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

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

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Goofs

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

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.1 (2005)

User Reviews

Agreeable time-filler, but WAY overlong.

"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.