Bug (1975 film)

Bug
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJeannot Szwarc
Written byWilliam Castle
Thomas Page
Based onThe Hephaestus Plague
(1973 novel)
by Thomas Page
Produced byWilliam Castle
StarringBradford Dillman
Joanna Miles
Richard Gilliland
Jamie Smith-Jackson
CinematographyMichel Hugo
Edited byAllan Jacobs
Music byCharles Fox
Production
company
William Castle Productions[1]
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • June 17, 1975 (1975-06-17)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3,602,023

Bug is a 1975 American science fiction horror film directed by Jeannot Szwarc, produced and co-written by William Castle, based on Thomas Page's 1973 novel The Hephaestus Plague. It stars Bradford Dillman, Joanna Miles and Richard Gilliland.

The film initially depicts a new insect species, which faces extinction. Professor James Parmiter (Dillman), a widowed scientist crossbreeds the species with cockroaches, creating a sentient hybrid species of insects with psychic abilities.

Bug was the last film Castle was involved in before his death in 1977.[2] It was released by Paramount Pictures on June 17, 1995.

Plot

An earthquake releases a species of previously unknown insect which can create fires by rubbing their legs together. Eventually however, most of the bugs die because they cannot survive in the low air pressure on the Earth's surface.

After his wife Carrie dies when one of the insects crawls in her hair, Professor James Parmiter keeps one alive in a pressure chamber. He becomes obsessed with the insect and successfully breeds the new species with a modern cockroach, creating a breed of intelligent, flying super-cockroaches.[3]

Parmiter goes into seclusion at a farm after seeing his creation and gaining the ability to communicate with the bugs.[4]

Cast

Production

Bug was writer and producer William Castle's last film, released some two years before his death.[5] Typical of Castle, the film used a distinctive promotional gimmick, in this case a million-dollar life insurance policy for the film's insect star, "Hercules" the cockroach.[6] Castle originally pitched a gimmick of theatre seats rigged with mechanisms to simulate the sensation of crawling insects on patrons' legs, similar to his gimmick for The Tingler (1959).[1] However, Paramount Pictures was skeptical of the proposal, only implementing it in a few theatres.[1]

Exterior filming took place on-location in Riverside, California, with the then-Mayor Ben H. Lewis (himself a former actor) making a cameo appearance as himself.[1] The set used for the Parmiter house's interior was repurposed from the "Brady home" set from the sitcom The Brady Bunch, which had been cancelled before shooting began. The cockroach models were designed by Karoly Fogassy, a technical illustrator at the University of California, Riverside, while real cockroaches specially bred by a University entomologist were also used.[1]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 33% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.3/10. However, the sci-fi review site Moria was kinder to the movie, calling it Jeannot Szwarc's best film. It noted that the movie was better than expected, and the first part of the movie at least maintains scientific credibility. They also praised the lead actor's performance.

Variety found the film static and lacking interest. TV Guide liked the music and found the technical credits good, but overall found the movie mediocre.[7]Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C,[8] while Leonard Maltin in his movie guide gave the movie two stars.[9] The New York Times found the movie "sickening" and felt it deserved a harsher rating than PG.[10]

The film made just over $8 million worldwide.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Bug (1975)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  2. ^ Eggertsen, Chris (June 30, 2010). "This Month in Horror: June 1975". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  3. ^ Roog (April 11, 1999). "Bug! (1975)". Moria. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  4. ^ "Bug". January 1975.
  5. ^ "Bug". Time Out. September 10, 2012. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  6. ^ Castle, William (1992). Step right up! I'm gonna scare the pants off America. New York: Pharos Books. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-88687-657-9.
  7. ^ "Bug".
  8. ^ "Killer insect movies". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  9. ^ Maltin, Leonard (November 28, 2017). Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide: The Modern Era, Previously Published as Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide. Penguin. ISBN 9780525536314.
  10. ^ Eder, Richard (September 18, 1975). "Screen: Poisonous 'Bug':Story of Beetles That Set People Afire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  11. ^ "Bug". Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
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