What is it about Hollywood and pest movies? From giant bugs, to larger than life spiders, these famous pest films will either scare the life out of you or make you pick up the phone and schedule a pest inspection.
Them! (1954)
The first bug movie ever made was Them!, now a cult classic. It was inspired by atomic bomb testing in New Mexico in the 1950s and looks at what happens when ants come into contact with radiation. Basically, they turn into giant flesh-eating bugs that destroy humankind, a good reason not to dabble in nuclear weapons.
The Swarm (1978)
As the title suggests, this is a bee movie and concerns a massive invasion of African killer bees going on the rampage in US towns stinging and killing hundreds of people as they go. Real bees were used in the production, and there is a classic early attempt at CGI with a terrifying giant dream hallucination bee, and Bee-O-Vision shot from a bee’s perspective.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Anyone who hates bugs will probably not ever want to have this dilemma. In this movie the female co-star of Indiana Jones has to reach a hand into a hole teeming with creepy crawlies to save him from certain death. Luckily for Indy love wins over horror but there is much screaming involved.
The Fly (1986)
Jeff Goldblum is charismatic at the best of times but cast as an eccentric scientist who morphs into a half fly, half man monster ‘the Brundlefly’ he’s brilliant. This is the remake of the 1958 original, which was based on a short story of the same name. It’s a tongue in cheek look at what happens when an arrogant man tries to woo a woman by impressing her with a machine.
Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989)
This movie was an unexpected box office success. It features Wayne Szalinski, played by Rick Moranis, a nutty scientist who’s invented a shrink ray machine which accidentally shrinks his children and neighbour’s children down to the size of insects (every parent’s nightmare). After being swept out in the rubbish, they must find their way home encountering a bee, an ant and a scorpion on their perilous journey.
Arachnophobia (1990)
This classic spider movie was originally going to be marketed as a comedy but eventually was classified as a ‘thrill-omedy’. In the film an unknown species of Venezuelan spider finds its way to an American town and starts a new race of deadly spiders. Unfortunately the nest is in the local GP’s barn, and he has arachnophobia (an extreme fear of spiders).
King Kong (2005)
There is a scene in King Kong that is enough to make even bug aficionados squirm in their seats. The Insect Pit contains seriously huge insects with one thought on their minds, to feed on human flesh. Luckily these creatures: Arachno-Claws, Deplectors, Carnictises and Weta-rexes are the product of CGI and the imagination of Peter Jackson.
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Last but not least, the ultimate pest movie, or at least the one with the most hype, has to be Snakes on a Plane. If having a snake in your basement or attic is bad news, try being stuck on a plane with a whole venomous bunch of them. Luckily for the passengers FBI Agent Neville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson) is on board, he’s got a gun, and he knows how to fly a plane, whew!