Moon Spiders. or Lunamorphs, are the primary antagonists in the 2011 film Apollo 18. They are a species of silicate based arachnids who feed primarily on living tissue, and exist in massive quantities across the moons surface, usually disguising themselves as small rocks or boulders, in the case of the larger specimens.
Appearance
The Lunamorphs vary in size and shape greatly, but all are colored a dusty gray to match the color and texture of lunar rock. When dormant or hiding. they appear to be little more than an inert chunk of stone. However, when threatened, curious, or going on the offensive, they sprout crab-like pincers, spider like legs, and toothy mouths with which they can swiftly overwhelm, subdue, and consume prey.
Powers and Abilities
Lunamorphs possess the following powers and abilities:
- Speed: Lunamorphs are capable of achieving inhuman speeds when running, easily outpacing a human running at full-sprint.
- Electronic interference: When in the presence of electronics such as radios or computers, the Lunamorphs emit a low frequency vibration that garbles radio transmission and make the affected device near impossible to operate.
- Necrosis: After infiltrating a human victim, usually through a wound or by crawling into an orifice such as the mouth or nose, the Lunamorph causes the affected human to undergo advanced necrosis, with skin turning black or sloughing off entirely.
Fate
After realizing the extent of the Lunamorph infestation on the moon, Ben, the last survivor of the doomed Apollo 18 mission, flees to a Soviet lander left behind by a previous mission that had been wiped out by the Lunamorphs. After reaching lunar orbit, it is revealed that the floor of the lander was littered with smaller, dormant Lunamorphs, which promptly awoke and began attacking him. Ben died in an explosive crash as the lander collided with the orbiting rocket, but not before the Lunamorphs had begun to infest his body; turning his skin pale and sickly, with black veins bulging beneath the skin. While it is implied that the rocks that have been taken to earth on prior Apollo missions were in fact aliens, it is never explicitly stated, and it can be assumed that the Lunamorphs remain confined exclusively to the moon.
Trivia
- It is not known what the moon spiders’ diet is, but it can be assumed that they engage in a form of cannibalism when no other prey is present: with Larger Lunamorphs consuming smaller ones to sustain themselves, whilst remaining in hibernation most of the time to conserve energy,
- It’s likely they originated from an asteroidal impact, as the crater in which Ben and Nate primarily found the creatures(the landing site of the LK) is specified by the astronauts to be a particularly large impact crater.
Photo Gallery
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