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Bug

  • 1975
  • PG
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
Bug (1975)
An earthquake releases a strain of mutant cockroaches with the ability to start fires, which proceed to cause destructive chaos in a small town.
Play trailer2:04
1 Video
63 Photos
HorrorMysterySci-FiThriller

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

  • Director
    • Jeannot Szwarc
  • Writers
    • Thomas Page
    • William Castle
  • Stars
    • Bradford Dillman
    • Joanna Miles
    • Richard Gilliland
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.2/10
    2.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jeannot Szwarc
    • Writers
      • Thomas Page
      • William Castle
    • Stars
      • Bradford Dillman
      • Joanna Miles
      • Richard Gilliland
    • 63User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
    • 42Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Official Traile
    Trailer 2:04
    Official Traile

    Photos63

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    + 56
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    Top cast16

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    Bradford Dillman
    Bradford Dillman
    • James Parmiter
    Joanna Miles
    Joanna Miles
    • Carrie Parmiter
    Richard Gilliland
    Richard Gilliland
    • Gerald Metbaum
    Jamie Smith-Jackson
    Jamie Smith-Jackson
    • Norma Tacker
    • (as Jamie Smith Jackson)
    Alan Fudge
    Alan Fudge
    • Mark Ross
    Jesse Vint
    • Tom Tacker
    Patty McCormack
    Patty McCormack
    • Sylvia Ross
    Brendan Dillon
    Brendan Dillon
    • Charlie
    Frederic Downs
    Frederic Downs
    • Henry Tacker
    • (as Fred Downs)
    James Greene
    James Greene
    • Reverend Kern
    Jim Poyner
    • Kenny Tacker
    Sam Javis
    • Taxi Driver
    Bard Stevens
    • Security Guard
    Georgie Castle
    • Student
    • (uncredited)
    William Castle
    William Castle
      Karoly Fogassy
      • Preacher at Funeral
      • (uncredited)
      • Director
        • Jeannot Szwarc
      • Writers
        • Thomas Page
        • William Castle
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews63

      5.22.8K
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      Featured reviews

      matthew87

      good killer bug movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      This scared the hell out of me when I saw it.Roaches that rub their legs together kill everything and everyone.Bradford dillman is a good actor and I think this movie is his best work.The ending of the movie is really strange and I think This is the best of killer bug films.A good companion to this movie is the nest [1988]Only in this film they kill by using teeth.
      jmaglioc

      Scary!!

      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.
      dire69

      It Freaked Me Out

      This movie I can tell you, it freaked me out very much when I first saw it. I now own it on vhs and to this day I still get freaked out everytime I watch it. This movie along with others that were done about 30 yrs. ago approximately especially the ones with insects were done very well and some are a lot better than the ones of today.
      7ferbs54

      No-Eyed Bug Monsters

      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!
      6gotoads

      The Brady Bugs

      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.

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      Related interests

      Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
      Horror
      Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
      Mystery
      James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
      Sci-Fi
      Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
      Thriller

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        The set used for the Parmiter home, (where Joanna Miles's character has her head set ablaze by a "bug"), was the same set at Paramount Studios in Hollywood as the one used for the interiors of the Brady home in the ABC television series, The Brady Bunch (1969). Due to very poor ratings, being massacred by Sanford and Son (1972), the series had been canceled in 1974, a few months before filming on this film began. Since this film's release in 1975, "The Brady Bunch" became a ubiquitous hit in syndication, and the set has become easily recognizable to several generations of classic TV watchers, even though the set was altered for use in this film.
      • Goofs
        When Parmiter finds the dead body in the shed its still daylight. He then runs into the house and is in there no longer than a minute and when he emerges its pitch black.
      • Quotes

        James Parmiter: [tape recording] Gone too far ... gone too far ... gone too far ... gone too far ...

      • Connections
        Featured in Terror in the Aisles (1984)

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      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • June 6, 1975 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • United States
      • Language
        • English
      • Also known as
        • The Hephaestus Plague
      • Filming locations
        • Riverside, California, USA
      • Production company
        • William Castle Productions
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

      Edit
      • Gross US & Canada
        • $3,602,023
      • Gross worldwide
        • $3,602,023
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        • 1h 39m(99 min)
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.85 : 1

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