BUG

US, 1975, 99 minutes, Colour.
Bradford Dillman, Joanna Miles, Alan Fudge, Jessie Vint, Patti Mc Cormack.
Directed by Jennot Schwartz.

Bug was made at a time when disaster movies were very popular. It was the year in which Jaws was released. However, there were all kinds of smaller-budget disaster movies with animals like Grizzly, The Manitou, Empire of the Ants and Food of the Gods.

Bradford Dillman plays a scientist who wants to play God, experimenting on bugs, unleashing dangers and disaster on his community. There is a touch of a supernatural element as the scientist is finally drawn into hell.

The film is routinely entertaining. The director began his career in the 1960s with television episodes and continued into the 21st century. During the 70s he made a number of films and telemovies including Jaws 2, Somewhere in time and, on a bigger budget, Supergirl and Santa Claus. However, after these films, he moved back into full-time television.

1. Audience expectations from the title, the background of science fiction, animal plagues and horror? Comment on the overall treatment, the fulfilment of audience expectations.

2. The animal and plagues trend of films in the seventies: real insects, monstrous insects, their visual presentation, the horror in their behaviours and threat, the effect on civilization? The bugs in this film, their visual presentation, fire, intelligence? Their threatening, of people, especially women?

3. How is this film an example of the 'mad scientist' genre? The scientist and his knowledge, his laboratory work overcoming his human feelings, his fascination with horror, his involvement in the horror and sharing it, his power over the animal world, the animal world's power over him, animals wreaking vengeance on him for trying to play God? How well were the conventions of the mad scientist playing God developed and presented?

4. The importance of locations, the recreation of the town with its church, ceremonies, school, homes, laboratories and college? The landscapes, the (lust, the earthquake and its effect on people in the church, on homes,
on the dusty fields? The background for the bugs?

5. How skilful were the special effects for this film? The initial presentation of the earthquake, the close-ups of the bugs, their fire capacities, their movements? The way that they ignited the various fires, cars, homes, people? Their descent into Hell at the end?

6. Audience interest in this kind of horror, identifying with the characters and their suffering, the fascination of powerful insects overcoming human beings? What is the effect of this kind of horror: initial scares, lasting
dread?

7. How valuable was the rather humane and humorous opening, the presentation of ordinary people in church, the sermon? The plausibility because the town was so normal? Audience response to this and the transition then to the fire and quake? The scientific speculations, the speculation about the San Francisco quake and fire? The plausibility of the scientific dialogue, the laboratories, the shared opinions? The background to make a modern horror story credible?

8. The impact visually and emotionally on the audience of the cars exploding?

9. The presentation of the bugs and people's response to these, interest in their effect, in the ground, the cars, the garage, the phone, on the woman's hair, the flames? The detailed presentation of scientific examination of the bugs? The explanations about their exploding?

10. The film’s build-up of an atmosphere of menace, the wife and her death, how involved were audiences by the end of the film?

11. The character of Parmiter? His fascination with the bugs, his place in the town, as a scientist, with his colleagues, his fascination? his relationship with the students and getting them involved? His theories? The situation getting out of hand, his change and withdrawal, his experiences with the bugs, his appearance, his visitors and their
Horror? His theory about photographing them, mating them? reaction to the human voice? Their eating? The irony of their attack, their writing letters on the way? What had happened?

12. The contrast with the ordinary people in the plot, the students, Sylvia and her death, the colleagues?

13. The build-up to the final confrontation: Parmiter's withdrawal, the house out in the desert, his wild way of looking, the conspiracy of the bugs against him?

14. The final confrontation between the bugs and Parmiter? Their taking him down into Hell with them? The earth covering up? The expectations that they would strike again?

15. The effect of this kind of science fiction for entertainment, interest, speculation about science and its relationship to human existence? A moral fable about humans and nature, trying to play God?