Der Kuss des Käfers

I saw Bugcrush this evening as a part of the Palm Springs Short Film Festival. It was the final movie in the series of gay shorts, with the other movies (for the most part) being funny & interesting. This was the last movie - and was dark, disturbing, grotesque, and bizarre. Perhaps if I was prepared for a creepy, scary movie I would have enjoyed it - but I gasped in all the same parts that the rest of the sold-out gay crowd did. When the Q&A's came at the end, more than half the crowd got up and left, saying things like "Let's get out of here, so I don't have to hear anything about Bugcrush." Of the eight movies shown, Bugcrush was the most memorable - but not in a good way. If that was the point of the movie - it succeeded.

I watched 'bugcrush' last night and had such mixed feelings about it. I went online tonight and tried to find the short story by Scott Treleaven. It was one of the gay horror stories in Queer Fear 2 published in 2003. I was surprised by a few of the overly negative comments posted here. Yes, I was a little shocked and disturbed by the ending of the story, but it was a horror story. How many horror stories have we seen using the same seductions and with the same outcome. As a gay man I must have a thicker skin than most. I was spellbound by the direction. The acting was good and sometimes better than good. I had to re-watch the ending several times to come to grips with what just happen. Looking back in the story I realized that the author/director had warned us several times of the coming doom. How many of us have been lured by the danger in the quest for fulfillment. A lesson for all who take the risk with expectations of delight.

Dark. bitter. chilling. a film about dark side of an age. not surprising. only admirable precise. the characters are well known. the atmosphere - created in inspired manner. the loner guy - reflection of the viewer in many cases. because each of us is defined by questions. and expectations. short - a solide film. not a lesson. not a pledge. only a precise, honest portrait. about fascination and secrets, need to be accepted and the answer who is not exactly a reasonable one.

I like the idea of having whispers in the background, it's very clever. What annoys me is that what could have been a good story is screwed up by making it all freaky and weird.

It is made and performed well, but it's just not really my thing. There's something kind of sexual about it in a weird fetish type way though.

Terrible ending, I need closure!!! And bugs are gross!

The short story that BUGCRUSH is based on was originally written by the artist/filmmaker Scott Treleaven (not Steve). The story, which is also entitled 'Bugcrush', originally appeared in the horror anthology 'QUEER FEAR 2', edited by horror writer/essayist Michael Rowe, and was published by Arsenal Pulp Press (2003). The film follows the story very accurately, creating the same kind of lingering threat of sexual violence/fulfillment, and using a lot of the stilted, crushed-out teen dialog that made the story so effective. Although he's mostly known as a visual artist, Treleaven also wrote, and directed, the cult films QUEERCORE (1996), and THE SALIVATION ARMY (2002), as well as a number of other scripts and stories.