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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.

Director:

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 »
Edit

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

Producer-director Irwin Allen once described this film as "the most terrifying movie ever made". See more »

Goofs

The morgue at the base only shows about a dozen bagged corpses, although over twice that number were visible earlier in the movie. See more »

Quotes

[Crane's explanation of how he got inside a locked-down nuclear missile silo]
Brad Crane: That's a complicated story. It begins a year ago. But let's skip that.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.1 (2005) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Agreeable time-filler, but WAY overlong.
21 November 1999 | by See all my reviews

"The Swarm" has its share of flaws, no doubt about that: it's overlong, it's filled with genre cliches (many veterans cast in pointless supporting roles, indifferent romances) and it's occasionally overacted, especially by Michael Caine, who has a role far below his abilities. However, those who are calling it "terrible" and "campy" are REALLY overdoing it. The special effects are actually FIRST-RATE and most of the attack sequences are utterly convincing. Don't judge the film on the basis of its bad reputation; watch it for yourself and you'll discover that, while it's not an "art" film, it's an agreeable way to kill two hours.


17 of 21 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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