If The Glass Menagerie had included a nature strikes back angle, then the result would be Squirm! Mick, a Matt Damon lookalike city slicker from New York, visits his girlfriend Geri in the Deep South only to have to battle carnivorous worms that are somehow unleashed by an electrical storm and ongoing electrical disturbances caused by downed power lines. The film is of course preposterous (and those worms sure are slow), but it is nevertheless entertaining as the young people must try to convince a disbelieving Sheriff that the worms have turned and that the townsfolk are now the bait. So, there are skeletons, worms in milkshakes, a character whose face is infested by dendrobaena veneta, and Alma's towering platform shoes in a film that does have lots of worms, but also some cool gore effects (courtesy of a young Rick Baker) and so is pretty good fun film.
129 Reviews
Lame, but Cult for Many
claudio_carvalho13 February 2016
In Fly Creek, a storm knocks down the power lines, transforming worms in mutant creatures. Mick (Don Scardino) travels from New York to meet his girlfriend Geri Sanders (Patricia Pearcy) and stays at her home with her mother Naomi Sanders (Jean Sullivan) and her sister Alma Sanders (Fran Higgins). On the arrival, Mick has a friction with Sheriff Jim Reston (Peter MacLean) and with Geri's neighbor Roger Grimes (R.A. Dow) that woos her. Soon they find that Fly Creek is infested of carnivorous worms that are devouring the inhabitants, but Sheriff Reston believes it is a prank of Mick.
"Squirm" is a lame and laughable trash movie about carnivorous worms. The silly story associated to the poor performances and annoying accent makes this film terrible to see and hear; however it is cult for many viewers. But the gorgeous Patricia Pearcy makes it worthwhile watching. My vote is four.
Title (Brazil): "A Noite do Terror Rastejante" ("The Night of the Terror Crawly")
"Squirm" is a lame and laughable trash movie about carnivorous worms. The silly story associated to the poor performances and annoying accent makes this film terrible to see and hear; however it is cult for many viewers. But the gorgeous Patricia Pearcy makes it worthwhile watching. My vote is four.
Title (Brazil): "A Noite do Terror Rastejante" ("The Night of the Terror Crawly")
Eco-horror at its finest
Coventry4 December 2004
Liebermann's debut may looks ridiculous on paper (a plague of lethal worms?!?) but it's much more interesting and better than you'd suspect. Apart from the outstanding shlock- effects, the best aspect about the film is the genuine location of a typical American small-town. Liebermann chose for a nasty looking Georgia swampland, inhabited by unfriendly people with darn ugly accents. During an immense storm, the electricity lines hit the swampy grounds and cause for the worms turn mental. 'Squirm' starts out a little slow, with only some atmospheric music and neat set-pieces to enjoy during the first hour. But your patience is rewarded with several terrific and convincing shock-effects afterwards. In one of his earliest films as a make-up designer, Rick Baker immediately proves he's a professional artist. The acting is hard to judge since the Georgian accents are so tough to listen to at times. I particularly liked Jean Sullivan in the role of overly worried mother. It looks like she's trying to give a certain depth of oppressed paranoia to her character. Squirm surely isn't a brilliant film but horror fans can't really afford to miss it since it's a creature feature curiosum! Killer worms!!!
Hey, there's a worm in my egg cream!
Doug-4812 May 1999
You wouldn't know it from the description, but SQUIRM manages to be scary, fun, gross, and engaging all at once. Scare shots are timed to a tee and both the conflict of the film and the characters involved in it are executed with as much style and excellent timing as could be expected for a film about killer worms. The scene where worms burrow into Roger's face, and the one where the bathtub is quickly filling up with worms are really effective. Your local video store probably sold off this one years ago along with other slow-renting titles to make room for hundreds of copies of "Sleepless in Seattle," though, so if you see a copy and are looking for a good scare, pick it up.
"Come on, no one's that southern!"
Smells_Like_Cheese30 November 2003
Squirm is a film that I first saw on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and I absolutely love that episode. It was just a terrific and hilarious one that will always give me a good laugh. Now believe it or not, I later found this film in the 5 dollar bin at Wal Mart and figured, why not? This movie was just so laughable, why not watch it and make up my own sarcasm. Well, when I watched the uncut version, actually I have to in some ways admit that this wasn't the worst film ever made, worthy of MST3K sarcasm, but I would say that the problems are minor and the film just needs a band-aid, lol. The music and southern accents are just a bit much.
Mick is coming to Fly Creek for a good country vacation and meeting an old friend, Geri. There was a nasty storm the night before and electricity hit the ground hard causing the worms to turn into killers. Mick and Geri, along with her creepy neighbor who is a mixture of Steve Young and Alvin the Chipmunk have to learn how to deal with it. But the worms are going to destroy the town and hopefully tone down the southern accents.
Squirm isn't necessarily a bad movie, well, I think it's one of those movies that it's so bad that it's actually good. Just the way the actors present a lot of the lines are a little distracting and get a good unintentional laugh like "Yer gonna be da worm face!" was said a little oddly. This is a great Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode I would recommend, but as a film, it's worth a look if you're into a cheesy drive in flick type of movie, otherwise, don't expect too much.
3/10
Mick is coming to Fly Creek for a good country vacation and meeting an old friend, Geri. There was a nasty storm the night before and electricity hit the ground hard causing the worms to turn into killers. Mick and Geri, along with her creepy neighbor who is a mixture of Steve Young and Alvin the Chipmunk have to learn how to deal with it. But the worms are going to destroy the town and hopefully tone down the southern accents.
Squirm isn't necessarily a bad movie, well, I think it's one of those movies that it's so bad that it's actually good. Just the way the actors present a lot of the lines are a little distracting and get a good unintentional laugh like "Yer gonna be da worm face!" was said a little oddly. This is a great Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode I would recommend, but as a film, it's worth a look if you're into a cheesy drive in flick type of movie, otherwise, don't expect too much.
3/10
Icky
Gafke16 January 2005
On a dark and stormy night in Yeehaw Georgia, a powerful electrical storm downs the power lines, and the electricity floods the muddy ground, awakening the vast population of worms! Unfortunately, the electricity doesn't turn the worms into Giant Worms, or mutant worms, it just makes them kind of cranky.
Enter Mick, a wimpy antique enthusiast who has come to Georgia on vacation to visit his Southern Belle girlfriend Jerri, a scrawny redhead with an outrageous Scarlet O'Hara accent. Jerri lives with her whacked out mother and her odd looking sister, and is stalked by the local worm salesman's son Roger, a big dumb guy with an IQ of a cucumber. Mick's vacation turns out to be anything but restful, as he encounters a worm in a chocolate soda, a skeleton on the ground and a creepy sheriff with frightening teeth and gravity defying hair. By the time he and Jerri realize what is happening in the small town of Fly Creek, it is too late. The worms flood the streets and houses like an angry swarm of spaghetti, consuming any and all who stand in their way. Will anyone survive the night?
I've never been able to figure out if this was supposed to be a black comedy or if we're supposed to take the worm threat seriously. Either way, the only thing this film did for me was to make me feel incredibly filthy. Filmed on location in Georgia, this film was also too convincing in it's portrayal of the rural south: I kept waiting for the banjo music to start up, kept waiting for Roger or the sheriff to ask Mick to "squeal like a pig." I couldn't feel sorry for the people who ended up as worm food because they were all so icky. I didn't care if young lovers Mick and Jerri lived to see another day - they're both so wimpy and whiny you won't care much either. The only character I actually enjoyed was Alma, Jerri's kid Amazon sister with her smart ass attitude and weird clothes. Other than that, I spent the majority of the film cheering on the worms.
Enter Mick, a wimpy antique enthusiast who has come to Georgia on vacation to visit his Southern Belle girlfriend Jerri, a scrawny redhead with an outrageous Scarlet O'Hara accent. Jerri lives with her whacked out mother and her odd looking sister, and is stalked by the local worm salesman's son Roger, a big dumb guy with an IQ of a cucumber. Mick's vacation turns out to be anything but restful, as he encounters a worm in a chocolate soda, a skeleton on the ground and a creepy sheriff with frightening teeth and gravity defying hair. By the time he and Jerri realize what is happening in the small town of Fly Creek, it is too late. The worms flood the streets and houses like an angry swarm of spaghetti, consuming any and all who stand in their way. Will anyone survive the night?
I've never been able to figure out if this was supposed to be a black comedy or if we're supposed to take the worm threat seriously. Either way, the only thing this film did for me was to make me feel incredibly filthy. Filmed on location in Georgia, this film was also too convincing in it's portrayal of the rural south: I kept waiting for the banjo music to start up, kept waiting for Roger or the sheriff to ask Mick to "squeal like a pig." I couldn't feel sorry for the people who ended up as worm food because they were all so icky. I didn't care if young lovers Mick and Jerri lived to see another day - they're both so wimpy and whiny you won't care much either. The only character I actually enjoyed was Alma, Jerri's kid Amazon sister with her smart ass attitude and weird clothes. Other than that, I spent the majority of the film cheering on the worms.
Knowingly campy nature-gone-wild picture
a_chinn14 July 2017
Intentionally campy nature-gone-wild film about killer mutant earthworms. Power lines come down during a storm causing thousands killer earthworms to surface and feast upon the locals. The story and characters are not all that compelling, but the film did have a ridiculous "Tremors" kind of vibe to it that was fun. I mean, how could you take seriously worms coming out of a shower head or digging their way out of a mans face? Those are both ridiculous scenes, but ridiculously memorable in the best sort of way. Don't expect suspense or thrills, but do expect some laugh out lout goofiness as well as some good creepy moments featuring massive amounts of actual slimy worms doing icky things.
Best when we're mired in rednecks
BrandtSponseller16 January 2005
Fly Creek is a small southern town best known for it's "antiques" and the Grimes Worm Farm. During one particularly hot summer, while Mick (Don Scardino) is on his way on a bus to meet new girlfriend Geri Sanders (Patricia Pearcy), they're hit by a whopper of a thunderstorm. Fly Creek's roads are flooded and they've lost power due to a downed power line that is still sparking. And that leads to a big problem. Because when the film's worms are stimulated by electricity, they come out of the ground, ready to bite, and there are millions of them!
As is obvious from the premise, Squirm is a nature-gone-wild film, a subgenre of horror that was particularly active in the 70s. It's a pretty good example of the genre, and the film is successful more often than not, as long as you don't start to question the plot too much. Overall, it's a 7 out of 10 for me. I almost gave it an 8, but the ending is a bit too clichéd, so I knocked off a point. I've only seen one of director/writer Jeff Lieberman's other films so far--Blue Sunshine (1976)--and that also had points taken off for a less-than-satisfying ending.
Squirm is at its best when it's wallowing in small redneck town weirdness. The Sheriff (Peter MacLean) is frighteningly unresponsive, a bit pleasantly campy, and he's also a paranoid troublemaker. The Grimes family, Willie (Carl Dagenhart) and Roger (R.A. Dow), are demented and creepy. The Sanders family seems oddly dysfunctional, and Geri's sister, Alma (Fran Higgins), demonstrates that Juliette Lewis wasn't the first Juliette Lewis. When all of this stuff is combined with Squirm's initial slow-burning horror aspects--including a relatively subtle amount of worms and a well-placed (both literally and in terms of the script) skeleton--it is good, almost sublimely so.
But things begin to go slightly awry when we get to the big extravaganza near the end. The characters have either died off or Lieberman simply abandons them. Having a lot of characters die off by the end is understandable and even laudable in a film like this, but it's too bad we couldn't have seen them longer and had more emotional investment in them. Simply abandoning characters isn't as excusable. Of course the attacking worm quotient increases as the film continues, and this is handled well physically (I can't imagine having to be a worm wrangler), but plot points surrounding the worms become sketchier and almost contradictory at times. That saps too much tension out of the ending, and instead we're primarily engaged by physical effects for their own sake, plus a wonderfully campy change in personality from Roger.
Squirm is definitely worth seeing for anyone with a taste for lower-budget 1970s horror, and at times is quite a gem. Just don't set your expectations too high (but really, who would for a film like this?)
As is obvious from the premise, Squirm is a nature-gone-wild film, a subgenre of horror that was particularly active in the 70s. It's a pretty good example of the genre, and the film is successful more often than not, as long as you don't start to question the plot too much. Overall, it's a 7 out of 10 for me. I almost gave it an 8, but the ending is a bit too clichéd, so I knocked off a point. I've only seen one of director/writer Jeff Lieberman's other films so far--Blue Sunshine (1976)--and that also had points taken off for a less-than-satisfying ending.
Squirm is at its best when it's wallowing in small redneck town weirdness. The Sheriff (Peter MacLean) is frighteningly unresponsive, a bit pleasantly campy, and he's also a paranoid troublemaker. The Grimes family, Willie (Carl Dagenhart) and Roger (R.A. Dow), are demented and creepy. The Sanders family seems oddly dysfunctional, and Geri's sister, Alma (Fran Higgins), demonstrates that Juliette Lewis wasn't the first Juliette Lewis. When all of this stuff is combined with Squirm's initial slow-burning horror aspects--including a relatively subtle amount of worms and a well-placed (both literally and in terms of the script) skeleton--it is good, almost sublimely so.
But things begin to go slightly awry when we get to the big extravaganza near the end. The characters have either died off or Lieberman simply abandons them. Having a lot of characters die off by the end is understandable and even laudable in a film like this, but it's too bad we couldn't have seen them longer and had more emotional investment in them. Simply abandoning characters isn't as excusable. Of course the attacking worm quotient increases as the film continues, and this is handled well physically (I can't imagine having to be a worm wrangler), but plot points surrounding the worms become sketchier and almost contradictory at times. That saps too much tension out of the ending, and instead we're primarily engaged by physical effects for their own sake, plus a wonderfully campy change in personality from Roger.
Squirm is definitely worth seeing for anyone with a taste for lower-budget 1970s horror, and at times is quite a gem. Just don't set your expectations too high (but really, who would for a film like this?)
This movie is horrible!
tcuthbertson29 November 1999
Squirm is a low budget movie with bad actors, bad special effects, a boring story line, a ridiculous premise, and bad music. The acting is plagued by serious over-embellishment of southern accents, garbled speech, and bad timing. The makeup on the "worm man" appears like it could have been done by one of those halloween kits you could get at a supermarket. The writer's serious anti-Southerner bias makes even people who don't like Southerners cringe. Squirm's only value is that it makes good material to make fun of on Mystery Science Theater 3000, where they hilariously explicate the minutia of the problems with this movie.
Good--for what it is
preppy-32 June 2004
A vicious storm downs a power line near a very small Georgia town. It (somehow) drives all the worms crazy and turns them into vicious man-eaters! The town is cut off from civilization and the worms attack...
The plot is just silly (flesh-eating WORMS? Come on!) but the film never takes itself TOO seriously. A lot of the dialogue is very tongue in cheek, and there are LOTS of close-ups of screaming worms (news to me--I didn't know worms could scream). So it's really hard to take any of this seriously.
The acting is all pretty bad (even Jean Sullivan the one "name" in the cast) and the plot moves in fits and starts. And it does take a while to really get going. But when the attacks happen things really get going. There are some pretty good, if disgusting, special effects (one VERY disturbing scene shows worms burrowing into a guys FACE) and seeing literally MOUNTAINS of worms squirming around is kind of queasy.
It you take this film literally you're gonna hate it. But if you accept it for the low-budget, slightly campy film it is you'll probably have a fairly good time. Worth seeing at least once for the gruesome special effects.
I saw the PG rated one on cable which (I heard) is one minute shorter than the R rated one. Purportedly all that's missing is some minor nudity (some of which was in the PG one) and some swearing. All the gore is still there.
The plot is just silly (flesh-eating WORMS? Come on!) but the film never takes itself TOO seriously. A lot of the dialogue is very tongue in cheek, and there are LOTS of close-ups of screaming worms (news to me--I didn't know worms could scream). So it's really hard to take any of this seriously.
The acting is all pretty bad (even Jean Sullivan the one "name" in the cast) and the plot moves in fits and starts. And it does take a while to really get going. But when the attacks happen things really get going. There are some pretty good, if disgusting, special effects (one VERY disturbing scene shows worms burrowing into a guys FACE) and seeing literally MOUNTAINS of worms squirming around is kind of queasy.
It you take this film literally you're gonna hate it. But if you accept it for the low-budget, slightly campy film it is you'll probably have a fairly good time. Worth seeing at least once for the gruesome special effects.
I saw the PG rated one on cable which (I heard) is one minute shorter than the R rated one. Purportedly all that's missing is some minor nudity (some of which was in the PG one) and some swearing. All the gore is still there.
Squirm is the word
zmaturin5 April 2000
Worms attacking Southerners. Worms piling out of a toilet. Worms devouring human flesh. If you can say one thing about "Squirm", it's this: It's got worms. Lots of worms.
I'm not what you'd call a "Worm Movie Fan". I'm not saying that I won't watch a worm movie if it's there, I just wouldn't actively seek one out, is all. And as far as worm movies go, I'm sure you could do a lot worse than "Squirm". I mean, it's got lots of scenes with worms crawling all over things, like tree stumps and corpses and entire living rooms, and that's great, if you're into that kind of thing. I guess I don't NOT like that kind of thing. I've never really given my preference for worm movies, as opposed to non-worm movies, any thought.
One thing I liked about the worms in "Squirm" was that they were very likable. The filmmakers achieved this effect by surrounding the worms with whiny, hateful human characters that were really annoying, and then having the worms kill them. The worms were very playful- in one scene they hide in a guy's egg cream. In another, a brave worm bites a guy trying to use it as fish bait. I never even knew that worms had teeth! This movie was entertaining AND informative!
In fact, it was great! I think I like worm movies! In fact, I think that every single movie from now on should feature worms! Big worms, little worms, flesh eating mutant worms- bring 'em on! I LOVE WORMS!
I'm not what you'd call a "Worm Movie Fan". I'm not saying that I won't watch a worm movie if it's there, I just wouldn't actively seek one out, is all. And as far as worm movies go, I'm sure you could do a lot worse than "Squirm". I mean, it's got lots of scenes with worms crawling all over things, like tree stumps and corpses and entire living rooms, and that's great, if you're into that kind of thing. I guess I don't NOT like that kind of thing. I've never really given my preference for worm movies, as opposed to non-worm movies, any thought.
One thing I liked about the worms in "Squirm" was that they were very likable. The filmmakers achieved this effect by surrounding the worms with whiny, hateful human characters that were really annoying, and then having the worms kill them. The worms were very playful- in one scene they hide in a guy's egg cream. In another, a brave worm bites a guy trying to use it as fish bait. I never even knew that worms had teeth! This movie was entertaining AND informative!
In fact, it was great! I think I like worm movies! In fact, I think that every single movie from now on should feature worms! Big worms, little worms, flesh eating mutant worms- bring 'em on! I LOVE WORMS!
Great '70's creature feature!
hammerfan12 July 2006
"Squirm" is set in rural Fly Creek, Georgia in the aftermath of a violent storm. Power lines are knocked down by the storm and are feeding electricity into the wet ground. This drives the worms crazy, and for some reason, to crave flesh. The day after the storm, a young man from NYC, Mick, arrives by bus to visit his new girlfriend, Gerry, a resident of Fly Creek. As strange events begin to unfold, the young couple turn detective and try to solve the mystery. They find a corpse, lose a corpse, frustrate Gerry's jealous neighbor, and try the patience of the local sheriff more than once. Will they be able to crack the case in time to save the town?! Tune in to see.
Director Jeff Lieberman did not direct many films , but he does a great job with this one. The pacing is great, and the cinematography is some of the best work done on a horror film during the 1970's. He includes plenty of humor and suspense, the required ingredients in these films. The lead actors also do a great job. Don Scardino, as Mick, looks like a young Horatio Caine trying figure out what is going on in this small town. He comes off as likable and heroic in an amateurish fashion. Patricia Pearcy plays Gerry, the perfect young southern belle. She's well mannered, attractive and has a subtle sexuality that you don't usually see in horror films. Though not a great acting performance, she seems comfortable in the role. She and Scardino seem to have real chemistry, which is refreshing to see in a low budget creature feature. The rest of the cast is hit and miss. Gerry's family, her love lorn neighbor, and the local sheriff are perfect. The rest of the cast seems to have no acting experience whatsoever.
This is a fun movie to watch late at night. The low budget limits this film's potential, but the cast, as well as the excellent direction, make this a must see.
The song that plays over the opening and closing credits is perfect. It sets exactly the right tone for the film.
Director Jeff Lieberman did not direct many films , but he does a great job with this one. The pacing is great, and the cinematography is some of the best work done on a horror film during the 1970's. He includes plenty of humor and suspense, the required ingredients in these films. The lead actors also do a great job. Don Scardino, as Mick, looks like a young Horatio Caine trying figure out what is going on in this small town. He comes off as likable and heroic in an amateurish fashion. Patricia Pearcy plays Gerry, the perfect young southern belle. She's well mannered, attractive and has a subtle sexuality that you don't usually see in horror films. Though not a great acting performance, she seems comfortable in the role. She and Scardino seem to have real chemistry, which is refreshing to see in a low budget creature feature. The rest of the cast is hit and miss. Gerry's family, her love lorn neighbor, and the local sheriff are perfect. The rest of the cast seems to have no acting experience whatsoever.
This is a fun movie to watch late at night. The low budget limits this film's potential, but the cast, as well as the excellent direction, make this a must see.
The song that plays over the opening and closing credits is perfect. It sets exactly the right tone for the film.
squirm is a forgotten classic
sharkattack19783 March 2008
This is a low budget fright-fest. I originally read the book of the novel first before i even knew there was a movie based on it. It was a while until it was finally aired on Bravo and i saw it for the first time. Not quite as chilling as the book but still very creepy and a little bit scary.I was surprised to know that Sylvester Stallone wanted the part as Roger. Can you imagine Sly doing this film? He must have really loved the book. Squirm is one of those platinum classics. Not brilliant but still eerily watchable. The attack scenes were too few to set up the tension of the film which is a shame. If there had been more focus on the attacks and less on the characters then this might have actually creeped everybody out and become a reel for reel cult classic like Jaws. When one of the attacks does happen, it is done very well. i was shocked to see that a young Rick Baker (An American werewolf in London, Thriller, Nutty Professor) actually did the effects for that scene. A few of the characters were either too strange for the story or just seemed out of place and the accents were appalling. The saving grace of the movie are the worms. Most of them real and towards the end some rubber, but it doesn't kill the tension which is good. Squirm could have been so much better than it is, maybe if a remake is on the cards (which nowadays seems likely) then they will focus on the worms more than the people and deliver a film that will truly make you SQUIRM in your seat.
Worms That Bite
jcholguin9 April 2003
The idea behind this film seems to make sense, worms that are energized because of electrical power lines that keep have fallen on the ground. The ground is too "hot" for them so they come up to eat whatever or whomever is available for a meal. Like I said, the idea is good but the means of delivering the message is lost with the acting in this film, terrible! Southern accents that sound just plain "bad." The people in this film are so uninteresting that you hope that the worms eat all of them! One positive about this film is that you get to see many close ups of angry looking worms.
Nature goes berserk in style
fertilecelluloid9 January 2004
Against FOOD OF THE GODS, DOGS, KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS, the irrepressible SLUGS and other nature-gone-berserk flicks, SQUIRM stands tall.
The worms are the thing here, but their existence does not short-change the film's acting, storyline and characterizations. Director Jeff Lieberman, a fellow of immense cinematic intelligence (BLUE SUNSHINE, JUST BEFORE DAWN), has crafted a smart, stylish little thriller that delivers on its promise.
Rick Baker's worms are very impressive and Lieberman knows when to reveal them and when to keep them -- literally -- in the dark.
The set-up is simple. Following a filthy, dirty storm, downed powerlines send bolts of electricity into the earth. Shocked worms turn rabid and begin to menace "us".
The film is exceptionally well photographed and acted, the rural setting works beautifully, and the climax packs a punch.
Solid filmmaking all 'round.
The worms are the thing here, but their existence does not short-change the film's acting, storyline and characterizations. Director Jeff Lieberman, a fellow of immense cinematic intelligence (BLUE SUNSHINE, JUST BEFORE DAWN), has crafted a smart, stylish little thriller that delivers on its promise.
Rick Baker's worms are very impressive and Lieberman knows when to reveal them and when to keep them -- literally -- in the dark.
The set-up is simple. Following a filthy, dirty storm, downed powerlines send bolts of electricity into the earth. Shocked worms turn rabid and begin to menace "us".
The film is exceptionally well photographed and acted, the rural setting works beautifully, and the climax packs a punch.
Solid filmmaking all 'round.
Dreadful would-be monster movie
JeffG.24 December 1999
This was intended to be a frightful monster movie. Problem is, it's just not scary. Personally, I fail to understand what's so scary about worms in the first place. It doesn't help that the characters in the movie are all dumb rednecks that you'd like to see die in the first place. Well, at least this movie was turned into a good episode of MST3K (may it rest in peace) so the whole thing wasn't a total loss.
One thing's for sure. You definitely shouldn't eat spaghetti while watching this film.
One thing's for sure. You definitely shouldn't eat spaghetti while watching this film.
Where's Earthworm Jim when u need him??
movieman_kev21 February 2005
A town is besieged with killer earthworms. Yes as ridiculous as it sounds. Ah, Jeff Lieberman, damn him for making crap like "The Never Ending Story 3", "Remote Control", and "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" *shudders*. Makes me think his "Blue Sunshine" was a one-off, in that I actually sorta kinda vaguely liked it. This film does NOTHING to dispel my feelings of the director, if anything it makes me loathe him more. The opening theme song is the worst I've EVER heard on any movie soundtrack in my life. And that's counting 'Puberty Love' from "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". So right from the start, it's off on the wrong track. It doesn't get better, folks. When i was a kid, this movie scared the stuffing out of me. Well some good memories should definitely be left at that.
My Grade: D
DVD Extras: R-rated version; Commentary by Jeff Lieberman; Theatrical Trailer; and TV spot
Eye Candy: Patricia Pearcy shows one breast
My Grade: D
DVD Extras: R-rated version; Commentary by Jeff Lieberman; Theatrical Trailer; and TV spot
Eye Candy: Patricia Pearcy shows one breast
Hilarious trash!
Aussie Stud10 July 2003
This "horror" movie should be in the "comedy" genre. Not only was the story-line not one bit plausible, but as far as the acting and the photography involving 'killer worms' go, it was just completely laughable! I haven't had such a good laugh since... maybe "Frogs"?
Anyway, Don Scardino plays some kid from "the city" who visits this trailer trash town in the South (supposedly Georgia) who is taken in by a girl, her incredibly ugly sister 'Alma' (or should I say, brother), and their psychotic catatonic mother who spends most of her time either white-faced, tight-lipped or murmuring incoherently about knitting shawls.
Some power lines were downed in a thunder storm, sending volts of electricity in the ground, driving up hordes of flesh-eating blood worms. The camera close-ups are timeless. They show various worms wriggling around, sucking at the ground with their mouths while the sound-track generously splices in sound-bytes of 'screaming' and 'wailing' that tries to pass these harmless worms off as evil killing machines out on a path of destruction and terror.
In fact, the only thing 'terrorizing' about "Squirm" was the acting. The girl who played Geri would have most definitely taken home the Razzie Award had it existed at that time (I guess she was about four years too early). She merely stands around, quivering and murmuring like a blithering idiot (it must have been passed down from her mother) who lets her flailing hands do the acting for her.
The stereotypes in this particular 'Southern town' are a notch below embarrassing. We have the 'Sheriff' who is probably the most helpful and law-upholding man in the country. When Mick goes to him at the restaurant to tell him about the deaths of Mr Beardsley AND Willie Grimes (that's two for the body-count), the Sheriff brushes him off and decides to continue flirting with the town slut while eating a plate of spaghetti. The 'accents' are from a part of the South I have never seen nor heard of before. The mother definitely wins the award for Worst Accent. I have never heard any kind of ridiculous drawl like that before, you'd wonder if she'd had just suffered a stroke or something.
The 'special effects' are pretty funny. The worm close-ups are bad enough, but when the director photographs a 'sea of worms' thrashing around on the floor, you can see that they're obviously on a sheet of tarpaulin, with people moving underneath it, the occasional few worms flying up in the air with each 'hand push' or 'shake of the tarpaulin'. The funniest scene would probably be when Mick is making his way through the house with a candle and the 'sea of worms' part like the Red Sea before Moses. I can even picture the 'editing team' pressing "rewind" on that particular scene when the worms slide backwards (LOL!).
The death scenes are pretty laughable. The death of Mr Grimes is revealed, when Mick pulls back his shirt to reveal a few worms wriggling around on his stomach. We are shown the skeleton of Mr Beasley. The sheriff and his girlfriend meet a grim demise in a prison cell, and various town residents at the local bar are awoken from their drunken stupor to discover worms slithering around on the bar-room floor. Shocking!
Scenes of the worms attacking the town, whether it be by slithering out of a shower recess or a hole in the ceiling, were very imaginative. There is a moment where the mother spends her crazed moments staring at a hole in the ceiling... yet when the worms actually do come out, the mother is occupied with her knitting! Same goes for the scene where Alma decides to go into the bathroom and is met by a flood of worms (how exactly did she get out of that and hide in a trunk?). How about when the worms go to the trouble of knocking a tree over onto a house, when they could have instead disturbed the foundation beneath the house and inflicted damage that way? All the scenes are just too ludicrous for words! Nothing makes sense!
And what was with the 'biting' scene at the end, where Mick makes it out of the window into the tree? Is that suggesting that he will become the new 'worm man' should we be so unlucky to be served with a helping of "Squirm 2"? I would suggest that Don Scardino leave this film off his resume. I also find it highly extraordinary that both the actress/actor who played the mother and sheriff in this movie, passed away within months of each other in 2003. Coincidence? I think not. It would have paid to have left the television off at 2am in the morning and not have caught a re-run of this garbage.
I would have to say, hands down, that the best acting in "Squirm" came from Mr Beardsley's skeleton. Would it also be a coincidence that both the actor and actress who portrayed Alma and Roger, have only one film to their resume, that being this film? Again, I think not... and to think Don Scardino still barely has a career, twenty five years after "Squirm"!
My Rating - 1 out of 10
Anyway, Don Scardino plays some kid from "the city" who visits this trailer trash town in the South (supposedly Georgia) who is taken in by a girl, her incredibly ugly sister 'Alma' (or should I say, brother), and their psychotic catatonic mother who spends most of her time either white-faced, tight-lipped or murmuring incoherently about knitting shawls.
Some power lines were downed in a thunder storm, sending volts of electricity in the ground, driving up hordes of flesh-eating blood worms. The camera close-ups are timeless. They show various worms wriggling around, sucking at the ground with their mouths while the sound-track generously splices in sound-bytes of 'screaming' and 'wailing' that tries to pass these harmless worms off as evil killing machines out on a path of destruction and terror.
In fact, the only thing 'terrorizing' about "Squirm" was the acting. The girl who played Geri would have most definitely taken home the Razzie Award had it existed at that time (I guess she was about four years too early). She merely stands around, quivering and murmuring like a blithering idiot (it must have been passed down from her mother) who lets her flailing hands do the acting for her.
The stereotypes in this particular 'Southern town' are a notch below embarrassing. We have the 'Sheriff' who is probably the most helpful and law-upholding man in the country. When Mick goes to him at the restaurant to tell him about the deaths of Mr Beardsley AND Willie Grimes (that's two for the body-count), the Sheriff brushes him off and decides to continue flirting with the town slut while eating a plate of spaghetti. The 'accents' are from a part of the South I have never seen nor heard of before. The mother definitely wins the award for Worst Accent. I have never heard any kind of ridiculous drawl like that before, you'd wonder if she'd had just suffered a stroke or something.
The 'special effects' are pretty funny. The worm close-ups are bad enough, but when the director photographs a 'sea of worms' thrashing around on the floor, you can see that they're obviously on a sheet of tarpaulin, with people moving underneath it, the occasional few worms flying up in the air with each 'hand push' or 'shake of the tarpaulin'. The funniest scene would probably be when Mick is making his way through the house with a candle and the 'sea of worms' part like the Red Sea before Moses. I can even picture the 'editing team' pressing "rewind" on that particular scene when the worms slide backwards (LOL!).
The death scenes are pretty laughable. The death of Mr Grimes is revealed, when Mick pulls back his shirt to reveal a few worms wriggling around on his stomach. We are shown the skeleton of Mr Beasley. The sheriff and his girlfriend meet a grim demise in a prison cell, and various town residents at the local bar are awoken from their drunken stupor to discover worms slithering around on the bar-room floor. Shocking!
Scenes of the worms attacking the town, whether it be by slithering out of a shower recess or a hole in the ceiling, were very imaginative. There is a moment where the mother spends her crazed moments staring at a hole in the ceiling... yet when the worms actually do come out, the mother is occupied with her knitting! Same goes for the scene where Alma decides to go into the bathroom and is met by a flood of worms (how exactly did she get out of that and hide in a trunk?). How about when the worms go to the trouble of knocking a tree over onto a house, when they could have instead disturbed the foundation beneath the house and inflicted damage that way? All the scenes are just too ludicrous for words! Nothing makes sense!
And what was with the 'biting' scene at the end, where Mick makes it out of the window into the tree? Is that suggesting that he will become the new 'worm man' should we be so unlucky to be served with a helping of "Squirm 2"? I would suggest that Don Scardino leave this film off his resume. I also find it highly extraordinary that both the actress/actor who played the mother and sheriff in this movie, passed away within months of each other in 2003. Coincidence? I think not. It would have paid to have left the television off at 2am in the morning and not have caught a re-run of this garbage.
I would have to say, hands down, that the best acting in "Squirm" came from Mr Beardsley's skeleton. Would it also be a coincidence that both the actor and actress who portrayed Alma and Roger, have only one film to their resume, that being this film? Again, I think not... and to think Don Scardino still barely has a career, twenty five years after "Squirm"!
My Rating - 1 out of 10
"You gonna be da' worm face!"
bensonmum211 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Squirm's plot centers on a small town in rural Georgia that has just witnessed a tremendous storm. Power lines are down and electricity is going straight into the ground forcing some dramatic and deadly changes to otherwise docile and innocuous worms. A young woman named Geri and her Yankee, antique hunting boyfriend named Mick are the only ones who seem to have a clue about what's going on and are now in a fight for their lives against the murderous worms.
I first saw Squirm about 20 or so years ago and, to be honest, didn't really care for it. At the time I suppose I would have rated it about a 3/10 (if I had been rating movies 20 or so years ago). For lack of a better word, it didn't "click" with me. Well, thank goodness for Mystery Science Theater 3000. Over the past several years, I've probably watched the Squirm episode of MST3K a half a dozen times. And each time, I've found myself enjoying the movie more and more. I may never consider Squirm one of my favorite all-time movies, but I now rate it a solid 6/10 (and still climbing). It's a nice addition to the Nature Run Amuck or the Man vs. Nature sub-genre of horror movies so popular in the 70s.
Much of what I initially disliked about the movie are the very same things I now see as positives. First off, the over-blown Southern accents really bothered me the first few times I watched Squirm. Now I realize they're not to be taken seriously. Like most everything else in the movie, the over-the-top "Southerness" of Geri, her family, and the entire town of Fly Creek is a huge asset. It adds a lot of character and overall fun to the movie. There were also a number of characters that initially really got on my nerves. From Mama to the Sheriff, I had trouble watching several of them. Over the years, however, I've grown to appreciate these eccentric caricatures and what they add to the movie. For example, I can't imagine watching Squirm without Mama's Gone with the Wind like pronouncements on everything from the weather to the seating arrangements at dinner. Next, I originally looked at the killer worm plot as being about the stupidest thing I had ever watched. But you know, I think it's supposed to be that way. The notion of rampaging worms is a hilarious, campy scream - and oh so much fun. Add to all this the really nice low budget special effects, solid acting by a group of unknown actors (for many, this was their only screen credit), wonderfully authentic Georgia locations, good pacing, and a steady directorial hand and it's amazing it's taken me this long to appreciate Squirm.
Once again, thank you MST3K for opening my eyes to this entertaining little movie.
I first saw Squirm about 20 or so years ago and, to be honest, didn't really care for it. At the time I suppose I would have rated it about a 3/10 (if I had been rating movies 20 or so years ago). For lack of a better word, it didn't "click" with me. Well, thank goodness for Mystery Science Theater 3000. Over the past several years, I've probably watched the Squirm episode of MST3K a half a dozen times. And each time, I've found myself enjoying the movie more and more. I may never consider Squirm one of my favorite all-time movies, but I now rate it a solid 6/10 (and still climbing). It's a nice addition to the Nature Run Amuck or the Man vs. Nature sub-genre of horror movies so popular in the 70s.
Much of what I initially disliked about the movie are the very same things I now see as positives. First off, the over-blown Southern accents really bothered me the first few times I watched Squirm. Now I realize they're not to be taken seriously. Like most everything else in the movie, the over-the-top "Southerness" of Geri, her family, and the entire town of Fly Creek is a huge asset. It adds a lot of character and overall fun to the movie. There were also a number of characters that initially really got on my nerves. From Mama to the Sheriff, I had trouble watching several of them. Over the years, however, I've grown to appreciate these eccentric caricatures and what they add to the movie. For example, I can't imagine watching Squirm without Mama's Gone with the Wind like pronouncements on everything from the weather to the seating arrangements at dinner. Next, I originally looked at the killer worm plot as being about the stupidest thing I had ever watched. But you know, I think it's supposed to be that way. The notion of rampaging worms is a hilarious, campy scream - and oh so much fun. Add to all this the really nice low budget special effects, solid acting by a group of unknown actors (for many, this was their only screen credit), wonderfully authentic Georgia locations, good pacing, and a steady directorial hand and it's amazing it's taken me this long to appreciate Squirm.
Once again, thank you MST3K for opening my eyes to this entertaining little movie.
Great Locations, Bad Accents
cgallo5 April 2003
I love the locations in this film, and Rick Baker was worth every cent the producers paid for him. Above average cast but the dialect wasn't from any South that I have heard of.
Cute little critters help us understand why they are called "blood worms." It was refreshing to see female characters who aren't treated like attractive furniture ...
Sadly, the woman who played the mom passed away in February 2003. She made 2 movies in the 1940's plus this one.
Cute little critters help us understand why they are called "blood worms." It was refreshing to see female characters who aren't treated like attractive furniture ...
Sadly, the woman who played the mom passed away in February 2003. She made 2 movies in the 1940's plus this one.
Fun if slightly flawed creature feature
kannibalcorpsegrinder24 July 2016
After a devastating rainstorm, a small Georgia town learns that downed power lines have seeped into the mud around town and charged a swarm of worms into ravenous killers and forces the locals to band together to fight the creatures off.
This one here wasn't all that bad and really has some solid and enjoyable qualities to it. One of the film's better features is the fact that there's a rather exciting series of action scenes which are quite fun and wholly enjoyable. Setting the stage for this as well as initiating the story proper is the opening storm which is a nice bit of spectacle with the tumbling towers and spark-showering explosions going off that makes for a rousing opening here. As well, there's the great attack on the couple out fishing were attacked and swarmed over by the creatures as we see them dangling from their wounds and sores, a chilling encounter in the bathroom where they pour out of the shower faucet preventing a character from showering with the creatures and the thrilling sequence of the creatures eating through a tree-stump and sending it crashing into a nearby house while numerous residents are still inside pondering their next move which is a nice overall shock. Other fun attacks include the nice brawl between the characters in the forest as well as the series of small attacks around town, from the couple in the jail- cell to the diner swarming which is all a prelude to the utter fun of the finale's house assault as there's a lot of fun to be had with the completely oblivious set-up of the worms arriving in various sections of the house and appearing without them realizing which is all where the different searches are all mixed together with the action and escapes all makes for a really exciting scene. These elements here all help to make the film so much fun and holding off the few rather troubling flaws present. One of the film's biggest issues is the fact that there's just such a long set-up to the worms appearing that there's little of interest throughout this section. Though this is a problem caused by the fact that the film doesn't really have a true storyline that supports this kind of pace, there's still plenty of overlong scenes that just go by without much of any kind of interest during this section as the setup of their investigations aren't really all that interesting with them wandering around the town which doesn't have a whole lot of interest. These here make for a rather troubling beginning here and holds off the interesting parts for a longer time than it really should, though again that's also due to the extended out storyline used. Along with these problems, there's also the fact that the storyline about the disgruntled former boyfriend coming back to torment him over and over again isn't really all that interesting and takes out some of the suspense in the finale by continuing on that storyline rather than dealing with the far-more-interesting giant worm attacks. These here are what hold this one back.
Rated PG: Violence, Language and Brief Nudity.
This one here wasn't all that bad and really has some solid and enjoyable qualities to it. One of the film's better features is the fact that there's a rather exciting series of action scenes which are quite fun and wholly enjoyable. Setting the stage for this as well as initiating the story proper is the opening storm which is a nice bit of spectacle with the tumbling towers and spark-showering explosions going off that makes for a rousing opening here. As well, there's the great attack on the couple out fishing were attacked and swarmed over by the creatures as we see them dangling from their wounds and sores, a chilling encounter in the bathroom where they pour out of the shower faucet preventing a character from showering with the creatures and the thrilling sequence of the creatures eating through a tree-stump and sending it crashing into a nearby house while numerous residents are still inside pondering their next move which is a nice overall shock. Other fun attacks include the nice brawl between the characters in the forest as well as the series of small attacks around town, from the couple in the jail- cell to the diner swarming which is all a prelude to the utter fun of the finale's house assault as there's a lot of fun to be had with the completely oblivious set-up of the worms arriving in various sections of the house and appearing without them realizing which is all where the different searches are all mixed together with the action and escapes all makes for a really exciting scene. These elements here all help to make the film so much fun and holding off the few rather troubling flaws present. One of the film's biggest issues is the fact that there's just such a long set-up to the worms appearing that there's little of interest throughout this section. Though this is a problem caused by the fact that the film doesn't really have a true storyline that supports this kind of pace, there's still plenty of overlong scenes that just go by without much of any kind of interest during this section as the setup of their investigations aren't really all that interesting with them wandering around the town which doesn't have a whole lot of interest. These here make for a rather troubling beginning here and holds off the interesting parts for a longer time than it really should, though again that's also due to the extended out storyline used. Along with these problems, there's also the fact that the storyline about the disgruntled former boyfriend coming back to torment him over and over again isn't really all that interesting and takes out some of the suspense in the finale by continuing on that storyline rather than dealing with the far-more-interesting giant worm attacks. These here are what hold this one back.
Rated PG: Violence, Language and Brief Nudity.
That sure is a helluva lot of worms...
meddlecore16 October 2019
An isolated Georgian town, known for antiquing, is left dealing with the aftermath of the worst storm in a generation...without any electricity or phone service.
Trees had knocked the lines down, cutting them off from the outside world; and pumping electricity into the ground...instead of local homes and businesses.
The local farmboy is infatuated with the neighbors daughter, though, the neighbor's daughter has her eyes set on the ny boy that has come to visit her.
The townsfolk are generally wary of outsiders. So, when they are exposed to a series of bizarre events, the young couple is left to investigate for themselves.
After the farmboy gets attacked by the worms from his own worm farm...they manage to figure out that the electricity from the downed power lines is driving the worms mad and out of the ground...rendering them rabid and insatiable.
The weakest aspect of the story (imo) concerns the discovery that only light can protect them from the worms, as they are averse to it (kind of like in that one X-Files episode, with the green bugs).
I wouldn't necessarily say it's a gaping plot hole, but it's a poorly executed device, for sure.
Though entertaining enough, it's nothing particularly special.
They sure used a helluva lot of those freaky looking worms though!!!
4 out of 10.
Trees had knocked the lines down, cutting them off from the outside world; and pumping electricity into the ground...instead of local homes and businesses.
The local farmboy is infatuated with the neighbors daughter, though, the neighbor's daughter has her eyes set on the ny boy that has come to visit her.
The townsfolk are generally wary of outsiders. So, when they are exposed to a series of bizarre events, the young couple is left to investigate for themselves.
After the farmboy gets attacked by the worms from his own worm farm...they manage to figure out that the electricity from the downed power lines is driving the worms mad and out of the ground...rendering them rabid and insatiable.
The weakest aspect of the story (imo) concerns the discovery that only light can protect them from the worms, as they are averse to it (kind of like in that one X-Files episode, with the green bugs).
I wouldn't necessarily say it's a gaping plot hole, but it's a poorly executed device, for sure.
Though entertaining enough, it's nothing particularly special.
They sure used a helluva lot of those freaky looking worms though!!!
4 out of 10.
Nature strikes back in a big way!
Nightman8516 June 2006
The 1970's saw a number of nature-strikes-back horror films, like Frogs (1972), Grizzly (1976), Empire of the Ants (1977), Day of the Animals (1977), and Prophecy (1979), but none that were quite as well-made and effectively frightening as this low-budget horror masterpiece!
Freak storm blows down power lines in a small Georgia town, and the resulting surge of voltage through the soil drives hordes of sand worms into a flesh-eating frenzy!
The debut film of director Jeff Lieberman, who would go on to make other great B thrillers like Blue Sunshine (1977) and Just Before Dawn (1981), Squirm is still one of his best. Lieberman wrote the story, which is clever and suspenseful, as it seems to enjoy its campy elements. The plot builds from a mysterious nature to a dark, claustrophobic climax. There's a number of memorably tense moments, such as the shower sequence and the infamous row boat sequence. Lieberman well uses the backwoods and swamps of coastal Georgia to convey a realistic setting and feverish summer atmosphere. Robert Prince's musical score is excellent, with some truly eerie and haunting themes that are perfect in conjunction with some of the dark sequences. The film also contains some of the early creations of a young Rick Baker, who does some awesome makeup effects that provide for more than one memorably creepy moment.
The cast of unknowns is quite good. Scardino is perfect as the out-of-towner hero who comes to visit his lady friend. Pearcy is attractive and genuine in her role as Scardino's southern girlfriend. R.A. Dow, Jean Sullivian, and Fran Higgins all make for perfect small-town characters.
Squirm is an undervalued film indeed. It's simply an unforgettable skin-crawler that never fails to entertain and thrill. It's above-average on all levels for a B horror film and is truly one of the best low-budget flicks of its time!
**** out of ****
Freak storm blows down power lines in a small Georgia town, and the resulting surge of voltage through the soil drives hordes of sand worms into a flesh-eating frenzy!
The debut film of director Jeff Lieberman, who would go on to make other great B thrillers like Blue Sunshine (1977) and Just Before Dawn (1981), Squirm is still one of his best. Lieberman wrote the story, which is clever and suspenseful, as it seems to enjoy its campy elements. The plot builds from a mysterious nature to a dark, claustrophobic climax. There's a number of memorably tense moments, such as the shower sequence and the infamous row boat sequence. Lieberman well uses the backwoods and swamps of coastal Georgia to convey a realistic setting and feverish summer atmosphere. Robert Prince's musical score is excellent, with some truly eerie and haunting themes that are perfect in conjunction with some of the dark sequences. The film also contains some of the early creations of a young Rick Baker, who does some awesome makeup effects that provide for more than one memorably creepy moment.
The cast of unknowns is quite good. Scardino is perfect as the out-of-towner hero who comes to visit his lady friend. Pearcy is attractive and genuine in her role as Scardino's southern girlfriend. R.A. Dow, Jean Sullivian, and Fran Higgins all make for perfect small-town characters.
Squirm is an undervalued film indeed. It's simply an unforgettable skin-crawler that never fails to entertain and thrill. It's above-average on all levels for a B horror film and is truly one of the best low-budget flicks of its time!
**** out of ****
YOU gonna be da worm face!
Hey_Sweden10 November 2012
Writer / director Jeff Liebermans' enjoyable entry into the "Nature Strikes Back" genre is good fun, a very knowing and tongue in cheek homage to B level creature features of earlier decades. Yes, there may indeed be moments here that are kind of silly, but that disclaimer could apply to countless horror films of all kinds of budgets.
What happens is that during a heavy storm in the coastal region of Georgia, an electrical tower falls to the ground and sends electricity into the ground that mobilizes thousands of ugly sandworms, which proceed to feast on the luckless locals. Mick, played by the amiable Don Scardino, is a New Yorker who comes to the small town of Fly Creek to visit a recent female acquaintance, Geri, played by the lovely Patricia Pearcy, and probes the Nancy Drew style mystery of what is happening to the citizens.
The shock sequences in this flick are excellent, depending on not only some amazing makeup effects wizardry by Rick Baker, but the inherent creepiness of these slithering terrors. The atmosphere is strong, with delicious local flavour. The music by Robert Prince adds to the effective "late show" quality of the material, and comes equipped with an unusual but haunting use of a young boys' singing. One amusing touch is that the worms are heard to scream; the sound is actually that of pigs squealing in "Carrie" (1976); Dan Sable was the sound editor for both films. Joseph Mangine, a B movie veteran whose credits also include "Alligator" and "Alone in the Dark" (1982), does the cinematography.
The cast is very engaging, with Scardino making for an unlikely but worthy hero, and Pearcy an alluring female lead. R. A. Dow has the role of the put-upon Roger, who has the best scenes in the picture. Jean Sullivan and Peter MacLean go amusingly over the top as Geris' fragile mom and the mean, suspicious sheriff, who takes an instant dislike to the Yankee outsider whom he dismisses as just a troublemaker. Fran Higgins is a delight as Geris' tomboyish sister, Carl Dagenhart a total hoot as miserable worm farm operator Willie Grimes, and character actor William Newman, whose memorable mug you may have seen in one thing or another, makes his film debut as Mr. Quigley.
"Squirm" is not bad at all, as some reviews may have you believe. For any lover of B level monster movies such as this viewer, it should prove to be an acceptable diversion, building steadily up to a cool and eerie finale inside the Sanders home as it's besieged by hordes of worms. Best of all, the movie has an ingratiating sense of humour that lets us know that it's never taking itself too seriously. If you love ecological horror, it's definitely worth checking out.
Trivia note: "Squirm" could have ended up with Martin Sheen as Mick, Kim Basinger as Geri, and Sylvester Stallone as Roger!
Seven out of 10.
What happens is that during a heavy storm in the coastal region of Georgia, an electrical tower falls to the ground and sends electricity into the ground that mobilizes thousands of ugly sandworms, which proceed to feast on the luckless locals. Mick, played by the amiable Don Scardino, is a New Yorker who comes to the small town of Fly Creek to visit a recent female acquaintance, Geri, played by the lovely Patricia Pearcy, and probes the Nancy Drew style mystery of what is happening to the citizens.
The shock sequences in this flick are excellent, depending on not only some amazing makeup effects wizardry by Rick Baker, but the inherent creepiness of these slithering terrors. The atmosphere is strong, with delicious local flavour. The music by Robert Prince adds to the effective "late show" quality of the material, and comes equipped with an unusual but haunting use of a young boys' singing. One amusing touch is that the worms are heard to scream; the sound is actually that of pigs squealing in "Carrie" (1976); Dan Sable was the sound editor for both films. Joseph Mangine, a B movie veteran whose credits also include "Alligator" and "Alone in the Dark" (1982), does the cinematography.
The cast is very engaging, with Scardino making for an unlikely but worthy hero, and Pearcy an alluring female lead. R. A. Dow has the role of the put-upon Roger, who has the best scenes in the picture. Jean Sullivan and Peter MacLean go amusingly over the top as Geris' fragile mom and the mean, suspicious sheriff, who takes an instant dislike to the Yankee outsider whom he dismisses as just a troublemaker. Fran Higgins is a delight as Geris' tomboyish sister, Carl Dagenhart a total hoot as miserable worm farm operator Willie Grimes, and character actor William Newman, whose memorable mug you may have seen in one thing or another, makes his film debut as Mr. Quigley.
"Squirm" is not bad at all, as some reviews may have you believe. For any lover of B level monster movies such as this viewer, it should prove to be an acceptable diversion, building steadily up to a cool and eerie finale inside the Sanders home as it's besieged by hordes of worms. Best of all, the movie has an ingratiating sense of humour that lets us know that it's never taking itself too seriously. If you love ecological horror, it's definitely worth checking out.
Trivia note: "Squirm" could have ended up with Martin Sheen as Mick, Kim Basinger as Geri, and Sylvester Stallone as Roger!
Seven out of 10.
No matter how you film a worm, it just isn't scary
eichelbergersports15 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
"Squirm," is a repulsive piece of compost written and directed by Jeff Lieberman (come back, Ed Wood, all is forgiven!), which relates "the most bizarre freak of nature ever recorded (unless you count Al Gore)."
Film "stars" Don Scardino as Mick, a most unappealing nerd from the city (it never says WHICH city, but, then again, it doesn't really matter, does it?), who comes to Fly Creek, Georgia, to visit the pathetically pale, thin and most uncommonly unattractive Patricia Percy.
There's a minor summer storm which causes the electric wires to fall to earth sending worms (or, in this case, slugs and millipedes), to appear in strange places, like Mick's "egg cream."
Supporting characters, including an effeminate sheriff (Peter Mac Lean), a demented worm farmer (R.A. Dow), a wacky antebellum mom (Jean Sullivan) and a slutty, undernourished little sister in laughably-huge platform shoes (Fran Higgins), among others, who go way over the top with their phony Southern accents; as the worms (looking like slimy piles of slowly moving ground round) kill a few crackers and inbred rednecks.
And that's the problem with this movie. Let's face it, friends, worms, no matter how electrically-charged they are, or how ferociously close-up they are filmed, just aren't scary. Plus, there's really no new ideas here that haven't been used in countless horror pictures.
Case in point, not only do the worms devour the flesh of their victims, but they also seem to have an incredible knack for hiding the bones so that local law enforcement can't find them, thereby casting doubts on those reporting the incidents and allowing even more hicks to be eaten.
Hey, it's a cycle I can certainly live with.
Film "stars" Don Scardino as Mick, a most unappealing nerd from the city (it never says WHICH city, but, then again, it doesn't really matter, does it?), who comes to Fly Creek, Georgia, to visit the pathetically pale, thin and most uncommonly unattractive Patricia Percy.
There's a minor summer storm which causes the electric wires to fall to earth sending worms (or, in this case, slugs and millipedes), to appear in strange places, like Mick's "egg cream."
Supporting characters, including an effeminate sheriff (Peter Mac Lean), a demented worm farmer (R.A. Dow), a wacky antebellum mom (Jean Sullivan) and a slutty, undernourished little sister in laughably-huge platform shoes (Fran Higgins), among others, who go way over the top with their phony Southern accents; as the worms (looking like slimy piles of slowly moving ground round) kill a few crackers and inbred rednecks.
And that's the problem with this movie. Let's face it, friends, worms, no matter how electrically-charged they are, or how ferociously close-up they are filmed, just aren't scary. Plus, there's really no new ideas here that haven't been used in countless horror pictures.
Case in point, not only do the worms devour the flesh of their victims, but they also seem to have an incredible knack for hiding the bones so that local law enforcement can't find them, thereby casting doubts on those reporting the incidents and allowing even more hicks to be eaten.
Hey, it's a cycle I can certainly live with.
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