Infested (1993) (V)

Director:

Tony Randel

Writer:

Brent V. Friedman (written by)

Release Date:

25 May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It's not nice to mess with mother nature.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Teen | Mutant | Drug Dealing | Giant Insect | Male Underwear

Cast

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Colin Dean Feucaloro	...	Hitchhiker

Directed by
Tony Randel

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Brent V. Friedman		written by

Produced by
Jack F. Murphy	....	producer
Gary Schmoeller	....	line producer
Brian Yuzna	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Daniel Licht
Christopher L. Stone

Cinematography by
Steve Grass

Film Editing by
Leslie Rosenthal

Casting by
Alan Berman
Vicki Huff
Robin Monroe

Production Design by
Anthony Tremblay

Set Decoration by
Greg Bartkus

Costume Design by
Kathryn Shemanek

Makeup Department
Karrie Aubuchon	....	special makeup effects crew: second unit, K.N.B. EFX Group
Jeri Baker	....	hair stylist
Jeri Baker	....	makeup artist
Howard Berger	....	special makeup effects supervisor: second unit, K.N.B. EFX Group
Shauna Giesbrecht	....	assistant makeup artist: pickups
Garrett Immel	....	special makeup effects crew: second unit, K.N.B. EFX Group
Silvina Knight	....	makeup department head: re-shoots (as Silvi Labrador)
Robert Kurtzman	....	special makeup effects supervisor: second unit, K.N.B. EFX Group
Susan Mallon	....	special makeup effects crew: second unit, K.N.B. EFX Group
Michael John McCracken	....	makeup supervisor
Gregory Nicotero	....	special makeup effects supervisor: second unit, K.N.B. EFX Group
Wayne Toth	....	special makeup effects crew: second unit, K.N.B. EFX Group
Julie M. Woods	....	hair stylist
Julie M. Woods	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ed Licht	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Chris Brewster	....	leadman
Charles Righetti	....	art director: second unit
Michele Spadaro	....	set decorator: additional photography

Sound Department
David Bondelevitch	....	foley mixer
David Bondelevitch	....	sound mixer
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist
Jeremy Hoenack	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeremy Hoenack	....	supervising sound editor
Michael Payne	....	sound editor
Melissa Sherwood Hofmann	....	sound re-recording mixer
Matt Temple	....	sound designer

Special Effects by
Doug Beswick	....	special effects supervisor: Doug Beswick Productions
Vicky Beswick	....	administrator: Doug Beswick Productions
Yancy Calzada	....	stop-motion animation
Larry Fioritto	....	mechanical effects and pyrotechnics: second unit
Grady Holder	....	lab technician: Doug Beswick Productions
Grady Holder	....	moldmaker: Doug Beswick Productions
Kevin Labate	....	assistant mechanical and pyrotechnics
Stephen Lebed	....	special effects mechanical: Doug Beswick Productions
Paula Matei	....	key painter: Doug Beswick Productions
Dan Platt	....	effects makeup: Doug Beswick Productions
Matt Singer	....	fabricator: Doug Beswick Productions
Scott Stoddard	....	sculptor: Doug Beswick Productions
Ken Tarallo	....	special effects mechanical and pyrotechnics
Ken Tarallo	....	special effects supervisor
George Wong	....	special effects mechanical: Doug Beswick Productions

Visual Effects by
Heather Davis Baker	....	title designer: Perpetual Motion Pictures (as Heather Davis)
Omei Eaglerider	....	model builder: miniature unit
Ans Ellis	....	model builder: miniature unit
John V. Fante	....	director of photography: miniature unit
Robert Habros	....	optical supervisor: Perpetual Motion Pictures
Nancy Ann Jones	....	model builder: miniature unit
Bruce Lau	....	head model builder: miniature unit
Michael Muscal	....	visual effects director: miniature unit
January Nordman	....	animator: Perpetual Motion Pictures
Lee Scott	....	visual effects coordinator: miniature unit

Stunts
Scott Doyle	....	stunts
David Hugghins	....	stunts
Tony Hugghins	....	stunts
Millie Novak	....	stunts
Brad Overturf	....	stunts
Gary Paul	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Todd Appleman	....	gaffer
Ron Bahara	....	first assistant camera
Jacques Haitkin	....	director of photography: additional photography

Transportation Department
Scott Doyle	....	transportation

Other crew
Ynze Bijl	....	production assistant
John Douglas	....	assistant to producer
David Halver	....	making-of documentary
Dan Platt	....	special make-up effects
James Bradford Sivils	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• First Look Pictures (presents)
• Republic Pictures (II)

Distributors

• AVU-Video-Vertriebs-GmbH (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• C/FP Video (1994) (Canada) (video)
• Highlight Video (Germany) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (VHS)

Special Effects

• Doug Beswick Productions Inc. (special visual and creature effects)
• K.N.B. Effects Group (second unit special make-up effects)
• Perpetual Motion Pictures (optical effects and titles)

Other Companies

• Performing Animal Troupe  animals provided by
• Widget Post Production  sound post-production

Also Known As:

"Ticks" - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | France:-12 | Italy:VM14 | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Norway:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

First Look Pictures

Trivia:

Seth Green poked fun at the film during an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1999.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Dr. Kates anatomizes the Tick, an audio recorder appears at the left top of the picture.

Quotes:

Sir:Stinkin' bugs!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil (2002) (V)

If you will rent killer insect movies....

The first twenty odd minutes of this film follow genre conventions of the old school with slavish determination as we are introduced to a gaggle of teen dumbasses; we even get the usual encounter with a slavering backwoods redneck to presage the trouble ahead. In one of the most blatant examples of space saving exposition on film Scolari (as "Charles Danson") psychologically profiles each cast member to a dictaphone so we don't have to waste time with character development. For the heads this is like a table being set; unfortunately "Ticks" fails to deliver. Brian Yuzna's presence in the producer's chair infuses the movie with the anticipated hint of 50s B nostalgia but it is not enough: the summer camp setting and the casting suggest an adapted slasher movie but the reality is inevitably closer to a cut rate "Arachnophobia". Further problems include appalling lighting, with the camera frequently pointed directly at the sun and the cabin scenes ropily arc lit, Alfonso Ribeiro (that's right, Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel Air) essaying the street kid who rocks fingerless leather gloves as well as tucking his elasticated cuffs behind the tongues of his hi tops, and an ending so stultifyingly predictable as to elicit groans and thrown popcorn from all still watching. Shame, because the tick effects aren't half bad, Clint Howard is present, Barry Lynch is "good value" of a sort, and there are a couple of decent gore scenes. How good did you expect a film about dope mutated ticks to be?