Bugs: A Trilogy (2018) User Reviews

Forgettable

[bhsfacebook · 5/10 · 22 February 2019]

Of this trilogy, the first third isn't bad; the second is weak and lacks a much-needed reveal; and the third is incoherent. All in all, a forgettable anthology.

Very Creepy For this Bugophobia

[myproductionstx · 6/10 · 3 January 2019]

This really isn't my cup of tea normally but on an off chance watched it. It's a well made film. Some parts made me very uncomfortable and if bugs freak you out then it'll freak you out. I HATE bugs and I had to close my eyes in parts. Good fun for an evening viewing.

Bugs A Trilogy: Certainly gets under your skin

[Platypuschow · 3/10 · 11 December 2018]

The curiously titled Bugs: A Trilogy is a horror anthology with the recurring theme of insects. At time of writing this hyper obscure independent crowd funded project has only 33 ratings on IMDB and was released in October.

With no wrap around to speak of it instead has very graphic imagery of insects, and even for a person with no related phobias it doesn't make for the easiest viewing.

The first story was tense and fairly interesting, the second was kinda gross and I didn't see quite what the appeal could possibly be and the third was the worst of all.

I respect indie movies and their filmmakers, but this skin crawling trio simply weren't very entertaining. It wasn't devoid of entertainment after all I didn't mind the first story but from there it was all downhill.

In making my skin crawl and feel generally uncomfortable it certainly succeeded, in providing an enjoyable 60 minutes not so much.

The Good:

First story was passable

The Bad:

Too much filler

2/3 was just not enjoyable

The music though fitting got old fast

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Glasses are so yesterday, now people drink from jam jars

Coffee makes the world go round

A true horror

[Phil_Chester · 8 August 2019]

One thing you absolutely want from a horror film is to feel creeped out and uncomfortable. This film completely had me on edge the whole way through. With unnerving echoes of 'Repulsion', the discomfort of watching this film is utterly unsettling, evoking Lynch and Cronenberg at their darkest. Plenty to keep horror fans satisfied. Recommended.

Unbearably horrible

[nathan-78983 · 1/10 · 23 October 2018]

Horrible acting, horrible directing, the obscure music is painful, the plots are senseless. There's a lot of fillers that doesn't contribute to anything but to lengthen the film. I regretted watching and wasting time on this total garbage....

It was bad

[draftdubya · 3/10 · 13 March 2021]

The writing, pace, and music was just off. I won't knock the actors, but I wish they would go on to better things.

Unsettling and Creepy Social Commentary

[alexanderhanno · 8/10 · 20 December 2018]

While "Bugs: A Trilogy" might not be for everyone (it's truly unsettling and creepy,) fans of the new horror wave that emphasizes social commentary in addition to fright will thoroughly enjoy this piece. With the focus on the "bugs" that infect the human mental condition, rather than literal insects, this movie tends to be more about what isn't seen rather than what is. Don't expect jump scares and monsters, but be prepared for psychological horror throughout. Overall, it calls to mind 2006's "Bug" albeit, on an indie budget.

Bugs are dirty little creepy critters that make unsettling film

[jimlewisjr · 7/10 · 2 April 2020]

You can get any closer to gross bugs than in this movie. Each of the stories is a bit unsettling mostly because of the bugs and thoughts of bugs. The cast is excellent at amplifying the hair raising feeling you get when something like a bug is crawling on you. A fun film, but you may want to wait a while to eat before or after watching.

It really creeped me out the way a thriller should.

[fjstars · 8/10 · 10 May 2019]

It's really hard to do Horror-Thriller on a budget with an original idea. I feel it is pulled off successfully in this trilogy of stories. I was compelled from the first frame and it has to be good to hold my attention. If you are looking for a silly over the top Hollywood special effect horror film this isn't it. A good horror thriller makes you think and use your imagination, that is what this film did for me.

Well done, snappy horror film!

[baccaruda1 · 7/10 · 28 October 2023]

"Bugs: A Trilogy" is a fun, crisply made movie that goes deep into body horror, and has a unique female perspective with its subject matter. Each short segment picks specific little critters to move the story along, so if you dig the idea of watching creepy crawlies make characters squirm, this one is for you. Black widows, parasitic worms, and bedbugs are all utilized to maximum effect, and the actors all were properly mortified, given their very icky situations. The bedbug sequence was particularly gross to me, as I once stayed in a hotel that had a bad infestation, which at the time, literally gave me nightmares. This is a well-done indie body horrorfest..

Very original and creepy!

[alecdawson-49717 · 10/10 · 31 October 2018]

Loved the concept of this film. Great acting and superb directing. Perfect film for the this Halloween season.

Successfully Plays On Age-Old Fears

[TheAll-SeeingI · 8/10 · 19 December 2018]

There should be a warning posted for the sake of the unsuspecting hypochondriac, whom otherwise will be subjected to watching his or her worst fears play out in Bugs: A Trilogy (knowing there are mites in my eyelashes, for example, really messes with my psychological well-being). But in these stories from Alexandra Grunberg delivered to the screen by director Simone Kisiel, the parasites we encounter aren't all of the insect world.

Throughout these tales, our wellness is under various forms of assault - either through invasion of the body or of the mind - and the shared result is the introduction of in-your-head terror. It's this clever connective tissue which binds these three otherwise disparate episodes together.

It's safe to say that Bugs: A Trilogy finds its own unique space in the psychological thriller category. It uses a shrewdly-leveraged storytelling idea, and over the course of each tale, employs cohesive acting and disturbing soundscapes to ratchet up the queasiness and unrest. Well-conceived and ultimately well-done.

Creepy AF

[mentalrev · 8/10 · 4 January 2020]

BUGS is a trilogy that will have you cleaning the apartment with a flamethrower when it's over, delightfully creepy and innovative this is definitely much better than most indie horror/thriller hybrid films. Well worth a watch.

Great find!!

[donwandoza · 10/10 · 1 April 2020]

I'm happy I stumbled upon this little gem! I found this film to have a very Interesting style of shooting and the story was oddly enough very interesting. It really kept my attention which is why I highly recommend you check out this great little indie!

A good trio of slow burn short psychological thrillers

[Cmiller75 · 10/10 · 4 January 2020]

Great anthology that ties together three sinister tales dealing with three young women (each played by the director) whose fears manifest into the titular creepy-crawlies. The direction overall is very stylish, with an almost Burton-esque feel, and all three stories build their tension with aplomb. A good trio of slow burn short psychological thrillers.

AHHHHHHHHH!!!... (gasp gasp) AHHHHHHHHH!!!

[kennyhughes · 9/10 · 11 January 2020]

I gave it 9 stars because it made me so grossed out. I did wonder why I did that to myself...I am too sensitive for this creep fest. It has a whole icky bug cast that will leave a scar on your psyche too. All I can figure out is it must be a good film because they wanted to freak me out and they did. I wanted to turn it off but couldn't. Calling my therapist for a late night phone session now...see ya.

Great storytelling!

[gallagher_jenn · 8/10 · 9 January 2020]

Loved this! Great storytelling and excellent directing, 2nd story in particular (Parasite) did a fantastic job of simultaneously unnerving me while turning my stomach. Looking forward to watching more from this team.

A fun ride!

[helgocast · 9/10 · 8 January 2020]

Well done physiological horror drama. Had we guessing all the way through. I look forward to more from this filmmaker. Great ride.

Bugs: A Trilogy Gets Under Your Skin

[JGReviews · 10/10 · 28 January 2019]

Bugs: A Trilogy is a trio of short films that will give you the creepy crawlies. Each short horror film centers around Bugs tormenting people in various, progressive ways. The filmmakers are skilled at slowly, subtly ratcheting up the intensity of the terror as each story moves forward, leaving the audience quite unsettled. If you are looking for an effective horror film to watch, please check out Bugs: A Trilogy because I am very much creeped out right now. I do not want to see a bug the rest of the day.

Simone Kisiel, I COULDN'T FINISH IT I WAS SO CREPT OUT!... Thank You.

[kathryn-08681 · 10/10 · 11 March 2019]

It has been a long time since the horror genre has had such a beautiful piece.

I started watching this movie with a critical eye and that quickly faded as I was pulled into what was going on in this movie.

They play the psychological setups just right too.

When I was watching, I immediately wanted to the relationship to heal between the two actors and the feeling they instill into you before each new segment is just right enough to kinda forget the road you are on and then after the 2nd chapter I saw the titles for the 3rd.

NOPE, I cant do it. The title alone made me say to myself "Based on what I just went though, I cant handle the final chapter."

Well done, great cinematography, sound direction and atmosphere all around.

Thank you!

Intense, effective, psychological horror

[MariaAllred · 8/10 · 18 March 2019]

This trilogy is a well-crafted journey into Entomophobia. Each short story peering into the somatic and psychological horrors of humans' relationship to bugs. The acting is believable and at times intentionally exaggerated for a surrealistic effect. The ending of the whole trilogy takes the moral to an altogether deeper level in an unexpected and a satisfying payoff. Nice work! Edit

Chilling Indie Flick

[bgianci-790-772540 · 8/10 · 20 May 2019]

I'm not usually a fan of horror but a friend of mine saw this and highly recommended it. It did not disappoint. Lots of chills and thrills in this well acted and well written non-cliche trilogy of psychological / horror thriller.

Fun and creepy

[MsLSimon · 8/10 · 4 February 2019]

When your story is about bugs, you got an automatic squirm factor. Each of the 3 shorts was so intense. It works so well psychologically that I felt I had to recheck my house afterwards to make sure there were no creepy crawlies before I went to bed. Excellent film to watch on a night in.

The Finest Kind of Scary Storytelling

[diodatidaddy · 10/10 · 22 February 2019]

Bugs stands above the rest as a genuinely multifaceted, well rounded, and unique set of stories, none of which shy away from breaking filmic conventions around gender, privacy, trust in the establishment, and utterly horrifying alienation from our own bodies. Film fans who don't watch horror for the purpose of being comfortably unchallenged and undisturbed would be best advised to spend their time watching one of the upcoming Disney reboots. Film fans who thrive off of savoring a robust critical analysis will be rewarded with some deep and strange boxes to unpack. It was so very funcomfortable.

Bugs score a "10"

[craigahrens · 10/10 · 10 May 2019]

What a sleeper of a movie. I couldn't exactly tell from the trailer what to expect. This ended up proving to be quite a good thing. This film is very intelligently woven together. I enjoyed how this is basically three short film rolled into a full length film. Hence the trilogy. It was very smart how Director Simone Kisiel was able to pull this off. There's a common thread that plays throughout the trilogy. They have to do with a bug type but not the way you're necessarily thinking. There were some bug parts in the film that creeped out my girlfriend. There were some "bug" close-ups that I enjoyed but my she wanted no part of. But that's her. Okay let me get back on point... the lead actress was very good, I enjoyed her performance a lot. I liked the shot selections, the camera angels. Overall, I liked the movie a lot and certainly suggest to give it a look. You won't be disappointed.