The success of Willard, in which a young man trained his pet rats to kill at his command, inspired a rash of horror films featuring animals run amok, including snakes (Stanley), frogs (Frogs) and even rabbits (Night Of The Lepus). Squirm was one of the more interesting films spun off this subgenre, in which a town is terrorized by bloodthirsty worms who've been angered by a downed power line during a rainstorm. Better than it sounds, and packs a few good scares (especially if worms make you squeamish).
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Review By Donald Guarisco
A horror film about killer worms might sound like a goofy proposition, but Squirm manages to beat the odds. This film is genuinely involving thanks to the savvy touch of writer/director Jeff Lieberman; he never overplays the more outrageous elements of his premise, offsets his plot gimmicks with a self-deprecating sense of humor, and takes the time to build a mood of genuine creepiness. Better yet, he sets it all against an interesting Southern-town backdrop and populates it with likeably odd characters: Don Scardino makes an offbeat (but very smart) hero, Patricia Pearcy is charming as the distinctly Southern love interest, and Peter MacLean gives an amusing turn as the town's surly sheriff. Squirm is also very well crafted for a low budget film. Joseph Mangine's atmospheric photography makes effective use of natural light and Robert Prince contributes a creepy musical score that uses synthesizers to achieve an unnerving effect. Best of all, Squirm offers an intense third act full of scares and shocks that mean something because the viewer is emotionally invested in the fates of the characters. All in all, Squirm is an excellent example of the "revenge of nature" horror film, and well worth the time for buffs of the genre.
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