A rare species of African cockroaches turn up on an island in the US, infesting the homes and cavities of the local townsfolk. Recovering alcoholic surgeon, convalescing following a forced leave of absence, Thomas Calabro, has to compete with the doubting locals as well as the voracious bugs, when he discovers there may be a serious problem. His tempestuous relationship with a couple of the local hicks (most notably the chronically inebriated character of John Savage) causes some friction in the ensuing battle, leaving him to combat the threat with only the aid of the token town babe.
Reasonably good cast manage to inject some zip into this otherwise stock standard bug movie, with Dean Stockwell providing stoic support as the pragmatic local law enforcement, and John Savage just managing to not over-do it as an ostensibly harmless, yet antagonistic local bum (who somehow happens to control the island's electricity supply). The momentum is sometimes laboured, however when the siege eventually starts, there are sufficient thrills and shocks to please.
Picturesque locations and graphic special effects greatly support the film, which would otherwise be nothing more than just another bug infestation movie – there's nothing particularly original about "Creepy Crawlers", in fact, the method of gestation employed by the protagonists in this film, is very reminiscent of that used by the flesh-eating bugs of Roger Corman's "The Nest", almost some fifteen years its senior. Despite the lack of originality, and the fact that the film looks very much like a TV movie-of-the-week (which it was prior to a theatrical release), there's enough gore and suspense to sustain interest.
