The Nest (1988)

To be honest, I had too much whiskey prior to and during my viewing of this killer cockroach taking over a small town film, so key plot points remain a blur. That's fine, so when I view it again in a few years under the same circumstances it will be like a first viewing. While the film never lives up to the absurdly tasteless poster of a 5 ft tall roach mounting a scantily clad woman, it's still a fun cheesy creature feature. Throw in a mad scientist, a wacky exterminator and a whole lot of insect action and this ranks as one of the better late 80s output from Corman. The Scream Factory blu-ray seems to have put in more effort restoring the best looking version of this film, than the filmmakers put into making the actual film.

"The Nest" isn't the best of this kind of film you're ever going to see, but it certainly isn't the worst, either. It's a decent creepy-crawlies shocker, loosely based on a novel by Eli Cantor, that if nothing else will hit home for any viewer with a roach phobia. It's competent without being distinguished, but does deliver some solid visceral thrills during its fairly trim 88 minute run time.A New England fishing village finds itself inundated by hordes of killer cockroaches when an experiment goes horribly wrong. Among those forced to deal with the increasingly untenable problem are a young sheriff (Franc Luz) who's inherited his job from his late father, the morally compromised mayor (Robert Lansing), the mayors' daughter (Lisa Langlois) who's returned home after a stint in the big city, a demented scientist (Terri Treas), and a quirky exterminator (Stephen Davies).Terence H. Winkless, who'd received co-screenplay credit (with John Sayles) on "The Howling", debuts as director here and does a decent job. He does get good performances out of his cast, especially the lovely Treas as a crazy lady who seems oddly turned on when roaches start nibbling on her hand. Also in the cast are Diana Bellamy as a demanding local busybody, Jack Collins as the amiable Shaky Jake, and Nancy Morgan (first wife of the late John Ritter) as sweet diner waitress Lillian. Luz is a very likable hero.The on location shooting (including use of the legendary Bronson Caves) is an asset, as is the spooky music by Rick Conrad. The special effects are reasonably impressive, with some fun shots of roaches growing out of people and forming hybrids with animals that they've ingested. The many shots of swarming roaches are sure to make some in the audience squirm in their seats.If you enjoy a good gross 'em out horror film and particularly enjoy those that revolve around ravenous insects, then you should be able to appreciate "The Nest".Six out of 10.

Tranquil seaside community is overcome by a voracious strain of killer cockroaches, the toxic result of nearby un-regulated chemical testing. Despite the local mayor's inert response (Lansing) for fear of losing investment, local police man (Luz) is determined to take the threat seriously, even if he has to act along to save the woman he loves (Langlois) who also happens to be the mayor's daughter. Slow to develop, the momentum picks up late in the picture, as Luz realizes the situation is hopeless and improvises an escape plan, not counting on dangers emerging from within. Some utterly repulsive special effects steal the show late in the piece, but it's a nebulous storyline that runs out of road long before the spectacular conclusion.Oddly atmospheric Roger Corman inspired (or financed at least) production has a decent cast delivering some intelligent dialogue, along with competent special effects and production design. In spite of these achievements, the pace is fatally pedestrian, robbing the film's chance of becoming a taut, suspenseful and memorable horror tale.The bugs are a triumph of ingenuity, their rather grotesque, ribbed appearance looks menacing in spite of their diminutive size – their appetites for red meat also substantially more abundant. The make-up effects applied to Lansing's character late in the film, is as hideous as they come and sure to please those with cast-iron stomachs, although it might prompt nausea from the regulation peanut gallery.

spoiler--Biohazard waste from chemicals dumped on an island off the coast Maine (looks like California) seep into the ground thereby contaminating the insect life. What appears are killer insect roaches that not only eat into their victims, but alter their victim's DNA structure creating a new race of hybrid mutants. This happens to all animal life including cats, birds and (yes) humans.We have Robert Lansing as the mayor of the island who's in deep denial about the whole thing; gorgeous Terri Treas as the evil scientist who sees the whole event as a golden opportunity; pretty Lisa Langlois as the mayor's daughter who doesn't think too much about her father; Steven Davies as the bug spray man who first tells everyone what the problem is, and Franc Luz as the not-too-bright sheriff who inherited the job from his dad.The best scene is when we see Lansing as his body starts tearing apart from within as the roaches burrow into his body. The only thing left is a skeleton covered in a bloody mush as it approaches a terrified Lisa Langlois in the study. He looks kind of like the main creature in George Romero's CREEPSHOW. Not bad for cheese.Also the 'monster' at the end is classic Corman with skulls, twisted limbs and all kinds of gooey, fleshy tissue with animal parts all slapdashed together that looks like an update in style from Corman's earlier 50s sci-fi cheese epics. Watch it as it eats Terri Treas at the end by consuming her, head first. You know someone that evil (and sexy) is going to get their just rewards. She's the best thing going, looks and acting-wise since Jane Badler menaced the earth in V (1983). Not to mention the fact that they both look the same and could be sisters. And what better way to save the world than to set off some dynamite in a cave in order to blow the thing up. It's also a race against time in order to get the lighthouse working so the government won't spray the island with insecticide thereby killing off all the surviving inhabitants. Once again another over the top drive-in event from the likes of Roger Corman and his Concord/New Horizons production company. Too bad drive-ins were fast becoming a thing of the past when this one was released.5 out of 10