Bug (1975)

First, this is NOT a sci fi movie about actual bugs. The other reviews mentioning giant cockroaches are for a different movie. This review is for the movie by director, Jeannot Szwarc, which stars Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon and Harry Connick Jr.The bugs in this movie exist only in someone's mind. This is a story about trauma, grief, mental illness and how one character's vulnerability leads her down the rabbit hole of the other's psychosis to a tragic end. In other words, mental illness can be contagious.The movie begins like a domestic abuse situation, but turns a corner and becomes a tale of 2 people who go completely insane. I mean, seriously bonkers.Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon and Harry Connick Jr portrayed their characters well, though Connick's character, while an antagonist, is more peripheral.The movie presents somewhat like a stage play; the set is limited and the various characters wander in and out of basically a motel room for much of the movie. We don't see much beyond that and the parking lot.Recommended if you like something that is out of the ordinary.

This review is for the Blu-Ray edition of 'Bug' released in 2020 by Shout! Factory.My rating for this release is based on a combination of the plot, picture and extra's.ABOUT THIS MOVIE: If you are not familiar with this movie it is a 1975 release. If bugs make you squeamish, this movie is not for you. Most of the scenes use live giant Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. There is also a somewhat disturbing scene with a real cat. There is no nudity. Despite my reference to the very family oriented 'The Brady Bunch' (see more on this below), this movie has little to no comedy and is very dark in tone. It was rated 'PG' in it's theatrical release in 1975 but would be rated 'PG-13' it was released today.BLU-RAY: The picture is not all that spectacular. I wouldn't put it in the disappointing category but you won't be saying "Wow". But you probably won't be saying "I wasted my money" either. I imagine that it is a new scan but the original elements probably aren't all the great to begin with. The picture is mostly clean of defects, though there are defects in the picture throughout, they didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the movie. I noticed mostly because I was looking for them. The picture is very 'soft'. The lighting in this movie is poor for the most part. The colors are not vibrant, but again, this is probably how the movie was shot. I'd give the picture a 5 or 6 out of 10. The movie is shown in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio.EXTRA'S: This release is light on extra's. You get...- Audio Commentary with historian Troy Howarth - Howarth does a good job with his commentary. He has done his homework and comments on the scenes we are watching throughout. He points out a lot of interesting stuff in the move and also goes over the usual biographies of the people involved. He seems quite enamored with the lead actor, Bradford Dillman, and says he deserved to get more leading roles. I disagree with him on that point but who cares? Dillman does a good enough job for this movie.- Theatrical Trailer- Subtitles*****SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT*****PLOT/SUMMARY: An earthquake takes place in southern California. At the site of a church, a large fissure opens up and several vehicles explode. Gerald and his girlfriend, Norma, inspect the fissure. He sees some cockroaches and picks one up. It burns his fingers. He goes to see his old Biology professor at the local college. Professor James Parmiter goes to the site and makes an inspection. He discovers that the bugs don't have a digestive system and feed on ash. The bugs all seem sluggish and won't mate. Parmiter figures out that the bugs come from the depths of the Earth and the Earth's surface is too cold for them. After moving around town, the bugs end up killing some people and cause fires and destruction. One of their victims is Parmiter's wife.After his wife's death, Parmiter becomes obsessive and begins to psychologically breakdown. With the help of a colleague, Parmiter creates a pressure tank to save the last remaining bug. He then decides to cross-breed it with a common cockroach in an effort to save the species. The result is not what he expected. Parmiter has created a breed of super intelligent, flying cockroaches.PRODUCTION: This movie was made in 1975 and released by Paramount.- The movie was directed by Jeannot Szwarc and written by William Castle.- This movie was filmed in Riverside, California.- This movie is sometimes called 'The Bug'.- There is one roach in particular that was used throughout the movie. It was named 'Hercules'. IS THIS MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK? Yes, it is. It is based on the 'The Hephaestus Plague' by Thomas Page. It was written in 1973. - In Greek mythology, Hephaestus is the blacksmith for the gods. He is the God of fire. THE BRADY 'BUG': Anybody who has every watched 'The Brady Bunch' will immediately recognize the set of 'The Brady Bunch' home in this movie. As Troy Howarth says in the commentary, you expect Alice to walk into the kitchen at any moment. 'The Brady Bunch' had just been cancelled and the sets for the show were still standing. Some alterations were made to the home and this movie shot several scenes on 'The Brady Bunch' set. WHAT TYPE OF COCKROACHES WERE USED?: The live cockroaches shown are the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. There were some plastic models used as well. SOME FACTS ABOUT THE MADAGASCAR HISSING COCKROACH:- They are among the largest cockroaches in the world and grow up to 3 inches in length. They live up to 5 years.- There are around 20 species of 'hissing' cockroaches in the world. The hissing is made when they expel air through small openings in their bodies and is used for several reasons . The reasons are to attract females (obviously if they are males), show aggression and signal they are disturbed.- These cockroaches are sometimes kept as pets. They don't like the cold or light. They eat vegetables and will also eat dry dog food. They don't bite and are harmless. They can also be used as food for other pets, specifically, reptiles.- They are one of the few species of cockroaches that don't have wings. THE END OF THE LINE FOR WILLIAM CASTLE: This would be William Castle's last movie that he worked on that was produced. He died of a heart attack two years after the release of this movie in 1977. William Castle became famous for the 'gimmicks' he came up with for his horror movies. WERE THERE ANY THEATER GIMMICKS FOR 'BUG': William Castle was famous for his theater gimmicks. For this movie, he wanted to put brushes on the legs of the seats to rub up against the legs of patrons during the movie. It is not clear if this ever happened. I have read that this request was denied but I have also read that some theaters used this gimmick. I'm guessing that it probably didn't happen. In addition, "Hercules" (the main one used) the cockroach had a million dollar life insurance policy. WHAT OTHER 'GIMMICKS' DID WILLIAM CASTLE USE THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER?: Castle came up with these gimmicks for the following movies...Macabre (1958) - Patrons were given a $1000 life insurance policy to be paid to heirs if they 'died of fright'.House on Haunted Hill (1959) - A skeleton with lit eyes floats across the theater.The Tingler (1960) - Vibration motors were attached to select seats in the theater.13 Ghosts (1960) - Each person was given a blue and red cellophane viewer in order to either see or not see ghosts.Homicidal (1961) - Near the end of the movie, patrons were given just under a minute to leave thetheater and get a refund if they were too scared to continue watching.Mr. Sardonicus (1961) - Patrons voted on the fate of the villain.Zotz! (1962) - Each person was given a 'magic' glow-in-the-dark coin.Strait-Jacket (1964) - Cardboard axes were handed out.I Saw What You Did (1965) - Sections of seats had 'shock' motorsCOMMENTS/THOUGHTS: DISTORTED MEMORIES: I remember watching this movie as a teenager and at the time I though it was very creepy. I remembered nothing about the movie other than one scene. That scene is the one where the bugs start spelling out words on the wall. For whatever reason, that scene had stuck with me for my entire life and I never forgot it. I had wondered what became of that movie when I saw this release. For whatever reason, I thought the movie ended with the bugs taking over the world... but that obviously does not happen. I knew the movie had a negative ending and it does... I just didn't quite remember it correctly. OTHER COMMENTS:- I thought the opening scene in the church was done well. However, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense logically. This scene was meant to be the movies set-piece and some liberties had to be taken. The preacher tells everyone to stay put as the main support of the roof has collapsed and the building is coming down around everyone! He just keeps on preaching! It doesn't look as if anyone runs outside until after the church has been destroyed. I guess you just have to suspend disbelief and make pretend the church collapses a lot quicker than it appears to.- I really hope they 'drugged' that cat. If they didn't, I don't want to know about it.- Unlike most of William Castle's other movies, this one is genuinely creepy.CONCLUSIONS: GROWING OLD: This movie left an impression on me when I was young. After watching it again for the first time in about 40 years, my impressions have changed. I still find it to be a somewhat creepy movie. As is usually the case, I didn't think it was as good as I had remembered. What I did remember correctly was that it was a very 'different' movie than the norm. Different always scores a lot of extra points in my book even if the results aren't that great. As I stated above, my memories of the movie are not quite what reality is. I guess growing old and forgetful is just part of life.- 'Bug' has two distinct Acts or parts. The first half is your traditional environmental disaster movie. The second part is more of a psychological study of an obsessive professor. It's an interesting movie but it isn't for everyone. For those who like happy endings, you aren't going to get one. Most people know that movies that don't have happy endings have a much higher failure rate.- The release itself leaves something to be desired. It definitely could use more extra's. The picture isn't that great but it's the best it is going to look for probably a long time. Those who want this movie are going to have to settle for this release.RECOMMENDATIONS:- Recommended for fans of environmental disaster movies.- Recommended for fans of 50's 'Big Bug' movies.IF YOU LIKE THIS THEN TRY...:- Frogs (1972)- Food of the Gods (1976)- Empire of the Ants (1977)Of course, there were plenty of other movies of this type before and after the 70's. Way too many to list here.RATINGS:Plot: 6/10 or 3 stars - I was going to give this a 5 but bumped it up a point for doing something different.Picture: 5.5/10 or 3 stars - It's not great, but at least they released it with Blu-Ray quality.SFX: 6/10 - OK, considering the budget, the movies one set piece takes place in the opening scene.Extra's: 4/10 or 2 stars - A trailer and an audio commentary, that's worth 2 stars to me.Overall: 3 stars - I'd like to give it higher to encourage companies to keep releasing these old movies but I'd be lying if I said it deserved more than this rating.Thanks to Shout! Factory for releasing this.

In general, I don't care for bugs...more specifically, bugs within my personal space or my domicile. I know insects serve their own, particular purposes within the grand scheme of things, but they're just so...creepy...and crawly...and prodigious. The most annoying experiences I have are during the summer months, as that's when the bees are out and they seem to take a particular interest in flying around me, as if I had some hidden cache of precious nectar (I don't). I've given up on drinking canned beverages outside during the summer months for fear a thirsty bumbly bee will find itself into the can just before I decide to take a drink...despite all that, I do enjoy movies about bugs...Bug (1975), directed by Jeannot Szwarc (Jaws 2, Supergirl: The Movie), based on a book by Thomas Page called `The Hephaestus Plague', who co-wrote the screenplay, along with legendary writer/producer/director William Castle, a consummate showman famous for infusing his low budget B films with various gimmicks and over the top promotional materials, most famous probably being attaching vibrating devices to the movie theater seats, `shocking' various audience members during the showing of his 1959 film The Tingler, starring Vincent Price. The 1993 film Matinee, starring John Goodman, pays homage to Castle and his antics, and is well worth seeing. The film stars venerable B movie staple Bradford Dillman (The Swarm, Piranha), with appearances by Joanna Miles (Judge Dredd), Richard Gilliland (Airplane II: The Sequel), Alan Fudge (Airport 1975), and Patricia McCormack, who some may remember as the cute as a button but evil to the core little girl/serial killer Rhoda Penmark from the 1956 film The Bad Seed.The movie begins with an earthquake in a small, southern California town, and the subsequent appearance of some rather large (about a foot long) insects that look a lot like your common cockroach. As we find out later, these are not your ordinary bugs as they can ignite fire from their backside (as I often do after a bowl of chili), and are extremely difficult to kill (the carapace, or shell, is like steel). After one of his former students brings the bugs to his attention, Professor of Entomology James Parmiter (Dillman) begins uncovering all kinds of interesting facts about this newly discover species of arthropod, but soon becomes personally involved with the creatures after a distressing incident with his wife (Miles). James secludes himself away, and begins performing extensive, freaky experiments, accidentally developing a super mutant/hybrid bug (What? Something worse than bugs with fire emitting bums?), one that could mean the very end of mankind's existence on this mudball we call Earth (nice going, dorkus).I did groove on this film, but it took some very odd directions. I wasn't really sure what was going on at the beginning, but then it seemed to take a disaster/killer insect tact which quickly died out, feeding into plot about a man delving into uncharted waters (remember, it's not nice to fool with Mother Nature). I was looking forward to a straight up bug film, but the deviation of the story wasn't unwelcome. The problem it created was to really slow down, even interrupting, the momentum of the initial storyline, and I think many viewers will find that disconcerting and difficult to overcome. I thought Dillman did well, especially in the last half as a man driven to understand that which had taken so much from him. The scene where he realizes the mutant strain he helped to create has the intuitive ability to understand more than anyone would have thought was really creepy. I think my favorite scene was near the beginning, involving one of the Professor's former students bringing evidence that such bugs exist in the form of a slightly singed, half eaten feline in a shoe box. By the way, I'm sure the Professor was thankful that the dillhole decided to wait until the moment when the professor was halfway through his lunch before revealing this nugget of disgustingness. There were plenty of creepy crawly scares (oh look, one of the bugs is perched on the earpiece of the phone...and now the phone's ringing...uh-oh, do you think that woman who's answering the phone will notice before putting it to her ear?) The flaws throughout are noticeable (hey, that woman turned into a similarly dressed, now flaming stuntman), but I really appreciated the use of real, live bugs (much like in William Shatner's 1977 epic ode to arachnids in Kingdom of the Spiders), and found it refreshing compared to the obviously inexpensive CGI effects that so often plague the low budget (and even high budget) releases of today. An interesting note is the interior set used for the Parmiter home is the same interior set used on the television show The Brady Bunch ('69-'74). I hadn't recognized it as such during the film, but it did seem familiar in a way I couldn't put my finger one, until I read about it later and it clicked. This isn't a great movie, but it's also not a bad one (it was Castle's last film, as he passed a couple years later), but there was one thing about it that really annoyed me more than anything else in the film. It was during the later half of the film, when James is well into his distraught/cuckoo nutty phase, studying and breeding the bugs, housing them in a wooden box with metal grating. The box did have a latch, one James never bothered to secure properly, the bugs would escape, and more than once! I think the first time I woke to find voracious, carnivorous, burning roaches crawling around, I'd be inclined to lock the box tightly before going to sleep again...but hey, that's just me...The anamorphic widescreen print (filmed for 1:85:1 cropping, presented in 16:9) provided looks pretty decent, but I thought the audio a bit soft. There are absolutely no special features (a brief bio of Castle would've been nice).Cookieman108

When an earthquake hits a small Californian town, a large crack in a field opens up releasing thousands of prehistoric arsonist cockroaches. These mutations are able to cause fire by rubbing together their cerci, and waste no time at all in causing fires all over town. A scientist, James Parmiter, discovers that the bugs will soon die out as they can't survive in the low air pressure on the Earth's surface, but sadly for Parmiter, one of the bugs last victims is his wife, Carrie. It's fair to say that the death of his wife has an adverse effect on the man's sanity, and when he decides to try and mate one of the last surviving fire-roaches with a common cockroach, the effects are horrific.Bradford Dillman is great fun to watch as James Parmiter, he starts out as a well-intentioned loving husband and slowly descends into a clichéd mad scientist, it's brilliant. He gives by far the best performance in the film and in the second half, we are almost exclusively in his company alone. Dillman spent most of his career on TV, but did appear in several well-known movies including Escape from the Planet of the Apes, The Iceman Cometh, The Way We Were, The Enforcer and another two animal attack/creature feature films in 1978, The Swarm and Piranha. Although this is clearly Dillman's film, there is pretty good support from Joanna Miles, Richard Gilliland, Jamie Smith-Jackson, Alan Fudge, Jesse Vint and Patty McCormack who is best known for playing the evil little girl in The Bad Seed from 1956.Bug was directed by Jeannot Szwarc, a director that had mostly directed TV shows and TV movies up to that point, including 19 episodes of Night Gallery. I think he did a great job on Bug, it's well paced, the close-up shots of the bugs are fantastic, it's reasonably creepy and tense at times, and he directed Dillman in one of his best ever performances. Szwarc's next theatrical feature was the hugely underrated Jaws 2 three years later, a film I feel is very nearly as good as its brilliant predecessor. He spent the next decade making films of varying quality from the very good Somewhere in Time to the excruciatingly bad Supergirl. In recent years he's had a lot of success directing several episodes of shows such as JAG, The Practice, Without a Trace, Heroes, Cold Case, Smallville, Fringe, Grey's Anatomy and Bones.Bug is based on the Thomas Page novel "The Hephaestus Plague", and the screenplay was co-written by Page and the film's producer, William Castle. Bug was the last ever film that Castle was involved with, he died of a heart-attack a few years later. Castle has gained legendary status over the years for his films such as House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, Mr Sardonicus and The Old Dark House. The music is mostly excellent by Charles Fox, though I did feel it was slightly overbearing in some scenes, and Michel Hugo's cinematography is nice. It's also probably worth noting that the Parmiter house in the film is the very same set that was used for the interior of the Brady home in the TV show The Brady Bunch. The effects are a little hit-and-miss, the bugs toward the very end of the film look pretty poor, but there's also a scene very early on where the bugs burn a cat to death, it's extremely realistic looking and some viewers may find it a little distressing.In 2013, Paramount, using the Paramount Catalog label re-released dozens of films that had previously been released but had gone out-of-print, Bug was part of those releases. All of the Paramount Catalog films I've picked up so far have had no extras, have been very cheap to buy and have had excellent picture quality, Bug is no different. The picture quality is nice all the way through, it goes a little grainy during very dark scenes, but it also looks absolutely stunning at times as well. For what is a very fun film, very cheap to buy and with excellent picture quality, it's well worth picking up, especially if you're a big animal attack/creature feature fan like I am. There's English subtitles available. Just a word of warning, the disc is region 1 and you will need a region free player in order to watch it.

Cult movie anni 70 del genere poi imitato decine di volte, da "I carnivori venuti dalla Savana" a "Tremors", abbastanza riuscito essendo vecchio di ben 43 anni. Un terremoto ha risvegliato degli insetti preistorici capaci di emanare vampate di fuoco. Un professore si occupa del caso. Ottimi gli effetti, almeno per l'epoca. Non consigliato a chi schifa gli insetti. Dirige il regista de "Lo squalo 2".

Hadn't seen this movie since it's original release. Not disappointed. Eerie music.

Hola, Amazon,No puedo clasificar mejor porque estoy tan cansado de ser mal informado acerca de los subtítulos. De acuerdo con su página (http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B009WHNPUY/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), el DVD tiene subtítulos en italiano; por desgracia no hay, ni siquiera otro tipo de subtítulo. Esto ha sucedido más veces en mis compras en Amazon, que eso me molesta un poco, porque el Inglés no es mi lengua materna, ciertas escenas no son comprensibles porque la historia es un tanto compleja. Hablo con conocimiento ya que soy un cliente frecuente de todas las tiendas online de Amazon de la Europa occidental y a veces incluso de Amazon.com. Este problema de la insuficiente información sobre los subtítulos es particularmente en Amazon.es ... Estoy pensando seriamente en dejar comprar en Amazon. No devuelva el DVD (voy a tratar de encontrar una sinopsis en algún lugar). El precio del DVD no es exorbitante, pero si se trataba de un DVD de los muy caros, yo tendría la valentía a reclamar una indemnización de al menos el 50%.Saludos.Rogerio

Per chi come me è appassionato di film catastrofici del periodo, questo è un must.Niente di eclatante, come si può vedere anche su imdb, ma sempre piacevole.La confezione purtroppo non contiene nulla al di fuori del dvd, per cui se vi accontentate del film, è da prendere a occhi chiusi.