ALL SCI-FI Forum Index ALL SCI-FI
The place to “find your people”.
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Bug (1975)

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ALL SCI-FI Forum Index -> Sci-Fi Movies from 1970 to 2000
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17020
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:16 pm    Post subject: Bug (1975) Reply with quote

______


Producer William Castle, the man responsible for "Rosemary's Baby" (with a little help from the Devil) and many other horror films, wrote the screenplay for "Bug", based on Thomas Page's novel "The Hephaestus Plague".

An earthquake opens a fissure in a farmer's field and releases a swarm of three-inch beetles which have the strange ability to start fires.

Scientist Bradford Dillman mates the big beetles with cockroaches and produces large carnivorous cockroaches (an experiment of questionable scientific value).

Worse yet, the roaches are intelligent, and groups of them can spell out messages with their bodies, like a marching band during half-time at a football game.





* Note to Wayne: See how much fun it can be to add pictures to your posts? Photobucket sucks, but Imgur is your friend! Very Happy

Be prepared for some unpleasant moments. Patty McCormack, the little girl who was hit by lightning in "The Bad Seed" in 1956, doesn't fare so well in this movie either.

This was the last film William Castle was associated with, and it's surprisingly well done! Directed by Jeannot Swarc.

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Sep 05, 2022 4:25 pm; edited 5 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17020
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________

I have GOT to watch this movie! Between my highly entertaining post above and the terrific trailer below, it looks like a hoot-and-half, movie wise! Cool

I mean . . . damn! Fire-starting bugs that emerge from a giant crack in the Earth and get a free upgrade from a scientist who makes them bigger AND smart?

This sounds too good to dismiss just because everybody else says is sucks! What if everybody is wrong! Shocked

__________________________________


_______________________ BUG (1975) Trailer


__________

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17020
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 9:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I watched this movie tonight, and I was impressed by how good it was. This is one of the most intelligent science fiction movies I've seen in years. It's both smart and creepy as hell!

Despite the fact that the climax is marred by FX that don't quiet measure up to the rest of the film, I highly recommend this movie.

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
scotpens
Starship Captain


Joined: 19 Sep 2014
Posts: 871
Location: The Left Coast

PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 12:15 am    Post subject: Re: Bug (1975) Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
. . . Worse yet, the roaches are intelligent, and groups of them can spell out messages with their bodies, like a marching band during half-time at a football game.

That sounds more humorous than horrific. Maybe it plays better than it reads.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17020
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Well, I will admit that when the bugs came marching out with their little bitty drums and their teeny tiny tubas while playing "Hold That Tiger", it did tend to lesson the fearful mood of the film. Rolling Eyes

But the scene on the miniature football field when they saluted great movie themes was quite impressive. Here's a clip from the movie. Watch this amazing display of the bugs' intelligence! Shocked


___ BUG clip - forming complex geometric shapes


__________

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bogmeister
Galactic Fleet Vice Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 574

PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 12:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

____________
__________________

The swan song for producer William Castle, who died a couple of years later. He was famous for his gimmicks, and the gimmick here is that the bugs — mutated cockroaches — besides creeping people out, can also set people on fire.

Though this was in the middle of the eco-horror trend of seventies films, involving nature striking back at mankind in some fashion, this film develops into more of a psychological study of the main character (Bradford Dillman) descending into madness and into his own personal hell while dealing with these grotesque insects.

The story structure is a bit unusual and facilitates this turn for the character. His wife (Joanna Miles) — presumably the other main character — is unexpectedly killed (set aflame) by one of these bugs midway through the story. Dillman, as a scientist, does not take her death very well. But, being on the eccentric side, he also has an affinity for these bugs — a new, exciting form of life from his p.o.v.


___________ Best Scene From 'Bug' (1975 Film)


___________


And so, the 2nd half of this pic is very enclosed, concentrating almost exclusively on the off-kilter scientist and his relationship with these bugs.

Patty McCormack (The Bad Seed) also has a role as a friend and ends up as another victim — the insects do not deal anymore gently with human females than they they do with men — a sobering comment on the remorselessness of the insect world.

This was based on the novel, The Hephaestus Plague, a much more creative title by Thomas Page. The story also has references to Biblical prophecies of doom, which don't really fit. It's pretty slow, especially in the first half.


______________________ Bug - Phone scene

___________



_____________________________ Bug 1975


___________


BoG's Score: 5 out of 10

Bug Trivia:This was released to theaters on the same day as Jaws. Obviously, it was very much ignored in favor of the shark film. The director of Bug, Jeannot Szwarc, went on to direct Jaws 2 (1978). He is best known for Somewhere in Time (1980).




BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17020
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I read this IMDB trivia item and was very glad I did!

According to producer William Castle, director Jeannot Szwarc approached him with a problem; Joanna Miles was "deathy afraid" of cockroaches and obviously didn't want them crawling on her. When Castle tried to demonstrate how harmless they were by having one crawl on his own arm, he was bitten.

I'm not "deathy afraid" of cockroaches, but they do creep me out to an unreasonable degree. I'm not overly afraid of spiders, and I'm only cautious of bees and wasps. Ants don't bug me (Rolling Eyes) unless they start biting.

But on the rare occasion when I encounter a cockroach in my house, I can't bring myself to just slap it with my hand before it runs for cover. The idea is repugnant. Besides, even a good slap with an object doesn't always kill the little bastards and they get away!

Recently I decided I should just "man up" and grab the damn thing so I could throw it into the toilet. But after reading the above IMDB item, I looked up the question about cockroach bites. I found this.
________________________________

What happens if you get bitten by a cockroach?

Like most insect bites, cockroach bites cause the skin to react by swelling up and becoming itchy. In the rare case that a cockroach bite becomes infected, the area will become inflamed and fill up with pus. The bite may then become as large as your hand.

________________________________

I guess I'll just continue to keep my big can of Raid handy. But if they start burning messages like the one below into my counter top, I might have to try diplomacy! Shocked



_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Mar 27, 2022 12:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Krel
Guest





PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

They didn't just use cockroaches, they used Madagascar hissing cockroaches! These monsters are typically 2 to 3 inches long. Zoos use them as feed for some animals.

They are also popular on TV and movies that need large insects. Remember the "Killer Cockroaches" in "Damnation Alley"? They are regulated, and when used outside of labs, they use only males to prevent a pregnant female from escaping and infesting the outside environment. After one movie that used them ("Damnation Alley"?), they were finding them in the rafters for weeks afterward. They are excellent climbers, even on glass.

For people that want them as pets (WHY IN GOD'S NAME WOULD ANYONE WANT TO DO THAT? Shocked), most places require permits to prevent infestation.

David.


Last edited by Krel on Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:15 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17020
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

If I ever encounter a genie who grants me three wishes, here's what they'll be.

(1) Make me young again.

(2) Make me rich.

(3) Drop all the cockroaches on Earth into the sun. Confused

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ralfy
Mission Specialist


Joined: 23 Sep 2014
Posts: 488

PostPosted: Wed May 03, 2023 7:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's one high-def copy of the feature:

https://ok.ru/video/2300098513661

I signed up using a burner Google account instead of giving a phone number, then got a copy of the video using Jdownloader.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ALL SCI-FI Forum Index -> Sci-Fi Movies from 1970 to 2000 All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group