Simply A Masterpiece

Fantastic!

As Good As It Gets

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Goremongral here with a question, do you like bugs? Here is a better question do you like cockroaches? If you answered yes to both then you may be the right person to check out my review of the flick, The Nest.This is a 1980's Roger Corman flick that stars a lot of no-name players as well as a lot of roaches (not those kind of roaches you druggie). The movie has a simple plot, a town with a population of 700 people get overrun by some roaches that have been genetically altered by a wacko female scientist and the town sheriff needs to find a way to kill them before the whole town is overrun and eaten by these carnivorous cretins. Pretty simple right, for the most part , however its the last 30 minutes that turned this from a below average flick to at least something that is an average example of B movie making.During that last 30 minutes we find that these new roaches can alter the DNA of what they have ingested. In one sequence we get to see a cat-roach and a human-roach with some cool gore effects added for just the right touch. Does it look cheesy yes but it still all works as the films tongue is firmly in cheek throughout.I normally prefer to have my horror movies taken seriously but with the subject matter at hand and the way this movie played out, for the most part, this all worked fine. The movie does have some problems, one being the fact that it took to long to inform us of the roaches abilities to manipulate what it has devoured as well as some lulls here and there that keep it from being more than mildly entertaining.In the end the Nest is not total garbage and it is not nothing special. I like the twist as if this was just a standard insects on the rampage film I would have probably not have liked it as much but with the silly sci-fi twist and some cool gore I give The Nest: 5/10 Average, its nothing that you will run away from giving a gleaming review but it is not something that you will walk away saying it sucked either. In the end just an average example of B-Movie Monster Making.The Nest is out now on DVD released under the Roger Corman Classics Label from New Concorde.Until next time I leave you with this bit of advice, if your ever in a cave and you are face to face with a mutant cockroach monster do not extend your hand in friendship as it may take more from you than you bargain.I'm OUT!!!!

The Nest is really just another 'nature run amock' horror flick that fails because of the low budget. The acting is OK, and the setting is great, but somehow the whole film just seemed a bit dull to me. The gore effects are not the best I've seen but are fun in a cheesy sort of way. The roaches themselves are just regular cockroaches that bite people. The Nest reminded me of a much better film called Slugs. If you liked The Nest then Slugs is a must-see as it's ten times better. Also worth noting is that Lisa Langlois who plays Elizabeth was in another 'nature run amock' type film called Deadly Eyes (aka The Rats), which is about killer rats as you may have guessed. If you enjoy these types of horror films then you may want to give this a watch, but you'd be far better off seeing Slugs which is far more interesting and gory.

A disgusting batch of cannibalistic cockroaches caused by your usual illegal'n'unscrupulous scientific mishap terrorize a heretofore dull and peaceful small island community. Sure, the plot sounds dumb and unpromising, but luckily the solid direction by Terrence Winkless (who co-wrote "The Howling"), several quirky and engaging secondary characters (Stephan Davies in particular steals the film with a sidesplitting portrayal of the burg's klutzy, sloppy, eccentric resident exterminator who prefers to be called "a pest control agent"), a clever script by Robert King which has occasional dollops of amusingly macabre black humor (the single most bravura darkly funny comic moment is when endangered waitress Nancy Morgan butchers a bunch of roaches in her diner while "La Cucaracha" blasts on the soundtrack), pretty gruesome and creepy roach attack scenes, nasty and convincing make-up f/x by Cary Howe, a nice turn by the underrated Diana ("Stripped to Kill," "Spellbinder") Bellamy as a whiny old battle axe with a broken foot (the scene where the roaches crawl into her cast is a real hoot), and a wonderfully wicked performance by gorgeous redhead Terri ("The Terror Witin") Treas as a bitchy, cold-hearted evil lady scientist who derives erotic pleasure out of the roaches nibbling on her fingers make this baby a pleasantly enjoyable winner. The only flaw here is the three weak leads: Robert ("Empire of the Ants") Lansing as the corrupt mayor, Lisa ("Deadly Eyes") Langlois as Hizzoner's bimbo daughter, and Robert ("Ghost Town") Luz as the earnest, drippy sheriff are all numbingly bland. That fault aside, "The Nest" overall rates as a superior revolt-of-nature killer animal fright feature.

A small town is plagued by flesh eating roaches that are the result of a scientific experiment gone awry. To make matters worse they are transforming into whatever they consume. Pre-dating Mimic by a decade, this intense, tight and extremely frightening horror film features excellent make-up effects, a wonderfully demented performance by Terri Treas, and an intelligent, well crafted script.Rated R; Extreme Graphic Violence and Profanity.