The 1978 film adapted from Arthur Herzog’s novel The Swarm was a nightmare for a lot of children from that era, and even though it is panned pretty negatively by critics and was a box office failure, the movie is still standing a test of time with its gross nature is still thriving and remembered. Directed by Irwin Allen, The Swarm was released July 14, 1978, and featured the cast of Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant, José Ferrer, Patty Duke, Slim Pickens, Bradford Dillman, Fred MacMurray, and Henry Fonda.
The movie focuses on a swarm of bees that appear in the city, killing people off with their venom as the scientist Brad Crane played Michael Caine, teams up with General Slater, played by Richard Widmark, to stop the bees from attempting the overall invasion using various military tactics. Although the movie is considered one of the worst movies to be ever released, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design. So, if you are looking for a better watch, much like the storyline from The Swarm, here are a few suggestions you might want to check out.
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Them (1954)
From the black and white era, “Them” is one of the first of the 1950s “nuclear monster” films and featured the very first Big Bug on screen. Directed by Gordon Douglas and starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, and James Arness, the film comes from an original idea of George Worthing Yates, which was later converted into a full-fledged script. Them! was applauded as a top-notch sci-fi film and with an expert direction from Gordon Douglas and satisfying melodramatic performances from the actors.Them! It is set in the desert of New Mexico where a nest of gigantic irradiated ants is discovered and is quickly considered a national threat by the humans after they realize that two young queen ants along with companions have left to plant more nests and soon a battle between the ants and the humans begin.
The Nest (1988)
Terence H. Winkless made his directorial debut with the 1988’s The Nest, based on a novel of the same name by Gregory A. Douglas featuring stars Robert Lansing, Lisa Langlois, Franc Luz, and Terri Treas. The film written by Robert King followed mutated cockroaches that wreaked havoc on humans in New England. The movie received a mixed response from the critics, but the fans of the genre were satisfied with the expertly pulled-off plot in the last 40 minutes. Although the movie might not be a masterpiece, it is definitely worth watching for the fans of this genre.
The Nest follows the trio of a scientist, a sheriff, and an examinator who discover roach problems in their house soon to figure out that the whole town is facing not just a roach problem but a big mutated roach problem, and they all set out on an adventure to hunt down these mutated roaches who are the result of a scientific experiment gone wrong.
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Kingdom Of Spiders (1977)
The 1977 film directed by John “Bud” Cardos based on an idea by Jeffrey M. Sneller and Stephen Lodge is remembered for being part of a sub-genre of horror called “nature on the rampage,” which was popular for its nature of humans being attacked by giant tarantulas. Kingdom Of Spiders starred the cast of William Shatner, Tiffany Bolling, Woody Strode, Lieux Dressler, and Altovise Davis and was praised for the perfect take on the sub-genre mentioned above.
The Kingdom Of Spiders follows the story of Dr. Robert Hansen, played by William Shatner, who is met by Walter Colby, played by Woody Strode, and his wife, Birch, played by Altovise Davis, who comes up with a problem when a big creature attacks the cow. To solve the mystery of this creature, Dr. Robert Hansen teams up with scientist Diane Ashley played by tiffany Bolling who soon discovers that giant spiders are invading the town and the human population is in danger.
Phase IV (1974)
The 1974 sci-fi horror film Phase IV, directed by Saul Bass starring Michael Murphy, Nigel Davenport, and Lynne Frederick, was although a box office failure marking Bass’ only feature film but the film soon began to gain a cult following once television airings began in 1975 and also due to the fact the movie was featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000 during the KTMA era. Phase IV follows the rapidly evolving Arizonian Ants who mock the food chain as they attack the lab that is trying to examine this new breed of species.
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Bug (1975)
The bug is probably the only fully-fledged horror film on this list, keeping the sci-fi genre behind and stars Bradford Dillman, Joanna Miles, and Richard Gilliland. Bud is directed by Jeannot Szwarc based on the book by Thomas page titled The Hephaestus Plague (1973) and features mutated cockroaches much like The Nest. Bug follows a bunch of mutated cockroaches that create fire by rubbing their cerci together and are released due to an earthquake. Soon, scientist experiments with these new species to make matters worse than they already are.
Slugs (1988)
Directed by Juan Piquer Simón, Slugs is an American/Spanish language entry in this list starring Michael Garfield and Kim Terry in the lead. Although it received a lower rating, the movie was well-praised for its special effects and make-up, along with direction and thrills that appeal to the youth. Slug follows the story of a rural town where a strain of black slugs spawned from the disposal of toxic waste invade, wreaking havoc, and soon a local health inspector along with his two companions hunt down this breed residing in their sewer home.
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