Ticks (1993)

A group of troubled teenagers are led by social workers on a California wilderness retreat, not knowing that the woods they are camping in have become infested by mutated, blood-sucking ticks.

Director:

Tony Randel

Writer:

Brent V. Friedman

Stars:

Rosalind Allen, Ami Dolenz, Seth Green

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rosalind Allen	...	Holly Lambert
Ami Dolenz	...	Dee Dee Davenport
Seth Green	...	Tyler Burns
Virginya Keehne	...	Melissa Danson
Ray Oriel	...	Rome Hernandez
Alfonso Ribeiro	...	Darrel 'Panic' Lumley
Peter Scolari	...	Charles Danson
Dina Dayrit	...	Kelly Mishimoto
Michael Medeiros	...	Jerry
Barry Lynch	...	Sir
Clint Howard	...	Jarvis Tanner
Rance Howard	...	Sheriff Parker
Timothy Landfield	...	Mr. Burns
Judy Jean Berns	...	Dr. Kates
J.D. Stone	...	Young Tyler

Storyline

Problem teens in Los Angeles join an inner-city wilderness project in and attempt to get back in touch with life's priorities, led by do-gooders Holly and Charles. When they get to the campsite, they begin having problems adjusting to the wild life, particularly local marijuana growers using herbal steroids to accelerate plant growth, and the mutated ticks that the leaky steroid system has created.

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Plot Keywords:

teen | mutant | drug dealing | giant insect | male underwear | 

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Taglines:

They'll make your skin crawl.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Infested

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Look Pictures, Republic Pictures (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

After filming wrapped in Big Bear, California, Seth Green and Ami Dolenz bonded by driving home together.

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Goofs

When Dr. Kates anatomizes the Tick, an audio recorder appears at the left top of the picture.

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Quotes

Dr. Kates: [steps on a huge tick] When in doubt... squish!

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Connections

Featured in Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater: Still More Girls with Big Guns (1995)

User Reviews

Fans of low budget horror and Seth Green: this one's for you!

While I was watchng this movie I couldn't help but think that while Peter Scolari was filming this "Friday the 13th meets Arachnaphobia" low budget horror, his "Bosom Buddies" co-star, Tom Hanks, was off earning an oscar for Forrest Gump. Don't get me wrong...I like Peter Scolari; he just seems so out of place in this movie. That aside, if you're a fan of this genre, especially of the straight-to-video variety, you won't want to miss this one. It has everything for you: two-dimensional characters, gore, bad dialogue, gore, cheesy special effects, no plot or storyline what-so-ever, and, oh yeah, I almost forgot...gore. My only real complaint is that there is little to no camp. It's those moments of overdone camera work and melodramatic line delivery that make these "B-movie" romps real gems to have in one's video collection. The closest we get to any kind of decent camp is in the characters of Sir and his sidekick henchman, Jerry. Only these two offer us that overly theatrical style of acting that has the viewer thinking, "they've got to be geniuses!"

You will also want to check this one out if you're a fan of Seth Green. Much of the action centers around him as he has quite a bit of screen time. A very talented actor, Seth is the only cast member that actually attempts to flesh out his character and add some dimension to the role. Unforunately, this venue won't allow him to do that. It is also fun to watch Seth not take the whole thing too seriously. Watch him carefully in the vet's office during the autopsy scene–he's actually trying to hold back some laughter! All of this put together does make Ticks a worth while 85 minutes to spend watching it.