Bug

I don’t think I ever even heard of this one. I don’t know if it ever “opened wide” at all, but they’re sure giving it big DVD play. Blockbuster has a ton of them, all checked out but the one I rented. The cover certainly suggests that it’s a horror movie … and it is, but I think a lot of people will be misled. It’s not about entomology at all, it’s about real horror: paranoia. Personally, I value a horror film like this a whole lot more than just another creepy-crawly exercise, whether the scary part is a psycho killer or a swarm of insects. True horror comes from humans. The scariest film I’ve seen in a long time is Deliver Us From Evil, the true story of a pedophile priest.
This movie was based on a play, and is essentially a three-character piece. At first you’ll think it might actually be about bugs, but you’ll quickly catch on, I don’t think I’m giving much away here. The strength of the movie is in the acting, which is frighteningly intense, with Ashley Judd and Harry Connick, Jr., and someone I don’t know well, Michael Shannon. Most of the best scenes are between Shannon and Judd. It was directed by William Friedkin, who is always cited as the man who made The Exorcist, though I recall him from two much better movies: Sorcerer, and The French Connection. This is quite different. It’s a small movie, but one that might stick around in your mind.