Top 5 Movies Featuring Scary Bugs

Throughout history, insects, spiders and other critters have brought fear and revulsion to people around the world. It’s no surprise that bugs have become fertile fodder for movie makers, with everything from mutated earthly insects to six-legged invaders from outer space fueling the plots of horror movies. If you’re in the mood to be creeped out by some terrifying arthropods, consider some of the best bug-themed movies.

Starship Troopers (1997)

This film, an adaptation of Robert Heinlein’s classic sci-fi novel of the same name, imagines a future where the space-faring human race finds itself locked in a war with a race of planet-hopping giant insects. Johnny Rico, a native of Buenos Aires, enlists in the Mobile Infantry to defend humanity and earn his citizenship. As the war rages on, Rico rises through the ranks of the military as his friends and fellow soldiers drop like flies.

Mimic (1997)

Mimic begins with a horrifying scenario – a cockroach-spread plague killing children in Manhattan – and turns the horror up by introducing giant bugs that can imitate humans. When entomologist Susan Tyler genetically engineers the Judas insect to stop the plague, she’s hailed as a hero. Three years later, however, her creation has evolved, growing to enormous size and developing the ability to mimic its only predator – humans. Susan and her companions must escape from the nest of the Judas insect and exterminate the breed before it can supplant humans on top of the food chain.

Them! (1954)

The granddaddy of all giant-insect movies, Them! was a reflection of the uneasiness of the early Atomic Age. Irradiated by the first nuclear bomb test in Alamogordo, a nest of ants mutates and grows to enormous size. When people begin to go missing, the Army comes face-to-face with the aftermath of mankind’s destructive potential. After eradicating the original nest of giant ants, the Army tracks down new nests, culminating in a battle in Los Angeles.

Arachnophobia (1990)

The spiders in Arachnophobia are of a more earthly size, but their small size makes them no less terrifying. When entomologist James Atherton unwittingly sends a deadly spider from Venezuela to a small town in California, terror ensues. The spider soon mates with local house spiders, creating an army of lethal hybrids that strike terror into the town. Local physician Ross Jennings, whose barn becomes the site of the spiders’ nest, must overcome his fear of spiders to eliminate the deadly brood before it can spread beyond his sleepy town.

The Fly (1986)

A remake of a 1958 film, The Fly chronicles the fall of scientist Seth Brundle. While testing his revolutionary teleportation device, Brundle inadvertently merges his DNA with that of a common housefly. He undergoes a terrifying transformation, gradually developing many fly-like traits as his humanity recedes. If you’re disgusted by watching houseflies, you’ll be horrified as Brundle begins to give in to his new insectoid tendencies.

Common pests may not be the size of buildings or possess the ability to pass as a human, but living with a pest infestation in your home is no less terrifying. If you need help escaping from your own insect invasion, contact the expert exterminators at Premium Termite & Pest Control.