The Nest

I am the first to say that we need more good horror flicks. But, in my opinion, a horror movie has to have a balance between gross things and alluring things in order to keep the emotions of the viewer from swinging quickly into a state of disgust, which makes the movie worthless. The Nest has the first part down right: you got your mutant cockroaches that eat everybody in sight, two rather nasty animal killing scenes, and the cockroach queen that I think is a masterpiece of grossness. Unfortunately, there is no counterbalance: there is almost no comic relief, absolutely no naked babes, and no smart dialogues. The outcome is a pure terror movie that scares you, disgusts you, but doesn't leave a good after-taste.

Mutant-insects…isolated little town…gory make-up effects…Yup, `The Nest' looks like a prototype of cheap and redundant 80's horror. But I'm sure that, if you decide to give it a chance after all, you won't regret it. ! The obvious aspect to-love about it is the gore, naturally, but the screenplay actually contains some sub-plots and ingenious elements that you wouldn't immediately expect in a low-budget production like this. Northport is small, peaceful island outside L.A suddenly infested by a deadly plague of cockroaches. A mysterious female scientist arrives on the island and the mayor acts very ignorant about the on-growing bug problem. Events escalate into a true disaster when the cockroaches attack and devour inhabitants of the island and, if this isn't worse enough, mutate into what they eat. Looks like a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong? `The Nest' has tension and atmosphere, accompanied by a bit of good black humor and decent acting performances. Horror insiders might recognize Robert Lansing in the role of ignorant mayor, as he previously appeared in `Empire of the Ants'. The show is stolen, however, by Terri Treas as the morbid Dr. Hubbard. The creators of `The Nest' obviously learned a lot from watching horror highlights as `The Fly' and `Them!' but the film offers enough amusement to stand by itself. I certainly enjoyed it better than the similar `Mimic', which was made almost ten years later. If you're a sucker for gore-goodies, check out `the Nest'

In the sleepy island town of North Port, not much ever happens. Sheriff Richard Tarbell (Franc Luz) seems to have the easiest job in town. His only complication in life is whether to be involved with local waitress, Lillian (Nancy Morgan) or the mayor's daughter, Beth (Lisa Langlois). That is, until a gruesome discovery turns out to be the beginning of a coming slaughter.

Mayor Elias Johnson (Robert Lansing- 4D MAN, EMPIRE OF THE ANTS, ISLAND CLAWS) appears to know what's going on, having to do with a certain scientific installation called INTEC and its heartless Dr. Morgan Hubbard (Terri Treas). INTEC has been up to no good, attempting to create super-roaches for nefarious purposes. Grisly, disgusting horror ensues.

THE NEST is the perfect movie for the carnivorous cockroach connoisseur! Bug haters beware! These pests are shown in crawling piles and gobs! So, if insects make you squirm, and death by flensing isn't your thing, avoid this film!

BEST SCENES: #1- The diner cook in the dumpster! #2- Lillian defending the diner against the six-legged horde! #3- Oh yes! The mutant, cat roach! #4- Mayor Roach-enstein! #5- The hopelessly rushed final conflict!

Preposterous beyond all reason, this is 1980's schlock horror at its finest! Bon Appetit...

I am so glad this film was made a few years AFTER I graduated from college -- the apartments on campus were so badly infested with cockroaches I wrote a regular column in the housing newsletter called "Roach World" offering helpful tips on roach control. If The Nest would have been made during that time I would have run screaming off that campus altogether! Never have I seen insects so menacing in a film! It's perfect for making the viewer feel uneasy and checking in cabinets and under the kitchen sink for weeks after.

Rather than try to be seriously scientific like Phase IV or the just plain "what the...." mentality of Squirm, The Nest gives us that good old "genetic experiment gone wrong" scenario and just RUNS with it. Conveniently containing the terror to an island, there's enough carnage for several films put together. Even the big confrontation, as wacky as it looks, manages to keep you riveted.

I've seen it all in films, but one thing that can still get me unglued is something horrible happening to animals, and while I'm sure there was no harm to any REAL animals in the making of this film, the effects work was so gruesome I still wince when watching it! Nothing and no one is safe from the spreading cockroaches, and the viewer is not given much time to relax. If you're going to do an over-the-top bug movie, this is a good one to learn from....this is from the days before CGI took over and made things look like an upgraded cartoon.

I must comment about one particular reviewer here on IMDb that felt there was no counterbalance of humour or "naked babes," saying it was scary but too gross. Excuse me, but a film about killer cockroaches (yes, even the X-Files went that route) is bound to be a bit gruesome and you might as well have a thrill ride with it. You don't have to have laughs in EVERY horror film, nor do you have to have naked women. Start considering that there are other folks out here, and that breast-on-the-brain guys don't necessarily run the world. Most films throw in laughs and nudity in order to cover up the fact that the scares are lacking. The Nest is potent with dread and scary moments, so if you want your share of gratuitous nudity and guffaws then watch any of the drek made from Troma and have a field day! Frankly, I'm happy that at least some films like The Nest that have been released under the eye of Roger Corman managed to escape his usual need to throw in breasts at any possible moment. You don't know how many times I've heard female friends of mine saying, "Okay, if the guys get to see the boobs, where are the men's butts for US??" Talk about balance, then turnabout IS fair play, guys...

Some films lose their power over the years or after a couple viewings, but The Nest never loses its effectiveness. My only complaint about it is that on DVD as part of the "Roger Corman Classics" series, Corman and the folks at New Concorde should treat us and the films they release with a bit more respect by not settling for no-frills, full-frame DVDs (a scary trend that even Artisan DVDs heading towards). The Nest would have been better suited with a few extras and widescreen treatment (if it wasn't a 1:33 to 1 ratio to begin with)...Corman could learn a thing or two from Anchor Bay (and even MGM) -- they at least give even some of the silliest films audio commentaries and other features like widescreen. The Nest is a classic piece of gruesome cinema and should be experienced to the fullest!

And yeah, what's up with that woman's hair?

This flick is the Ultimate in Mutant Cockroach Terror! I love this one! Easily one of the best Roger Corman productions from the 80's! Sure it has a cheesy 80's synthesizer-score and displays ditto wardrobe and hairdos. But it also has a decent plot, well-drawn-out characters and... great gross gore effects! It follows the rules of a creature feature by the book, and the film benefits a lot from it. The puppetry and 'animatronics' might be rather static (not very lively), but the creature design is rather great and the 'mayor-roach' transformation scene is major fun to watch! There's also a 'cat-roach' in it, and just wait until you (briefly) see the final 'Über-mutant-roach' (which for some reason always reminds me of the final creature we get to see in John Carpenters "The Thing")! If you like all the afore-mentioned ingredients, then seek this baby out and have fun with it.