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The Swarm (1978)

 -  Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller  -  14 July 1978 (USA)
4.2
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Ratings: 4.2/10 from 3,631 users  
Reviews: 95 user | 53 critic

A huge swarm of deadly African bees spreads terror over American cities by killing thousands of people.

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Writers:

(novel), (screenplay)
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Title: The Swarm (1978)

The Swarm (1978) on IMDb 4.2/10

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Brad Crane
...
Helena
...
Gen. Slater
...
Dr. Hubbard
...
Maureen Schuester
...
Felix
...
Anne MacGregor
...
Dr. Andrews (as Jose Ferrer)
...
Rita (as Patty Duke Astin)
...
Jud Hawkins
...
Major Baker
...
Clarence
...
Dr. Krim
...
General Thompson
Christian Juttner ...
Paul Durant
Edit

Storyline

Killer bees from South America have been breeding with the gentler bees of more northern climes, slowly extending their territory northward decade after decade. Entomologist Brad Crane has discovered that something is making them come together in huge, killer swarms. He wants to keep the General Slater from using military tactics from further upsetting the balance of nature as they join to try to stop the swarms from approaching Houston. Written by Ørnås

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

swarm | bee | military | killer bee | scientist | See more »

Taglines:

It's more than a speculation - it's a prediction ! See more »


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

14 July 1978 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Der tödliche Schwarm  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$10,000,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (extended)

Sound Mix:

(35 mm optical prints)| (35 mm magnetic prints)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

When the picture was theatrically released, it ran about 116 minutes. In the 1980s, when the film was released on laserdisc, a long cut of 156 minutes was released. This version is the one now available on DVD. See more »

Goofs

When the passenger train is attacked by the swarm, Engineer Ned leans on the (mock-up) automatic brake handle which should have applied the emergency brakes, but instead the train accelerates. See more »

Quotes

Brad Crane: I have cardio-pep in my van.
Capt. Helena Anderson: Cardio-pep? I've just read an article in the medical journal about Cardio-pep! By some scientist named... Crane, I think.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Mork & Mindy: Mork's Best Friend (1979) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
To Bee Or Not To Bee...
28 November 2000 | by (Storuman, Sweden) – See all my reviews

Highly enjoyable (and very expensive) flop from Irwin Allen, the Master of Disaster. Michael Caine, with help from a bunch of other famous actors, fight against a huge swarm of African killer bees and almost destroy the entire city of Houston in the progress. Try to get hold of the longer version (about half an hour longer than the original), which contain more drama and longer action scenes. Considered a turkey among most critics, but this film is far better than many recent box-office hits. Note that the local cinema is showing "The Towering Inferno".


24 of 28 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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Funniest scene or line ryannaughton1138-1
Most awful two hours spent in a cinema. garyahampton
The greatest piece of crap ever GRLMGC
Has anyone read the novel? CreativeMedia
The music was good ryannaughton1138-1
Time for a remake? captmike10
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