It’s probably not unpopular to say that bugs aren’t exactly the most pleasing of creatures. Whether it’s because of their distinctive, unnerving appearance or the stigma that goes along with it, bugs are among the most infamous creatures around. As such, throughout the history of movies, filmmakers have made smart use of both people’s aversion to and curiosity about bugs to make films about them.
Entomology buffs will be quick to point out that bugs and insects are definitely not the same thing, but when talking about bug movies, it’s easier to use them interchangeably. From horror movies that will make those who fear bees squirm, like Candyman, to documentaries that lovers of the animal kingdom should find fascinating, like Microcosmos, the best movies about bugs are deserving of any cinephile’s curiosity. They can be both yucky and riveting, scary and humorous, but what they never fail to be is a damn good time.
10 ‘Phenomena’ (1985)
Directed by Dario Argento
One of the 1980s’ most underrated slashers, Phenomena is an outstanding teen horror film by popular Italian auteur Dario Argento. It stars 15-year-old Jennifer Connelly as a young girl with the amazing ability to communicate with insects. After she’s transferred to an elite Swiss boarding school, her peculiar abilities help her solve a string of murders.
Those who love horror movies that revel in excess are sure to love
Phenomena
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Some might say that Phenomena favors style over substance a bit too much, but when the style is so visually striking and deeply enveloping, it doesn’t really matter much. Those who love horror movies that revel in excess are sure to love this one — though this excess includes a number of bugs that are sure to make the squeamish want to turn away from the screen. Alas, the film is so entertaining that they’re likely not to be able to.
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9 ‘Mothra vs. Godzilla’ (1964)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
1954’s Godzilla is widely regarded as the first kaiju film ever made. As such, its director, the great Ishirō Honda, could be referred to as the father of the kaiju movie genre, as well as one of the best fantasy filmmakers of all time. He made many other giant monster films throughout his career, including multiple where kaiju battle it out over whatever excuse they can find. In Mothra vs. Godzilla, the tycoons refuse to return Mothra’s (the iconic giant moth) egg to Infant Island. Its people must then decide if they’re willing to answer Japan’s pleas for help when Godzilla arises once again.
The movie is certainly not as conceptually smart or profound as other kaiju films, but it never pretends to be. Instead, it settles for having as much fun as it possibly can with its premise, and it definitely succeeds. The human characters are interesting, but the main attraction is the monsters. They’re both visually impressive and distinctly defined, and their battles are among the genre’s coolest.
8 ‘Candyman’ (1992)
Directed by Bernard Rose
During a time when the genre could very well be seen as stale, Candyman came out and proved that slasher horror could be just as good and creative as it had been during its heyday. The film tells the story of the titular Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand and a swarm of bees by his side, who’s accidentally summoned by a skeptic grad student researching the myth of this fearsome monster.
Thanks to its chilling gore, terrifying antagonist, and smart portrayal of themes of racial violence and middle-class fears, Candyman is one of the best horror movies of the ’90s. The acting is phenomenal, and the characters are nicely written (something not particularly common in this horror subgenre), making it abundantly easy for viewers to overlook the slight predictability of the plot.
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7 ‘Mothra’ (1961)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
Another one of Ishirō Honda’s most iconic monster movies is Mothra. It’s a globetrotting adventure film where, on an expedition to Infant Island, a greedy businessman kidnaps a pair of twin fairy priestesses. Outraged, a mythical deity in the shape of a massive moth sets out to rescue them. What follows is one of the most unique and entertaining kaiju films of the genre’s Golden Age.
In an uncommon move for kaiju movies, Mothra has the audience rooting for Mothra throughout by giving it a compelling motivation instead of just making it an annihilating machine. Honda thus twists the typical tropes of giant monster films on their head, making this a much more lighthearted and colorful movie than one would expect. For families looking to introduce the little ones to this iconic genre, Mothra is a great place to start.
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6 ‘The Mist’ (2007)
Directed by Frank Darabont
One of the best movies based on Stephen King‘s work, The Mist is about a freak storm unleashing a dangerous species of bug-like bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small group of civilians hole up in a supermarket to fight for their lives. Thus, it sparked a powerful story (directed by none other than The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile‘s Frank Darabont) about the dangers of collective fears and religious fundamentalism.
On top of being beautifully written and flawlessly directed, The Mist brings the myth of Cthulhu and a Lovecraftian tone to a timelier atmosphere. Paying homage to old horror B-movies about giant bugs and bug-like monsters terrorizing towns, Darabont reels the audience in with an enveloping atmosphere and then punches them straight in the gut with one of the most hopeless endings in horror movie history.
5 ‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Sometimes misunderstood but always loved by sci-fi fans, Starship Troopers is a brilliant satirization of military propaganda. It’s a dystopian alien invasion flick where humans, in a fascist militaristic future, wage war with giant alien bugs. Its sense of humor is surprisingly sophisticated while never sacrificing a bit of camp or an ounce of bloody, icky gore.
The film is over-the-top enough that it would be hard to miss its satirical intentions but subtle enough that viewers won’t feel that they’re being talked down to. Created with stunning special effects, the giant alien bugs are as scary today as they were back in the ’90s, and the characters fighting them, while not super layered, are all so compelling that it’s hard to look away from the screen.
4 ‘Them!’ (1954)
Directed by Gordon Douglas
One of the grandparents of giant insect films, Them! remains one of the genre’s best, even a whopping seventy years later. In it, the earliest atomic tests in New Mexico make regular ants mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten worldwide civilization. Like many horror movies of the Cold War era, this one reflects the paranoia and fear of nuclear power that permeated the public consciousness during that time.
One of the best B-movies of the ’50s, a beautiful decade for such kinds of films, Them! is a creature feature that never takes itself too seriously but also doesn’t parody itself, as many other films in the genre do. Queen of the big bug horror thrillers of Hollywood’s Golden Age, this is a breezily-paced gem that works as the U.S.’s response to Honda’s Godzilla.
3 ‘Naked Lunch’ (1991)
Directed by David Cronenberg
The dad of body horror and the mind behind some of the greatest Canadian films of all time, David Cronenberg has redefined horror in all sorts of subversive and creative ways throughout his prolific career. One of his best works is Naked Lunch, perhaps the weirdest biopic ever made. Based on William S. Burroughs‘s life and work, it’s about an exterminator who’s addicted to the stuff he uses to kill bugs. He accidentally kills his wife and becomes involved in a secret government conspiracy orchestrated by giant bugs.
Cronenberg is an auteur who prides himself in making movies that are as bizarre and surrealistic as he can possibly make them, and this dark comedy is no outlier. Naked Lunch is a potent study of addiction of all kinds — drugs, sex, and power. Those unfamiliar with the weirdness of Cronenberg’s style may find Naked Lunch infuriating, but those who love his movies are bound to find it a delightfully fascinating watch.
Naked Lunch is currently not available to stream, rent, or purchase in the U.S.
2 ‘The Fly’ (1986)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Another one of Cronenberg’s disgusting bug masterpieces, The Fly may just be the director’s most popular and iconic movie. It’s about a brilliant but eccentric scientist who thinks he’s discovered the secret to teleportation. After a test of his new technology goes wrong, he slowly begins to transform into a giant man-fly hybrid with some of the best movie makeup and prosthetics in history.
The Fly is the quintessential body horror film, dealing with how technology directly alters the human body, a theme that has fascinated Cronenberg throughout his entire filmography. The effects are jaw-dropping, Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis‘s performances are outstanding, and the airtight script is one of the most surprisingly profound and nuanced in the history of horror films.
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1 ‘Microcosmos’ (1996)
Directed by Claude Nuridsany and Marie Pérennou
Everyone loves a good bug horror movie that only amplifies people’s fear of these creatures, but why not end on a much nicer note with a beautiful documentary that’s sure to make viewers see bugs and insects differently forever? The stunning French-Swiss-Italian documentary Microcosmos is about insect life, inspected from up close in meadows and ponds.
Microcosmos
both illuminates the beauty and importance of bugs and insects and entertains audiences with quirky visuals.
Microcosmos may not be as well-known as some of its fellow great bug movies, but it certainly should be. Allowing viewers to get a good look at a world as unknown to the common person as the bottom of the ocean or outer space serves a powerful purpose, both illuminating the beauty and importance of bugs and insects and entertaining audiences with quirky visuals. Bugs may be squirmy, but they can also be precious when seen from the right angle.
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