When the head researcher at Station Three in Southern California goes missing and several flasks of two highly lethal viral bioweapons -- Botulinus and the Satan Bug -- are stolen, former intelligence agent Lee Barrett (George Maharis) is asked to investigate. He concludes that a lunatic is behind the theft, a conclusion that is confirmed when General Williams (Dana Andrews), having flown in from Washington to lead the investigation, receives a telegram threatening to release the viruses unless Station Three is destroyed. Unfortunately, it appears that one of the Station Three research scientists is also in on the conspiracy, so it's up to Barrett to find the conspirators as well as the flasks.
The film was loosely adapted from the 1962 novel The Satan Bug by Scottish novelist Alistair MacLean (writing under the pseudonym 'Ian Stuart'). The novel was adapted for the movie by James Clavell and Edward Anhalt.
The Satan Bug is an airborne, unkillable, self-propagating virus that was developed as a biochemical weapon. It is so virulent that it kills within a few seconds. If released, the virus would encircle the globe and destroy mankind in a matter of months.
Botulinus is another compound that was developed as a biochemical weapon. It is quickly lethal, but it oxidizes eight hours after its release, so it isn't as longterm deadly as the Satan Bug.
The scientists didn't know how lethal it was until after they developed it.
When Agent Reagan (John Anderson) arrives, the guard says that there are six people still in the top secret laboratory: Doctor Baxter (Henry Beckman), Doctor Yang (James Hong), Doctor Gregor Hoffmann (Richard Basehart), and three technicians. Yang, Hoffman, Reagan, and the three technicians are shown leaving. That would mean that Baxter was alone in the lab.
Two large crates were delivered just before the lab closed down for the weekend. Supposedly, they contained laboratory equipment. They actually contained Veretti (Edward Asner) and Donald (Frank Sutton).
Reagan came back after everyone had supposedly left. He stumbled on either Donald in the act of stealing the flasks or Baxter in E lab. Therefore, Donald had to eliminate him.
When Hoffman's thugs tossed the Botulinus in the abandoned house, the two security agents got splashed with it when the flask broke. You can see them trying to wipe it off their hands. Both Barrett and the security agents get out of the house, and Barrett then sets it afire. Suddenly, both agents keel over dead. Luckily, Barrett didn't get splashed. (Not to mention that Maharis was the star of the movie, so it wouldn't do to knock him off.)
Barrett pulls a gun on Hoffman and orders him to put down the flask, but Hoffman refuses and reveals that he's taken the vaccine and is immune to the Satan Bug, so he doesn't care whether the whole world is infected. A helicopter flown by one of Ainsley's men picks them up to fly them to Los Angeles. Once in the air, the pilot tries to shove Barrett out of the copter but Barrett throws the pilot out instead. Barrett grabs the flask and asks Ainsley where the other flask of Botulinus is located. Ainsley refuses to tell him and jumps from the copter. Meanwhile, Cavanaugh (Richard Bull) and General Williams have surmised from a doodle made by Veretti that the flask of Botulinus is hidden in the stadium. The stadium is searched and the flask is found in an icebox in a concession stand. In the final scene, Barrett (who fortunately can fly a helicopter) heads to LA airport with the flask containing the Satan Bug. 'I'll put down easy,' he assures Williams, 'and I'll give you the flask. Then we're right back where we started.'
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- How long is The Satan Bug?1 hour and 54 minutes
- When was The Satan Bug released?March 24, 1965
- What is the IMDb rating of The Satan Bug?6.1 out of 10
- Who stars in The Satan Bug?
- Who wrote The Satan Bug?
- Who directed The Satan Bug?
- Who was the composer for The Satan Bug?
- Who was the producer of The Satan Bug?
- Who was the cinematographer for The Satan Bug?
- Who was the editor of The Satan Bug?
- Who are the characters in The Satan Bug?Ann Williams
- What is the plot of The Satan Bug?A germ that could destroy life on Earth is stolen from a biological warfare lab and the thief threatens to release it into the open, prompting a security officer to act.
- What was the budget for The Satan Bug?$6 million
- What is The Satan Bug rated?Approved
- What genre is The Satan Bug?Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
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