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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.

I'm pretty sure the music is what drove him crazy. It certainly made me want to scream.

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.

"Bug" is a scaly, low-grade little thriller meant to scare 8-year-olds (and grown-ups with an insect phobia prone to squirming). This final project from famed movie producer William Castle is a slapdash effort, sadly, with a small community in the path of mutant roaches after an earthquake. Based on the book "The Hephaestus Plague" by Thomas Page, who also penned the screenplay with help from Castle, the chills are all in the special effects, the characters being of no interest whatsoever. The bugs are satisfyingly disgusting, causing fire and panic (and one hysterical death on the former "Brady Bunch" set at Paramount). Aficionados of gross-out cinema will up the rating a notch, while purveyors of camp will enjoy the wooden performances by Bradford Dillman as a local professor and Joanna Miles as his wife. Lots of close-ups of bug guts, yet the production values are disappointingly cheapjack, a depressing reminder of better days at the Castle horror factory. *1/2 from ****

Released in 1975, "Bug" stars Bradford Dillman as a professor who becomes fascinated by a fire-starting breed of large cockroaches after they're released from their subterranean habitat via an earthquake. As he descends into madness he descends into hell.

The movie starts off good with an earthquake at a church in rural Southern California and the ensuing mystery of the fire-starting roaches, but the second half becomes draggy as it largely consists of the professor going recluse as he studies the roaches and performs an experiment. While I didn't find the roaches particularly scary, they're ugly and depicted in a creepy manner. The most memorable part of the movie occurs near the end when the bugs do something on the wall, which utterly freaks out the professor (and the viewer). The climax is pretty good too, but also unsatisfactory.

On the female front, Jamie Smith-Jackson (Alice from 1973's "Go Ask Alice") earns top awards, lookin' great in a pair of jeans, and Patty McCormack (Sylvia) gets second place. Unfortunately, not enough is done with 'em.

The "Brady Bunch" reference refers to the fact that the professor's house is the re-painted and re-arranged house-set of that popular early 70s' show. I was expecting Alice to appear in the kitchen at any moment! Needless to say, if you need a 70s' fix "Bug" fills the bill.

The film runs 99 minutes and was shot in Riverside, California, and Paramount Studios.

GRADE: C+

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!

There are a number of Sci-fi and horror movies from the 70s that defied all odds and were actually shot on film, despite the lack of good writers or actors, money and thought. Bug certainly fits this category. The single most striking thing about Bug is, this flick is really BORING!

The plot is simple: small earthquake reveals unknown species of bugs that emit heat and are capable of igniting fires. Unstable (mad) scientist experiments with them and creates bugs that seem intelligent and like to eat raw meat. If you're thinking this plot is intriguing, forget it!

It seems as if the director/producer imagined that simple close-up filming of cockroaches was going to send shivers down the spines of film viewers. There is almost no action, no horror and no excitement until the final 25 minutes of the movie, and the "terrifying" ending is the only part of the movie that provoked a good belly-laugh from this viewer. This is a silly, dull movie, featuring bell-bottoms and other 70s cultural staples, but a duller film would be extremely hard to find.

Loosely based on the novel "The Hephaestus Plague" about a strain of self igniting cockroach that is unleashed on a rural town following an earthquake. Local professor (Bradford Dillman) must learn more about the bugs in an attempt to stop the path of destruction, but finds himself aiding their evolution into unassailable marauders.

Interestingly handled thriller, produced by horror royalty in William Castle focuses on the mental disintegration of the lead character, following the death of his spouse. His obsessive determination to destroy the bugs leads him to the brink of insanity, while the bugs conversely enhance their intelligence through the reinforcement gained in his experiments. Where most of the cast (Gilliland, Vint, Jackson, Miles) fade out after the first half, Fudge and McCormack come into focus in the second half, as they attempt to coax Dillman out of his self imposed isolation.

The concept that mankind is the subject of the experiment and ultimately the more vulnerable of the two species, is canvassed abundantly in the second half of the film and while engaging, slows the pace considerably. Overall, I found "Bug" an entertaining tale that improved with each subsequent viewing and an ideal swansong for horror maestro Castle.

An awful nature gone wild film from the 70's about prehistoric cockroaches finding their way out from middle earth via an earthquake. Once out they have trouble adapting to the earth's air pressure. These cockroaches are no ordinary bug; however, and are able to rub their back wings and through this friction ignite a flame. They climb into car exhaust pipes and cars blow up immediately. In fact these little creatures cause all kinds of havoc when fired up. What can be done to stop them? Have no fear - B actor extraordinaire Bradford Dillman is here. Dillman gives yet another manic performance as a man who is also a school biologist that begins trying to figure out these new bugs. Somehow, though, he gets wrapped up in breeding them with ordinary cockroaches when he realizes they cannot live long in the earth's atmosphere. This new breed can and things get even worse for Dillman and company. Bug, produced by William Castle, is a truly bad film in the its-so-fun to watch vein. I laughed so hard during not one but several scenes. The best has to be the scene where Dillman's wife, played by Johanna Miles, has these "bugs" somehow jump on her from phone and other stationary objects in the living room while eventually able to set fire to her hair. Miles looks ridiculous and the direction and editing are equally suitable to the scene. The end of the picture is another real hoot! Dillman goes way overboard in his performance. A fun film to laugh at but don't take anything seriously at all...nothing to get worked up about to be sure or you will definitely get burned!

I saw this movie once about 20 years ago. If you read other's comments you'll find that just about everyone hates the second half of the movie. For me it was the reverse. The first half wasn't particularly interesting. Bugs starting fires, BIG DEAL. Then the movie apparently ends and you're wondering what else could happen. That's where it gets interesting. I liked the doctor's slow descent into madness. It was highly original and refreshing twist. The bugs on the wall just rocked! If you want to make more sense of the doctor's actions read the book, The Hephaestus Plague. The book actually continues on beyond where the movie ends. I'd really recommend this movie unless of course you want stupid CGI instead of plot and character development.

Killer roaches encroach on a sleepy, god-fearing rural California town in the aptly titled "Bug." From producer William Castle, "Bug" is everything you think it is, nothing more, nothing less. When a quake makes the Earth shake, bugs come from under rugs, lurch towards church and build fires under car tires. It's up to a local entomologist (Bradford Dillman) to sweat over the threat. As he discovers, they can neither breed nor spread seed, but the constant threat of fire proves to be dire.

OK, I'll stop.

"Bug" is very much akin to the giant bug genre that swept the nation in the '50s, right down to its easy and breezy concept. These little firestarters wreak havoc across town while its residents struggle to get a handle on things. Dillman is game, as always, while his supporting cast includes Joanna Miles and Patricia McCormack, both of whom do a good job alternating between being creeped out and shrieking at the top of their lungs. While the pace doesn't exactly catch fire, it never feels dull of plodding, leading up to a thoroughly ridiculous yet inspired finale. The roach effects are adequate and will probably go a long way to get under the skin of anyone who fears the creepy crawlers, even today. It's very much the sort of movie you watch on a lazy Saturday afternoon when you just want to shut off your brain. "Bug" deserves its place alongside other semi-forgotten b-fare like "Frogs" and "The Swarm."

Fun facts: Director Jeannot Szwarc would go on to direct the slightly more competent "Jaws 2," while keen viewers might notice portions of the set were recycled from "The Brady Bunch."

I saw this in it's original release in 1975 at my friendly neighborhood inner-city theater. As I recall, the coming attractions made it look way better than it turned out to be. A lot of people actually came to see the film based on the trailer, which was shown during another in a series of Bruce Lee "Fists of Fury/Chinese Connection" double features which were always incredibly popular in St. Louis back in those days.

Add to this the dearth of Sci-Fi themed films during this time...the period between "Battle For The Planet of the Apes" (1973) and "Star Wars" (1977) were rather lean for the genre. So my friends and I were down at the Lowe's State Theater on a Friday afternoon to eagerly see the premiere of "Bug".

As I recall, the bugs seemed to originate close to the red-hot core of the Earth. Which is why, apparently, they could ignite at will. I seem to remember some weird sort of sound they'd make to let the viewer know they were there. And of course, all the action took place in the requisite small town. I haven't seen the film for 33 years, but I remember the audience's reaction (an audience used to watching tough films like "SuperFly", "3 The Hard Way", "The Chinese Mack", etc at this theater)...they laughed and then they left....

Hadn't seen this since I was 8,so I didn't know what to expect,since it was directed by the infamous Jeannot Szwarc,who helmed such big budget disasters such as Supergirl & Santa Claus The Movie,have to say it was very creepy,well made, & even scary in some spots,believe me,after watching this,you'll be up all night spraying your kitchen with heavy doses of Raid.I hope that Paramount releases this on DVD.Check It Out!!!

This is a movie about fire breathing bugs that come of the earth when there is an earth quake in a small American town. Like all horror movies it as an interesting concept. But this one does not have a good script. It is not scary. The story line is awful. The ending is awful. The acting is awful. I do not know what motive of the mean character is. He makes designations and not why he does them. They over did it victims. I need more line and I am running out of things to say. This a bad movie. Bad movie bad movie. Do not waste your time. Do not waste your money. Do not see this movie. This movie is stinky pooh pooh. It is one of the worst horror movie ever.

Cockroaches are creepy enough. Cockroaches with incendiary powers are creepier. But cockroaches with arsonist capabilities who can reason and think and mount an organized attack, that's just downright terrifying. The special effects weren't all that special, yet somehow this movie always frightened me. I remember rumors that somewhere they had used real foot-long roaches, but I don't know the validity in that.

Still, this is not just another monster bug movie, like all those killer bees, killer ants and killer spider movies that dominated the '70's. Based on a Thomas Page novel called The Hephaestus Plague, Bug centered on a scientist played by Bradford Dillman, studying subterranean roaches released from an earthquake. The scene that always stuck with me; bugs on the wall, spelling Parmiter, the scientist's name.

So if you're looking for explosions and action, or if you're looking for blood and gore, you might want to keep looking. But if you're in the mood for something original and a little creepy, then you might want to check this out.

This is a dandy little nature-run-amok film, in which giant cockroaches from the center of the earth make their appearance in a small farming community. Bradford Dillman was never better than he is here as the tortured Dr. Parmiter. He fairly sweats acting genius through his beard stubble.

This was a surprise: not only is it a solid entry in the monster animal cycle of the 1970s, but it eventually took a totally unexpected path which elevates the film above most of its kind (reminiscent of the well-regarded PHASE IV [1974]). Another big plus here is the excellent central performance by Bradford Dillman – his presence in any film is always welcome, but I've rarely seen him this good!

I'm not squeamish about bugs, so I wasn't bothered by having to watch a film with hordes of them menacing a community (unlike snakes, for instance – which has kept me from checking out SSSSSSS [1973] during this Halloween challenge!); even so, it's not that the insects are used throughout for any overtly revolting effect. Like I said at the beginning – thanks also to the unenthusing write-ups on it by both Leslie Halliwell and Leonard Maltin (online assessment at the time of Paramount's DVD release, then, is split pretty much down the middle) – I had anticipated this to be a typical (read: low-brow) small-town-invaded-by-insects film a' la THE SWARM (1978), presenting a succession of contrived situations where various cast members meet a grisly death at the hands of the bugs.

While it has a few scenes in this vein to cater to just that section of its intended audience – and the fact that they are combustible (their sudden emergence the direct cause of an impressively-staged earthquake) certainly provides a novel touch for this type of film! – the second half virtually revolves exclusively around Dillman's obsession with the insects (following the death of his wife, who fell victim to them). In fact, he isolates a number of bugs in a pressurized container for experimental purposes – the result of his endeavor is, however, far greater than he could have imagined: the concept of intelligent carnivorous bugs must have seemed like the height of silliness on paper, but there's no denying that its execution in cinematic terms is reasonably persuasive and downright scary (especially since they keep evolving into ever more diabolical creatures)!

The film makes use of an electronic score for maximum unsettling effect; incidentally, this proved to be notorious showman producer William Castle's swan-song (he also co-wrote the script with Thomas Page, author of the novel on which it was based).