The Nest

The Nest Directed By Terry Winkless, Starring Robert Lansing (1988).
Not to be confused with the atrocious The Nesting from 81, that film is a total bore. I remember seeing the Japanese poster for this Roger Corman production in the Deep Red Horror Handbook next to Nekromantik. It was difficult to find and got lost in the shuffle among other Eco-Horrors and Killer Bug movies (Phase IV may be the Citizen Kane of diabolical insect flicks). I'm expecting there to be a wrestling match between a GLOW type girl and a huge Palmetto bug for the big finale, if that doesn't happen, I can't demand my money back since I found this on Youtube, but it may cause me to shed an Iron Eyes Cody "litter tear".
   I fondly remember Lisa Langlois as the super hot punk girl from Class of 1984. Maybe Lisa will get all slathered in grease and wrestle a giant bug-- fingers crossed. Roaches give a lot of people the heebie jeebies, they don't really freak me out as much as slugs though and I saw plenty of both in South Florida.

Wrasslin and Bugs, what's not to like?

    Sheriff Richard Perkins (Franc Luz) lives like a beach bum in a coastal New England town called North Port. He can't even get a decent Cup o' Joe without a bug swimming in it.
He picks up his old sweetheart Beth (played by Langolis) from a mini plane, she looks like a prom queen on the runway all decked out in pearls and a pink dress. 

I wonder if Stegman and his Nazi pals ended up in purgatory too?

   The Nest is starting to stink like fake Jaws as they establish a tourist season and a self centered mayor, but just be patient, because the film evolves into its own. What are tourists flocking to see the fish-wacking ceremony? (in the beginning a banner advertises this event and it's never mentioned again thankfully).

   Oh shit! Wouldn't you know it, Beth is the mayors daughter! She left town to get away from the pressure and her old boyfriend Richard the cop is still pining for her affections. They eventually hook up and it turns out for the better.
 

Bug Schmucks Coming Soon to CBS

   This film starts off with an awkward sentimental tone but gets better as it progresses, I think it was overlooked at the time. To put it into perspective in 1988, you had tons of goodies to choose from like Beetlejuice, Child's Play, Hellraiser 2 and Phantasm 2. I guess The Nest just got eclipsed by the other films.

Looky here Grandpa does not suffer from erectile dysfunction

   The bugs love meat and supermarket supplies are dwindling, humans are definitely next! They start moving in fast and chomping on pets and old people. Beth, who kind of hates her father, takes her fanny pack and goes exploring in the forest which seems like a bad idea. She narrowly misses a bug attack that skeletonizes a German Shepard. A poor crazy old codger is the next victim, the bugs chew his arm off and eats him up quick.

   Everybody at the local diner is gossiping, man, do small towns suck! Homer, the self appointed pest control agent dresses like a party dog and wears Hawaiian shirts, he turns out to be useful during the last few minutes of the film.
 

Anti-Bugites

   Beth is out playing Nancy Drew and investigating but also taking a trip down memory lane, she bumps into giant sacks that look like testicles or those big cotton candy webs from Killer Clowns (which came out the same year). Dr. Hubbard, played by Terri Treas from the evil Intec corporation is pretty sexy and looks like she'd would work for Diana from V. Actually a few years later she ended up on another sci-fi series Alien Nation.

I'm totally getting off on self mutilation

   Dr Hubbard is one fucked up heartless bitch who uses an adorable kitty cat as bait for the big bugs! She's one sick fuck who gets off on animal suffering (don't worry though no animals were harmed and you can tell they're animatronic puppets). The special effects make-up by James M. Navarra are pretty gruesome, he only has a handful of credits for some reason like 976-EVIL. There's an odd Hong Kong connection in this film, the screenwriter Robert King wrote the storyline for Full Contact in 1993 and Jeff Winkless (I'm assuming he's related to the director) did voices for Lady Terminator and Vampire Hunter D.
   

All together now "When Irish Eyes are smurlling, HICCUP!!"

       

   I felt kinda sorry for Jake the fry cook/ janitor (Jack Collins) who gets eaten alive by bugs in a dumpster. There are a lot of opportunities for gratuitous nudity, but the tone is more goofy monster movie than sleazy. I kinda wanted it to be a combination, but The Nest is still a fun time and I enjoyed it, although a Lesbian scene between Dr. Hubbard and Beth couldn't have hurt.      

I can't believe I caught roaches instead of crabs

             
   The full on restaurant attack with them hopping on hamburger meat and into the deep fryer is an obvious but effective Creepshow homage. It turns out Dr Hubbard and the mayor are working together on the genetics for a super strain of powerful roaches and knew the bugs would eventually wreak major havoc. Speaking of roaches, this would make for a ludicrous stoner double bill with Joe's Apartment!

   The genetics extend beyond the roaches and this film has lots of surprises in store like a shotgun blast to a humanoid bug brain. This film borrows slightly from The Fly and The Thing but uses it effectively to its own advantage in a creative fashion. I like the use of purple lighting which reminded me of From Beyond. Scream Factory re-released this on Blu-Ray with commentary by the director and there's a rugged looked bleary looking version on Youtube, decide which one you want to sacrifice your eyeballs or your wallet!
 

This Merlot fountain will really spruce up my home office!

Arggh Look away I'm naked!

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