Squirm Review: For the Hardcore Only

“I like a good thunderstorm, makes you feel helpless,” is a line uttered by Don Scardino’ character Mick in “Squirm.” What he forgets to mention is that what a good thunderstorm also does is make a worm farm feel genocidal.

Originally released in 1976, “Squirm,” written and directed by Jeff Liberman turns the animal mostly known for being used as bait into the predator. What is their prey you ask? Well, humans of course.

Although the film is a cult classic and Shout Factory spares no expense in giving fans of the film the most expansive collector’s edition they are going to get, “Squirm” is a film that at times takes itself too seriously and lacks the humor that cements films in cult horror history. That being said, “Squirm” has a lot of aspects of it that you can see how people have latched onto, but it’s very hard to see anyone not a horror buff picking up this Blu-Ray.

The film opens with a title card explaining the setting of the film and the storm that sets off the events of the film. Geri (Patricia Pearcy), one of Fly Creek, Georgia’s residents is excited when her New York City boyfriend Mick (Scardino) is coming to town to visit for the first time. He could not have picked a worst time to check out the Georgia coast, the night before there was a thunderstorm that ravaged through the town and shut down the power.

Even with there being no power, Mick and Geri are still pretty excited to see each other, but little do they know that the storm has worked up the worms of Willie Grimes’ worm farm and are looking for blood.

Now, “Squirm” is a pure genre picture. Think of any monster film you’ve ever seen and just take that monster out and replace it with fish bait ad you’ve got “Squirm.” The movie is humorless, which is disappointing considering the concept of the film and how much fun could be had. No laughs aside, the movies does do a lot right.

The film’s greatest strength is the stars of the film: the worms. In the movie uses all real worms (over 250,000 used according Liberman) and it at times sends a chill down your spine just watching thousands of worms slither around. The close-ups and noise created for the worms is especially effective in selling the fact that these worms are not playing any games.

Liberman does a solid job of building suspense, there is not a clear fatality till the third act of the film. So when Roger Grimes(R.A. Dow) is terrorizing Geri and Mick in the film’s climax you are invested but the seriousness of the picture does at times make you check out and wonder how could a genre picture be so dull?

Fans of the film will appreciate the care put into this collector’s edition. The Blu-Ray includes a making-of documentary titled “Digging in” that has new interviews with Liberman and Scardino chronicling how a movie about killer worms was made. There is no skimming on the commentary track either, a director’s commentary is included that is a must for any “Squirm” enthusiast.

All in all, “Squirm,” is not the best genre film Shout has given new life. It just proves how passionate horror fans are to give these little films a battery life that other genres do not have. “Squirm” is not a terrible film—its just not good. If you love “Squirm” this is a necessity based on the special features, however, if you are looking for something that is fun and generally exciting look elsewhere.