Insects are one of the most common subjects of phobia across mankind, and most people's skin crawls a bit at the thought of one little creature or another. From stinging bees and biting ants to harmless yet disgusting beings like the humble cockroach, bugs are scary without even having to try.
While not technically insects, spiders are the go-to scary invertebrate for most narrative fiction. Insects typically appear as signifiers of creepiness but less often take on the role of the antagonist. Killer bugs were once fairly common in sci-fi horror, but the modern genre is less commonly centered on animals made larger. Still, scary bugs can be used in a variety of horror stories.
Mothra
Most fans of kaiju cinema know Mothra as the most notable ally of Godzilla, but few have actually seen the giant bug's 1961 debut. Mothra was tied in with Godzilla from day one, thanks to their shared director, Ishiro Honda. Honda directed dozens of Kaiju films over the course of his career, almost always bringing his creations back to join his favored son. Though Mothra follows both Godzilla and Rodan, its tone and presentation are radically different. The beautiful colors and pleasant appearance of Mothra stand in stark contrast to Godzilla's scaled black nightmare and Rodan's screeching horror. The film represents one of the final entries in the kaiju genre which still featured horror elements. Mothra is still a frightening figure who continues to point the finger at the US and the atomic bomb, with an added edge of social satire in capitalism's direction. While not quite reaching the dizzying heights of the original Gojira, Mothra is still a standout in the kaiju genre.
The Deadly Bees
These days, bees aren't often depicted as villains, since the drastic drops in their population threaten much of Earth's ecosystem. However, back in the 60s, killer bees were a fairly common source of fear, with little actual evidence. A 1941 mystery novel called A Taste For Honey served as the loose inspiration for Freddie Francis' 1966 horror film. Deadly Bees tells a tale that threatens to sound like the origin story of a Batman villain. A deranged beekeeper begins telling the world that he's bred a strain of lethal insects that he will sick on the world if he isn't taken seriously. He isn't, so he does, leaving the world to fend off countless murderous bees. Pop singer Vicki Robbins must find this murderous beekeeper and save the day. It's a bizarre and chaotic disaster movie that mostly succeeds on the back of its game cast.
Phase IV
Saul Bass is one of the most interesting figures in cinema history and very few modern fans know his name. He created title sequences, brand logo designs, and posters, and served the vague role of "visual consultant" on a variety of pictures. The man who crafted the iconic title sequence of Psycho, the logo for Kleenex, and the poster for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World directed exactly one feature film in his life. That film was Phase IV, one of the most bizarre and haunting pieces of cinema ever made. The premise asks the immortal question, what if the ants became sapient and took over the world. It's a singularly unique film that must be seen to be believed, and no summation will ever do it justice.
Mimic
The great Guillermo del Toro's second feature is a sci-fi nightmare about the perils of evolution. Those who intend to seek the film out would be well advised to look for the director's cut whenever possible, as the original cut famously saw some edits that del Toro was unhappy with. The film finds a pair of scientists attempting to eradicate a plague carried by cockroaches. To solve the issue, they lab-grow a new insect capable of emitting a toxin that should wipe out the infected roaches. Their plan is successful, but, over the course of years, their creation evolves. Mimic is a unique and unsettling monster movie that finds the pathos underneath the fear of insects. Del Toro is known for his sympathetic monsters, but Mimic takes a different tack with that idea as well.
Phenomena
In a bizarre twist on the formula, the bugs are the good guys here. An all-star cast including Jennifer Connelly and Donald Pleasence lights up this bizarre entry in the Italian Giallo tradition directed by its biggest name. Dario Argento helms this strange slasher with a supernatural twist. Connelly stars as a young lady born with an inexplicable psychic connection to insects. When a string of gruesome murders breaks out at her boarding school in the Swiss countryside, she must use her unique power to solve the case. This unusual slasher is packed with deeply unnerving imagery, but while the insects are creepy, they're on the right side of the conflict for once.