Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

ferbs54 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!

moonspinner55 Final project from famed movie producer William Castle is, sadly, a slapdash insect affair. Based on the book "The Hephaestus Plague" by Thomas Page, who also penned the screenplay with help from Castle, the chills start after an earthquake rocks a small community, bringing mutant roaches up from the earth. The bugs are satisfyingly disgusting, causing fire, 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 scaly legs and bug guts, yet the production values are disappointingly cheapjack, a depressing reminder of far better days at the Castle horror factory. *1/2 from ****

Coventry With ecological horror being one of my personal favorite trends in 70's cinema, I cannot believe it took me until now to check out this awesome creature-feature called "Bug", scripted by no less than horror maestro William Castle ("House on Haunted Hill", "Homicidal") and directed by Jeannot Szwarc ("Jaws 2", "Enigma"). The film bathes in that typically irresistible 70's atmosphere like I've rarely seen it before. We're talking about an atmosphere of grotesque, paranoia and apocalypse - all of it inflicted by spontaneous and inexplicable ecological phenomena. In this case a small Californian desert town becomes overrun with uncanny cockroaches after a severe earthquake during a period of drought. Not ordinary cockroaches, mind you, but indestructible and rapidly multiplying little monsters that hold the ability to set fire to material things as well as living beings! The fierce insects feed on ashes, spread across the desert area at an incredibly fast rate and quickly become responsible for a large death-toll among the increasingly hysterical population. Local entomologist Jim Parmiter faces the hardest challenge in his career trying to develop a method to exterminate this new breed of lethal bugs. Unlike a lot of its contemporary colleagues, which are just plain cheesy and laugh-inducing, "Bug" is actually an engaging and at times even scary motion picture. The suspense unfolds gradually, as more and locals find their houses infested with the nasty little fire-bugs, and certain death sequences are truly unforgettable, like the spontaneously combusting housewife in her kitchen. The tone of the film drastically changes in the last forty or so minutes, since Bradford Dillman isolates himself with in order to investigate the insects' weaknesses and we exclusively follow up on his progress. At that point "Bug" becomes a little less exciting and action-packed but definitely not less fascinating to look at. The special effects are more than adequate enough considering the time of release and the budget they had to work with (especially knowing William Castle) and the acting performances are above average as well. The remote filming locations contribute a lot the atmosphere and I just can't get over how brilliant and imaginative the premise of pyromaniac insects in fact is! Apparently I'm not the most reliable source when it comes to recommending 70's creature features, since I even worship junk movies like "Squirm" and "Empire of the Ants", but I presume that "Bug" will appeal to a very wide range of open-minded horror fanatics.

PathetiCinema This movie is about insects that are indeed pyromaniacs. They have a liking for setting people at Gas Mark 8 and baking them for 40 minutes, turning halfway for an even cooking.They are not content with incinerating their victims but also like to communicate with them by arranging themselves into letters. When communicating with the hero (Bradford Dillman) they form this sentence:HELLO, PARMITER. I LIKE YOUR SOCKS. MAY WE SET THEM ALIGHT, PLEASE?Naturally, the scientist is driven over the edge into insanity by all of this.HELLO, PARMITER, MAY WE WATCH 'ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES' ON CHANNEL TWO? HELLO, PARMITER. HAVE YOU TAKEN A BATH RECENTLY? HELLO, PARMITER. PUT THAT AWAY, IT'S DISGUSTING. WE CAN SEE YOU PARMITER. I HOPE YOU ARE GOING TO WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER DOING THAT, YOU DIRTY SWINE.These insects are bad ass. They are psychologically nasty as well as incendiary little sods.