They've been out there all along, but now, they're flourishing, spinning their webs across sidewalks, covering doorways and windows with their entangling threads. You can't walk anywhere in the morning without running the risk of a face-full of cobwebs.

They're bigger now, too. This is the time of year when you see spiders with bodies as fat as a quarter and legs close to an inch long. The kind of spiders that make an arachnophobe hyperventilate. It's easy to imagine these Shelobs-in-training eating kittens--or worse.

Humans have an instinctive dislike of arachnids. Some people overcome this knee-jerk revulsion, but the majority of us remain leery of the creatures. For us, this season is a season of unease. A season to enjoy a frisson of discomfort wherever these eight-legged predators lurk. A season to indulge in some therapeutic cinema. Who out there doesn't love the John Goodman hit Arachnophobia? Or what about the 1955 classic, Tarantula, featuring 100-foot tarantulas on the attack? The best news for spider-haters is that no matter how big, how venomous, or just plain scary the arachnid, in these films humanity always saves the day.

So until the chill of winter descends, feel free to escape the creepy-crawlies of the outdoors with a good movie rental. And remember: after the temperature drops to a daytime low of 55 degrees Fahrenheit, spiders go into torpor, so you won't be seeing the eight-leggers for long.

Except for the ones that move into your house ...