Customer Reviews

Creepy Crawlers

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My expectations for this movie were any thing but high - after all, I watched this right after the Oscar-winning "Bugs," and the rattle-snake riddened "Rattled," a movie right on par with "Citizen Kane" and "Lawrence of Arabia." And yet...I was pleasantly surprised.

For one, the characters are pretty well fleshed out. Our hero is a former surgeon who's hands are a little shaky (unless he has a drink) and so retires to a small fishing island. The locals don't really like him, and he has to put up with constant black-outs at his isolated mansion. The sudden emergence of cockroaches doesn't make things that much happier.

Gradually, the cockroaches go from lovable little squishies to killer parasites. There a few good scenes of the little buggers popping out of people's mouths, chests, and stomachs. They also learn to fly near the end There are some well done surprises here. Granted, I didn't feel particularly frightened at any part of this movie, but it will make you a bit queezy. The scene at the dinner table where our hero lifts up his fork to reveal a bug on it made me jump.

There are other plusses for this movie. For once...I actually CARED if the main character lived! And the romantic interest not only can support herself and helps out, but the relationship with our hero isn't rushed and you actually do feel some chemistry between them.

The only real downfall of the movie is the ending. It's one of those typical "one [insert type of animal]is still alive" endings. It's just corny and cliche.

Overall, a decent horror movie. It's not a great movie, and I'm not gonna buy it for my collection any time soon, but considering what other horrors I've seen it was definately worth my time.

This movie is a great movie to watch if you are in the mood to see thousands of cockroaches crawl through peoples' bodies and nest in them. Swarms of roaches try to take over an island and everybody on it. This movie is definitely a movie to check out. According to the DVD.... IT WILL MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL!

Dr. Cahill (Thomas Calabro) is a recovering alcoholic. After being unable to perform a surgery, he is told to take a "vacation" by his superior. This leads him to a small island, where he hopes to settle in and relax. Instead, the locals, led by two brothers (one played by John Savage), cause nothing but problems for Cahill. Meanwhile, a growing legion of biting, killer cockroaches have arrived on the island, ready to destroy all in their path! Dr. Cahill, with the help of the sheriff (Dean Stockwell!) and the gal from the general store (Kristen Dalton), must find out what's been killing the townsfolk before it's too late. CC is a solid little grabber w/ enough twists and jolts to keep things running on all six legs. There's even some gory goo that's surprising for a PG-13 movie! Loved it...

THIS MOVIE WILL REALLY IMPRESS FANS OF ROACH MOVIES. IT TAKES THE AUDIENCE ON A RIDE THAT ALL ARE NEVER TO FORGET. IT'S PLOT IS MUCH BETTER THAN THAT OF "THE NEST."
I BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS A DIRECT-TO-VIDEO RELEASE, BUT IT WAS STILL VERY GOOD EVEN THOUGH!!!
SOME OF IT IS VERY HARD TO STOMACH, BUT IT HAS A LIMITED USE OF PROFANITY IN THE FILM.
THIS IS A VERY GOOD THRILLER THAT WILL MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL!!!!

CREEPY CRAWLERS is the first movie in some time that made my squirm and my skin crawl; with an effective use of silence and eerily atmospheric music and some nifty camerawork, this movie really gets under your skin.
It opens with some shipmates duct taping a fellow matey, and then dumping him overboard; the body comes to rest on a sleepy little island in Maine. A surgeon (Thomas Calabro, in a marvelously controlled and humorus performance) has recently purchased a house on this island. It needs fixing up, and the only one who can help out electically is a nasty feller named Jack Wald (played with venomous relish by John Savage). Seems like Wald and his brother should have inherited the house, but since their pappy didnt pay his taxes, the house went up for sale and Calabro bought it. Meanwhile, the cockroaches are swarming and just dying to breed in their human hosts.
There are some incredibly creepy scenes, and when the bugs sprout wings, look out.
This is a great "little" movie, full of dark humor and nasty, nasty bugs!
Buy you some Raid afore you watch it, ye heah?

I never knew what to expect when I bought the movie "Creepy Crawlers" starring Thomas Calabro, Dean Stockwell, Kristen Dalton, and John Savage. I figured it was just another campy B-movie or something. The cover itself looks gross-out nasty. Most people who have fears of insects or bugs probably won't even think to look at the cover twice. But I'm a horror buff, so I can handle most films with the creepy crawly things anyhow. So, I took a deep breathe and started watching Creepy Crawlers. And to my surprise, that this picture is actually a good time fun. I was also surprise, the acting was much better than I anticipated that it would be.

The Story: (***1/2 stars) "When Dr. Ben Cahill takes a leave of absence from his medical practice and moves to Orrs Island off the coast of Maine, all he expects is some quiet time away. But the solace of the tiny isle is hattered when bizarre and frightening deaths begin to occur. The victims appear to have died by natural causes, yet each body has red insect bits on its flesh. When an autopsy reveals one dead man's chest cavity filled with insect cocoons, Cahill is horrified to discover that a rare breed of African cockroaches has invaded the island and they are using the inside of human beings as breeding grounds! Now, it's a race against time as the islanders try everything they can to escape the deadly insects before they are eaten alive!"
~VHS box set

The FX: (**** stars) Good enough to be totally grossed out!

The Score: (**** stars) Keeps you on the edge of your seat, pumping more anticipation than you would rarely expect in a horror picture.

The Picture Itself: (**** stars) The actors did a great job in protraying these characters to be enough believable to make you feel for them, (and yes, even the damned creepy crawlers that make your skin crawl, literally). It's good enough to watch it again.

So the next time yo uare looking for a really good horror flick, you might wanna check out "Creepy Crawlers," a well done movie that should get more than it deserves. Don't judge the cover by its looks: you might be surprised to have yourself a really good time.

Also, to Amazon.com: You rated this film [R] on the flm ratings when it is actually a [PG-13] rating according to the VHS box set. [PG-13] for creature violence and peril. Now, when I watched the film myself, I didn't really see any sexual nudity or a sex scene, which I was greatful. There was very little mild language in it as well. So it would be appreciated if you could change the rating back to [PG-13]. I would be apprecitaed.

All in all, Creepy Crawlers is a creepin' good time! "Veiwers beware, you're in for a scare!" ~R.L. Stine's Goosebumps

think i saw this a year ago and remember how good of a movie it was. had to buy the DVD right away. definitely better than the movie THE NEST. highly entertaining movie with plenty of cochroaches for everyone. swarms of roaches try to take people out one at a time and take over the island. fairly suspenseful, definitely worth checking out!

I have a fair number of horror DVDs in my library that fill the same niche as 'Creepy Crawlers.' Movies such as 'The Blob,' 'Slither,' 'Splinter," et al are all nifty horror outings that have a good mix of story, character and horror to fill their 90 minute or so running time. They won't change your life but they're high on the entertainment scale.

'Creepy Crawlers' involves a doctor who hasn't quite adjusted to being on the wagon. His boss gives him time off so he goes to his recently purchased, dilapidated house on an Island off the coast of Maine, to get it up to speed. The house was a bank repo and the two brothers from whom it was repoed have real bad feelings toward him. Meanwhile, a sailor from an African ship gets tossed overboard by his mates for being a human bug hotel. His body washes ashore on the Island and the bugs do their thing.

This is pretty high on the creep and goo scale. These bugs use animals as hosts so when the eggs hatch things get really nasty. As in other movies of this type things start a bit slow. Clues start to build and those who know what's going on have to convince those who don't. Meanwhile the animosities get in the way and make things even more difficult.

The acting is generally good. John Savage, as the one brother, is way better than he even has to be in the role. Dean Stockwell is good as the sheriff but could have used a bit more time. Kristen Dalton, likewise, is good but needed more time. The effects are on par with the budget. The lighting, cinematography, editing, etc. are all good enough for the project. This is just a very watchable movie. Things get a bit rushed near the end and the climax could have been a bit more spectacular but all in all this is a fun time.

This is a really good little horror movie! Actually, I just found out about it, being available on DVD...however, I know this movie under a different title, "They Nest". Saw it on TV as a made for cable movie, I believe it was originally on TNT.
I had taped it on VHS, and have looked for it a long time on DVD, and then just recently found out it was on DVD under this different title of, Creepy Crawlers".
If you enjoy "bug" horror movies, you could do alot worse than this one!

A small island in Maine experiences terror once an infested body washes up on shore. The Island's newest resident is a doctor in need of getting away. Unfortunately the Doc has made enemies just by buying the wrong house. As tempers flare among the residents the doctor stumbles upon the hidden problem growing on the island.

The Island is now home to a horrible bug that lays its eggs in small mammals. Now they have turned toward man as a host. Unfortunately once the residents are finally confronted with the reality it is too late to do more than run. But it is hard to run far when you are surrounded by water and the next ferry isn't due for a week.

Very realistic looking bugs really add to the creep factor in this film. Some pretty decent acting is also present and you will probably recognize a few faces (and not just Dean Stockwell as the Sheriff). Parts of the movie look like it could lead to an interesting sequel (if handled right) while the existing ending adds just the right touch. If you like swarms of bugs in your movies then this one is right up your alley.