Squirm (1976)

The Worst Film Ever

Thanks for the memories!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Oh, Squirm. I don't care what anyone says… this was a great movie. It was featured on one of the very last episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the director, Jeff Lieberman, was not happy about it… but perhaps not for the reason you'd expect: "Mystery Science Fiction was really invented by Zacherly, and Elvira called herself Zacherly with T*ts. The movies they would get, they would get them because the owners of the films would go, 'Oh well, a little bit is better than nothing' because nobody was booking these movies to play in their entirety. But Squirm was playing all over the world in its entirety on its own, so why would you make a cheap sale like that? Once you do that you can't sell it to stations at the same time. Of course the fandom thought I was being sensitive about them goofing on it, like it was Gone With the Wind or Citizen Kane. I was furious about the financial aspect. I didn't give a s**t what anybody says. It's a movie about worms."I think it makes me love the movie more to know that Lieberman doesn't take it, or himself, too seriously. It would be hard to do so with a movie about worms — not huge, monster worms or poisonous worms or even worms crawling out of dead bodies. Just regular ol' worms wriggling their way up out of the ground. It's not that scary of a movie, really — though it tries, with its closeups of the worms with these monster screams that I guess we're supposed to assume they're making — but what it lacks in horror it makes up for in charm. And okay, a handful of creepy scenes, like finding the old man whose insides have been entirely replaced by worms, or when they find Mrs. Sanders as just a vaguely human-shaped pile of worms, or poor Roger pulling his way up the stairs in a last attempt to take them down with him."I like a good thunderstorm. It makes you feel… helpless."It also does a great job at toeing the line with lots of great, dark humor. The scene where they are pleading for the sleazy sheriff's help while he's on a date at an Italian restaurant and they just keep panning back and forth between closeups of him and his ladyfriend slurping down spaghetti I MEAN COME ON, so good.This movie also showcases some early makeup effects by Rick Baker (before his American Werewolf in London days) — I particularly enjoyed what he did with Roger's face to make it look as though worms were burrowing under his skin.Ultimately, while not much of a scare, this movie is worth it for some icky worm scenes and some pretty commendable dialogue (heavy on the Southern accent).

And that about sums up how bad this 40 year old movie really is. It starts out OK with these nasty Southerners living in a small rural town in Georgia. It has that horror-feel to it, but then it just becomes really bad.Mick from New York, who is visiting his sad looking girlfriend Geri, finds a skeleton and try to tell the sheriff. But the moronic hill billy sheriff sees him as a big city troublemaker and instead of doing his job he keeps threatening to throw Mick in prison. Without ever doing it. When this joke of a sheriff and his girlfriend are eaten by worms, they get what they deserve.This movies biggest problem is not the extremely bad effects and that these ordinary size worms growl like lions when they attack and eat people (ridicoulus) it's that there isn't a single likable character in the movie. And it takes about 50 minutes before we see the first worm attack. And even by that time the movie remains boring for the remaining 40 minutes.As far as the whole town apparently has been eaten by the worms, the budget was early too small to actually show it. Which makes the ending when the power comes back on all the less believable. As far as gore goes, it's also really badly made.Don't believe the hype. This is bad. Really bad.

Squirm is about worms. Not just any worms, though. Freaky Georgia worms with tons of legs and, yes, fangs. They bite, but normally they're OK. You can even use them to fish with. However, if they come in contact with electricity they go crazy, and there's so many of them in the ground that once they come up the humans don't have a chance.Squirm, although a major studio release (Universal), has the feel of an indie grindhouse/exploitation film. You also get the sense that the actors in this film are real country people. These yokels don't come from Los Angeles. If they're not GA natives they're from somewhere in the deep south. Of course, the city slicker is the protagonist, but that doesn't stop the locals from treating him like dirt (ironically, the thing worms live in).This film is fun and will at times make your skin crawl. I thoroughly enjoyed it.This review originally appeared at http://paranoidcinephilia.blogspot.com/2016/04/squirm-1976.html

The population of a backwoods community is overcome by worms, after they're agitated by the effects of currents following an electrical storm. Local girl (Pearcy, like an earthenware pot, she's fiery with good old fashioned charm) finds herself at the centre of the strange phenomenon, battling jealous suitors, sleazy law enforcement and oodles and oodles of worm noodles. Her new boyfriend (the amiable if painfully nerdy Scardino) making his first visit to the boondocks, gets a little extra 'something' in his milkshake, then realises that local yokel (an unnerving portrayal by the unknown actor Dow) has the hots for his girl. If looks could kill, the worms would be the least of his worries.Sharp, witty and scary, "Squirm" will make you do just that – there's a tongue-in-cheek script, pleasant scenery and some fantastic (and gory) special effects. Extreme close-up shots of feeding worms, mandibles protracted, is cleverly overlaid with an almost primeval scream that will leave you writhing in discomfort. The cast, whilst mostly obscure, are well led by director Lieberman and deliver their witty dialogue with consummate precision.Pearcy is an unconventionally beautiful yet spirited heroine, whereas Scardino, whilst undeniably assertive, isn't the epitome of alpha masculinity (note his bare-chested warrior turn). It's a case of Scardino being the brains, Pearcy the brawn, which makes for a neat stereotype twist. Dependable supporting actor Peter MacLean is perfectly cast as the womanizing local sheriff, his silver tongued, velvet baritone and virile male gaze creating a memorable creepy cop villain. And finally, Higgins is a quintessential ugly duckling, in an odd but likable characterisation as Pearcy's maturing sister, keen not to miss out on any of the action.Lieberman has done an outstanding job with apparently limited resources; hip, funny and suspenseful, "Squirm" is a highly astute little shocker full of surprises that goes well beyond expectations, and shouldn't fail to impress.