Prosperity, Arizona

Prosperity is the name of a fictional town in the US state of Arizona. It was featured in the 2002 "creature feature" film Eight Legged Freaks.

History
Prosperity, Arizona is a mining town located in Cochise County in the US state of Arizona. As of 2002, the town's mayor was a man named Wade and the town sheriff was Samantha Parker.

The Vironanol Corporation took an interest in purchasing land in the town of Prosperity, Arizona. They were interested in the McCormick Mines that ran underneath the town, which had been closed down for nearly a decade. They made an offer to the town council to purchase large areas of land as well as financing relocation efforts for the townsfolk.

A truck carrying a supply of toxic chemicals from Vironanol was passing through Prosperity when the driver swerved to avoid hitting a rabbit. A canister fell off the truck and tumbled into a lake where it opened, adversely affecting the local wildlife. Crickets that had been exposed to the chemicals were later eaten by spiders who mutated into giant man-killing "eight legged freaks".

Points of Interest

 * Prosperity Mall: The Prosperity Mall is where the citizens of Prosperity made their final stand against the giant spiders. Sheriff Parker made an emergency broadcast, telling people to convene at the mall because she felt that its concrete floors and steel doors would afford them reliable protection. As the group barricaded the entrance to the mall, Chris McCormick and Harlan Griffith went to the roof to use an antenna to get a signal so they could send out an S.O.S. call. One of the larger spiders tore open a hole through the front of the mall, allowing the smaller spiders egress. Many people died, but Mayor Wade managed to find an area that could be uncovered that led down into the McCormick Mines. The rest of the survivors fled down into the mines as the spiders tore apart the mall. Mayor Wade resurfaced just in time to see the entire mall collapse to the ground. He hoped that his insurance would cover the damage.


 * McCormick Mines: The McCormick Mines was a gold mine owned and operated by the McCormick family and located in Prosperity, Arizona. The patriarch of the McCormick family believed that a highly coveted lode was located in the mines, just waiting to be found. When the old man passed away, the mines fell into disuse and ill repair. McCormick's son, Chris, had little interest in the family business and left town for ten years. When he came back, he found that Prosperity had been overrun by giant mutant spiders. Many of the townsfolk sought refuge in the Prosperity Mall, which was located over top one of the veins. When the spiders broke through the barricade, they followed Mayor Wade through a passage leading into the mines. There, they found that the queen of the mutant spiders had established her nest and was cocooning many of the townspeople. Of the cocooned, only Mayor Wade and Chris' Aunt Gladys were still alive. Chris helped the others escape from the mines then baited the spider queen into following him down a shaft. He set off a spark, which ignited the methane deposits in the air, causing a huge explosion, which killed all of the spiders, including the queen. With the danger over, Chris McCormick decided to re-open the mines. He discovered the legendary lode that his father spoke of.


 * Taft's Exotic Spider Farm: Taft's Exotic Spider Farm was located in the town of Prosperity, Arizona. It was a small laboratory and residence of the middle-aged Joshua Taft who, as the name suggests, specialized in rare breed of exotic spiders. Joshua Taft unwittingly fed his spiders some crickets that had been exposed to toxic chemicals from a canister of that had fallen from a Vironanol Corporation truck. As a result, the spiders grew to immense size and strength, and overtook the farm, cocooning Taft in spider venom and killing his pet parrot.

Residents of

 * Ashley Parker: Rebellious teenage daughter of Samantha Parker.
 * Chris McCormick: Owner of the McCormick Mines; returned after 10 years abroad.
 * Harlan Griffith: Radio DJ and conspiracy theorist.
 * Mike Parker: Child genius, spider enthusiest and son of Samantha Parker.
 * Pete Willis: Town Deputy under Sheriff Samanta Parker.
 * Joshua Taft: Owner of Taft's Exotic Spider Farm.
 * Samantha Parker: Sheriff of Prosperity. Mother of Ashley and Mike Parker.
 * Wade: Ponytailed Mayor of Prosperity and owner of an ostrich farm.
 * Bret: A teenage motorcycle rider and boyfriend of Ashley Parker.
 * Gladys: The chain-smoking aunt of Chris McCormick.