Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > The Swarm (1978)
The Swarm
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Swarm (1978) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 25 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
3.9/10   2,282 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Irwin Allen
Writers:
Arthur Herzog Jr. (novel)
Stirling Silliphant (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Swarm on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 July 1978 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Sci-Fi | Horror more
Tagline:
It's more than a speculation - it's a prediction ! more
Plot:
A huge swarm of deadly African bees spreads terror over American cities by killing thousands of people. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
Once To The Well Too Much, Irwin more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Michael Caine ... Dr. Bradford Crane

Katharine Ross ... Capt. Helena Anderson

Richard Widmark ... Major General Thalius Slater

Richard Chamberlain ... Dr. Hubbard

Olivia de Havilland ... Maureen Schuster (as Olivia De Havilland)

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 ... Mayor Clarence Tuttle

Henry Fonda ... Dr. Walter Krim
Cameron Mitchell ... General Thompson
Christian Juttner ... Paul Durant
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
116 min | USA:157 min (expanded video edition)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)
Filming Locations:
Houston, Texas, USA

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When Felix is bringing flowers to Maureen, he passes by a movie theatre which is playing The Towering Inferno (1974), which was also produced by Irwin Allen. more
Goofs:
Continuity: During the ambulance crash, the scene changes briefly from nighttime to broad daylight. more
Quotes:
Dr. Andrews: Billions of dollars have been spent to make these nuclear plants safe. Fail-safe! The odds against anything going wrong are astronomical, Doctor!
Dr. Hubbard: I appreciate that, Doctor. But let me ask you. In all your fail-safe techniques, is there a provision for an attack by killer bees?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mork & Mindy: Mork's Best Friend (#1.24)" (1979) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful:-
Once To The Well Too Much, Irwin, 16 August 1999
Author: Eric-62-2 from Morristown, NJ

Irwin Allen's first two disaster movies, "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno" worked as above average productions because there always seemed to be one foot in the ground of pseudo-reality that made you feel compelled by what you saw. But more importantly, Allen had competent directors like Ronald Neame and John Guillermin handling the actors and the end-result usually produced good performances, considering the material (especially Steve McQueen in "Inferno.") Unfortunately, with "The Swarm" Allen went to the well once too much and served up a more outlandish kind of disaster story, and to complicate matters further he took over the director's chores himself and boy does it show. There is literally no coherent story structure at all in this film, and the all-star cast is uniformly bad from top to bottom. What was Allen thinking with that pointless love-triangle plot involving the over-the-hill gang of Fred MacMurray, Ben Johnson and Olivia de Havilland? Did he really expect people to take seriously lines like "The bees have always been our friends!" or "Attention, a swarm of killer bees is coming this way!" This is the kind of movie that might have worked as a short, low-budget B/W flick in the 50s (okay, a "B" movie, no pun intended) but as a follow-up to solid efforts like "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno" this film is only good from a silly camp standpoint.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Swarm (1978)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What did Slim Pickins do with the body? CreativeMedia
Most awful two hours spent in a cinema. garyahampton
Funniest scene or line ryannaughton1138-1
Different Killer Bees movie (spoilers) zagnut-3
1978 was a baaaaaaad year for Irwin Allen ddc300
Which Bees film is this? mike_pengelly
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Andromeda Strain GoldenEye Dante's Peak The Bees The Day the Earth Stood Still
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Action section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.