Bugman's Top Ten List of Animals-Rise-Up-And-Eat-People Movies

by Bugman
(Mt. Rainier, MD)

These movies are listed in no particular order:

"Kingdom of the Spiders" (1977)
This movie combines the great and hammy William Shatner--who plays larger than life veterinarian of action Rack Hansen--with hordes of beautiful tarantulas. Creepy, well-paced, solidly acted, this movie has a nice easy feel that makes it very watchable. Tiffany Boles really deserves props as confident, proto-feminist entomologist Dianne Ashley. Why do all spider movies take place in Arizona?

"Them" (1954)
James Cameron clearly watched this movie a lot as a kid. Beware the dangers of the atomic age, as you just might get saddled with giant, sugar-seeking ants. Beautifully shot, with convincing giant ants, you'll never be able to get the shrieking ant sounds from your mind. A classic.

"Tarantula" (1955)
Perhaps a few rungs below "Them", "Tarantula" is nevertheless a satisfying movie. John Agar is at his best as a square-jawed heroic doctor who must discover what is leaving huge pools of goo at the sites of various live-stock killings. Threaded into this movie is a wonderful sub-plot involving Leo G. Carroll as a mad scientist afflicted with a diseases that probably has something to do with the giant tarantula roaming the mesa eating cows.

"Frogs" (1972)
Oh, this one is the best! Obviously, I have a thing for creepy-crawlies, and they are on parade in this shlocky masterpiece. Everything that you can imagine that lives in or around a swamp (even lizards!) attacks and kills-- satisfyingly, I might add--the repugnant landed southern gentry of this movie. A rugged Sam Elliot is on hand as the protagonist environmentalist. Bravo!

"Lake Placid" (1999)
Hilarious, with great effects and nice pacing, "Lake Placid" is one of the best post 60's B-movies I can think of. Great chemistry between the principals Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, and Oliver Platt. Excellent entertainment.

"Jaws" (1975)
Not much to say here. Great movie, great thrills, great acting, creative, effective effects. "Mr. Vaughn, what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all."

"Piranha" (1978)
Though an obvious knock-off of "Jaws", "Piranha" functions well as a smaller, more claustrophobic look at nature gone awry. Safety is easier to come by, but death more unexpected. Clever effects, frantic direction, and a riveting climax allow "Piranha" to stand next to "Jaws", not below it.

"Squirm" (1976)
Raw, uncomfortable, slimy, "Squirm" is the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" of animal attack movies. The worms in the face moment is a classic cinema death, and this movie will make you believe that slimy annelids can kill you!

"Phenomena" (1984)
A slightly different selection, because the critters in this movie are acting in concert with, and defense of, our heroine, Jennifer Connelly. Connelly, away at boarding school, discovers that: 1) she can communicate with insects; 2) there is a deranged killer (like only Argento can create) on the loose, maybe in her school; 3) sometimes it pays to be chummy with chimps. Beautiful, sick movie.

"Willard" (1971 & 2003)
I love that we live in a world where someone says "Hey lets remake that rat movie!" Truly. I find both of these fairly interchangeable, each with their own charms. Beware the quiet outcast who smolders quietly at the hands of bullies! Both Bruce Davison and Crispin Glover are perfect as the titular characters, both crazy, disturbed and sympathetic.