Gusanos infernales

Against FOOD OF THE GODS, DOGS, KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS, the irrepressible SLUGS and other nature-gone-berserk flicks, SQUIRM stands tall.

The worms are the thing here, but their existence does not short-change the film's acting, storyline and characterizations. Director Jeff Lieberman, a fellow of immense cinematic intelligence (BLUE SUNSHINE, JUST BEFORE DAWN), has crafted a smart, stylish little thriller that delivers on its promise.

Rick Baker's worms are very impressive and Lieberman knows when to reveal them and when to keep them -- literally -- in the dark.

The set-up is simple. Following a filthy, dirty storm, downed powerlines send bolts of electricity into the earth. Shocked worms turn rabid and begin to menace "us".

The film is exceptionally well photographed and acted, the rural setting works beautifully, and the climax packs a punch.

Solid filmmaking all 'round.

"Squirm" is set in rural Fly Creek, Georgia in the aftermath of a violent storm. Power lines are knocked down by the storm and are feeding electricity into the wet ground. This drives the worms crazy, and for some reason, to crave flesh. The day after the storm, a young man from NYC, Mick, arrives by bus to visit his new girlfriend, Gerry, a resident of Fly Creek. As strange events begin to unfold, the young couple turn detective and try to solve the mystery. They find a corpse, lose a corpse, frustrate Gerry's jealous neighbor, and try the patience of the local sheriff more than once. Will they be able to crack the case in time to save the town?! Tune in to see.

Director Jeff Lieberman did not direct many films , but he does a great job with this one. The pacing is great, and the cinematography is some of the best work done on a horror film during the 1970's. He includes plenty of humor and suspense, the required ingredients in these films. The lead actors also do a great job. Don Scardino, as Mick, looks like a young Horatio Caine trying figure out what is going on in this small town. He comes off as likable and heroic in an amateurish fashion. Patricia Pearcy plays Gerry, the perfect young southern belle. She's well mannered, attractive and has a subtle sexuality that you don't usually see in horror films. Though not a great acting performance, she seems comfortable in the role. She and Scardino seem to have real chemistry, which is refreshing to see in a low budget creature feature. The rest of the cast is hit and miss. Gerry's family, her love lorn neighbor, and the local sheriff are perfect. The rest of the cast seems to have no acting experience whatsoever.

This is a fun movie to watch late at night. The low budget limits this film's potential, but the cast, as well as the excellent direction, make this a must see.

The song that plays over the opening and closing credits is perfect. It sets exactly the right tone for the film.

In Fly Creek, Georgia, a severe thunderstorm causes havoc when killer invertebrates are unleashed! In no time at all, the local hillbilly population is under attack by these slime-covered wigglers. Indeed, the tiny cattle from Willie's Worm Farm have become enraged, and the humans had better watch out! These worms bite! They also squeal like rusty hinges!

BEWARE: If you think that worms are icky, then you are in for some major ick!

Stupendous characters abound, including the world's least heroic hero, Mick (Dan Scardino), the wretched Sheriff Reston (Peter Maclean), Roger (A.W. Dow), the man that halfwits point at saying, "Hey! Look at the halfwit!", and the unforgettable, pot-puffing Alma (Fran Higgins) and her enormous shoes!

SQUIRM is Director Jeff Lieberman's creeping, crawling contribution to the "when nature attacks" movie sub-sub-genre. As such, it's a bait bucket full of hilarious fun! Roger's unspeakable transformation, and the dreaded "worm tidal waves" are especially rib-tickling!

EXTRA POINTS GO TO: Jean Sullivan as the ethereal, seemingly LSD-powered Naomi "Ma" Sanders!

Entertaining, ridiculous, and just plain weird!...

A vicious storm downs a power line near a very small Georgia town. It (somehow) drives all the worms crazy and turns them into vicious man-eaters! The town is cut off from civilization and the worms attack...

The plot is just silly (flesh-eating WORMS? Come on!) but the film never takes itself TOO seriously. A lot of the dialogue is very tongue in cheek, and there are LOTS of close-ups of screaming worms (news to me--I didn't know worms could scream). So it's really hard to take any of this seriously.

The acting is all pretty bad (even Jean Sullivan the one "name" in the cast) and the plot moves in fits and starts. And it does take a while to really get going. But when the attacks happen things really get going. There are some pretty good, if disgusting, special effects (one VERY disturbing scene shows worms burrowing into a guys FACE) and seeing literally MOUNTAINS of worms squirming around is kind of queasy.

It you take this film literally you're gonna hate it. But if you accept it for the low-budget, slightly campy film it is you'll probably have a fairly good time. Worth seeing at least once for the gruesome special effects.

I saw the PG rated one on cable which (I heard) is one minute shorter than the R rated one. Purportedly all that's missing is some minor nudity (some of which was in the PG one) and some swearing. All the gore is still there.

One of my favorite horror flicks in this 1970's anomoly about electrified killer worms on a blood rampage in a small Georgia town. The worm effects are by the great Rick Baker, responsible for the effects in many notable productions such as KING KONG (1976), VIDEODROME(1982) and others. The main characters are constantly on the lookout for the hungry worms and the backwoods setting adds some chills as the entire environment is unfamiliar to most viewers. I would highly recommend this one...like I said it's a strange little flick that has been highly underrated, but i guarantee that if you see it, you'll probably enjoy it.