a series of continual and ongoing “Ooo! What a twist!” moments. In fact, I’m honestly not sure if I could spoil the narrative if I tried. The final act is intent on keeping the audience guessing right up until the end. Friends, there’s a lot of moving parts in these final 20 minutes.

When all is said and done, Along Came a Spider feels like Diet Hitchcock sipped through a Gone Girl lens. There are some really interesting ideas here, as well as some fun performances. Suckers for a packed, tv adjacent cast like this are sure to find something to love. However, it’s a shame this is just a tv movie. With the right budget and more time, this might have been really cool.

Along Came a Spider is currently streaming on YouTube.