The Swarm (1978)

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

Director:

Irwin Allen

Writers:

Arthur Herzog III (novel), Stirling Silliphant (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Brad Crane
Katharine Ross	...	Helena
Richard Widmark	...	Gen. Slater
Richard Chamberlain	...	Dr. Hubbard
Olivia de Havilland	...	Maureen Schuester
Ben Johnson	...	Felix
Lee Grant	...	Anne MacGregor
José Ferrer	...	Dr. Andrews (as Jose Ferrer)
Patty Duke	...	Rita (as Patty Duke Astin)
Slim Pickens	...	Jud Hawkins
Bradford Dillman	...	Major Baker
Fred MacMurray	...	Clarence
Henry Fonda	...	Dr. Krim
Cameron Mitchell	...	General Thompson
Christian Juttner	...	Paul Durant

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.

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Plot Keywords:

swarm | bee | military | killer bee | scientist | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 July 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der tödliche Schwarm

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$10,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 155 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

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.

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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.

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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.

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Connections

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

User Reviews

To Bee Or Not To Bee...

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".