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HorrorYear1975Duration1h 39mIMDb5.2

Bug

HorrorMysterySci-Fi

The inhabitants of a small town find themselves under siege from mutant cockroaches that have the ability to start fires.

Trailer

Cast

Jeannot Szwarc

Director

Bradford Dillman

James Parmiter

Joanna Miles

Carrie Parmiter

Richard Gilliland

Gerald Metbaum

Jamie Smith-Jackson

Norma Tacker

Alan Fudge

Mark Ross

Jesse Vint

Tom Tacker

Patty McCormack

Sylvia Ross

Brendan Dillon

Charlie

Frederic Downs

Henry Tacker

James Greene

Reverend Kern

Jim Poyner

Kenny Tacker

SJ

Sam Javis

Taxi Driver

BS

Bard Stevens

Security Guard

GC

Georgie Castle

Student

KF

Karoly Fogassy

Preacher at Funeral

TP

Thomas Page

Writer

William Castle

Writer

Comments

10 Comments

christ guieAug 22, 2024

So in this movie, there are some scenes that take place in the Brady Bunch house. It is true. But it's really only obvious in the kitchen, especially the scene where the scientist's wife's head goes up in flames. The other parts of the set were modified to make it somewhat inconspicuous... but if you have a keen eye, you'll notice it. This was filmed sometime in 1974, which was the year the final episodes of The Brady Bunch aired. So it appears that the bugs chased the Bradys out. Cousin Oliver probably brought the fiery critters into the house in his luggage. That kid ruined everything. He was said to be a "jinx." This proves it! This movie has some fun moments but it does start to get a bit boring as it drags on. The Brady house stuff wraps up somewhere around the middle and the last half doesn't include it any longer. We get trapped in some tiny shack with the mad scientist who is doing weird breeding experiments with the fire bugs and regular cockroaches. I won't spoil how it turns out but you can probably guess. Cousin Oliver's jinx is a strong one.

Merhawi🌴Aug 22, 2024

"Bug" is a scaly, low-grade little thriller meant to scare 8-year-olds (and grown-ups with an insect phobia prone to squirming). This final project from famed movie producer William Castle is a slapdash effort, sadly, with a small community in the path of mutant roaches after an earthquake. Based on the book "The Hephaestus Plague" by Thomas Page, who also penned the screenplay with help from Castle, the chills are all in the special effects, the characters being of no interest whatsoever. The bugs are satisfyingly disgusting, causing fire and panic (and one hysterical death on the former "Brady Bunch" set at Paramount). Aficionados of gross-out cinema will up the rating a notch, while purveyors of camp will enjoy the wooden performances by Bradford Dillman as a local professor and Joanna Miles as his wife. Lots of close-ups of bug guts, yet the production values are disappointingly cheapjack, a depressing reminder of better days at the Castle horror factory. *1/2 from ****

Hussein ChourMay 29, 2023

Ali algmatyMay 29, 2023

source: Bug

ChuBzMay 23, 2023

Cockroaches are creepy enough. Cockroaches with incendiary powers are creepier. But cockroaches with arsonist capabilities who can reason and think and mount an organized attack, that's just downright terrifying. The special effects weren't all that special, yet somehow this movie always frightened me. I remember rumors that somewhere they had used real foot-long roaches, but I don't know the validity in that. Still, this is not just another monster bug movie, like all those killer bees, killer ants and killer spider movies that dominated the '70's. Based on a Thomas Page novel called The Hephaestus Plague, Bug centered on a scientist played by Bradford Dillman, studying subterranean roaches released from an earthquake. The scene that always stuck with me; bugs on the wall, spelling Parmiter, the scientist's name. So if you're looking for explosions and action, or if you're looking for blood and gore, you might want to keep looking. But if you're in the mood for something original and a little creepy, then you might want to check this out.

MounajMay 23, 2023

Viewers who may be having some insect problems in their own abode may feel a bit better about their domestic situation when they see what the residents of a small California desert town have to contend with, in 1975's "Bug." After a seismic event releases the titular nasties from deep underground, the ugly, beetlelike creatures start making trouble, setting fires wherever they go by rubbing their chitinous rear antennae together. And then things get even more problematic, when a balmy biology teacher (excellently portrayed by Bradford Dillman) decides to cross the "Firebug" with the ordinary domestic roach! OK, first let me say what "bugged" me about this film. It is occasionally slow moving and, other than Dillman's character, there is no other character of any depth or interest to speak of. And since even Dillman's character goes bonkers halfway through, there's really nobody for the viewer to root for or identify with. There is, however, plenty of good news. The film IS creepy as can be (roachaphobes, be forewarned!) and features an eerie electronic score by Charles Fox and interesting directorial touches from Jeannot Szwarc. And those bugs really are something! I could not tell half the time if I was looking at a genuine insect or the result of some special FX wizardry; probably a cunning mixture of the two. And the four bug attack sequences, three of them on women, are gruesomely effective and well done. A tip of the hat to producer and co-writer William Castle, who, in this, his last film, demonstrated that he still knew how to deliver a gripping entertainment. (Come to think of it, the Firebug almost looks like a pint-size Tingler!) My buddy Rob has astutely pointed out to me the picture's skillful use of establishing shots, prolonged silences, "disturbing imagery" and "unnerving stillness," and I must admit that a repeat viewing revealed the film to be not so much slow as deliberately paced. Ending on as bleak a note as can be, the picture will most likely send viewers off to the hardware store to pick up a preventive pack of Combat!

mira mdgMay 23, 2023

Loosely based on the novel "The Hephaestus Plague" about a strain of self igniting cockroach that is unleashed on a rural town following an earthquake. Local professor (Bradford Dillman) must learn more about the bugs in an attempt to stop the path of destruction, but finds himself aiding their evolution into unassailable marauders. Interestingly handled thriller, produced by horror royalty in William Castle focuses on the mental disintegration of the lead character, following the death of his spouse. His obsessive determination to destroy the bugs leads him to the brink of insanity, while the bugs conversely enhance their intelligence through the reinforcement gained in his experiments. Where most of the cast (Gilliland, Vint, Jackson, Miles) fade out after the first half, Fudge and McCormack come into focus in the second half, as they attempt to coax Dillman out of his self imposed isolation. The concept that mankind is the subject of the experiment and ultimately the more vulnerable of the two species, is canvassed abundantly in the second half of the film and while engaging, slows the pace considerably. Overall, I found "Bug" an entertaining tale that improved with each subsequent viewing and an ideal swansong for horror maestro Castle.

Gabbie Vington DreyMay 23, 2023

Very underrated oldie, IMDb's rating is 5.2 I think it deserves at least a 9.2! Very strange bug movie with an earthquake and people trying to study the creatures which can be terrifying and the ending is actually cinematic. I don't know why there are complaints about it.

TBMay 23, 2023

I saw this movie when I was about 8 years old in a very old, ornate theater. At that time, it absolutely scared the hell out of me. This movie has been burned in my memory as being incredibly terrifying. I would love to see it now because in retrospect, it was probably one of the cheesiest movies I have ever seen. Great for B movie fans.

AhmedFathyActorMay 23, 2023

Silly, but truly horrifying account of a new breed of cockroach/beetle that infest a small town after a major earthquake. These little creatures possess the ability to emit sparks from their underside, making them capable of setting fires. A concerned young lad is the first to discover the bugs and shows them to his biology professor, who in turn becomes obsessed with the creatures and begins his descent into madness. Very unsettling and equally suspenseful, this film will make you get that "there's-a-bug-on-me!" feeling that we all hate-- over and over and over again. I was amazed at the cockroach-wrangling as well, especially when they all grouped together to spell out "WE LIVE" on the protagonist's living room wall. This was horror master William Castle's last film.

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