ClassyWas Excellent, smart action film.
Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.
Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Coventry Bad-movie lovers, beware
. Your standards will have to be set extremely low in case you want to remotely enjoy Herb Robins' "The Worm Eaters". This movie, produced by one of the über-gurus of crap cinema Ted V. Mikels is BEYOND bad! It has an irredeemably dumb plot, a totally incoherent narrative structure, humorist elements that are horrid and horror elements that are painfully hilarious. It's easily one of the worst movies ever made, and it is truly incomprehensible how the hell it managed to build up a rather solid cult status over the years. Probably this exclusively has to do with the fact that Herb Robins insisted on using real, live worms for the on screen consumption. Much of the footage is just close-ups of people (often with really terrible dental hygiene) slurping down & chewing up worms, and the only goal is to disgust and gross-out the audience. Robins himself stars as the dim-witted hermit Umgar, living in a lakeside shed in a corrupted little town. He collects and breeds worms
and then feeds them to his opponents, like the town's council members that want to evict him and reclaim the lake zone. The consumption of the worms somehow transforms people into man-worm hybrids. "The Worm Eaters" introduces a seemingly endless series of demented supportive characters and obviously all the actors and actresses overact incredibly. The make-up effects are pathetic, as the hybrid monsters are simply imbeciles tightly wrapped in filthy brown sleeping bags and desperately trying not to use their feet when they crawl through the mud. But, as wrong as it may sound, the film isn't entirely without merit and there really are a couple of positive elements. Like the goofy but cheerful theme music ("You'll end up eating worms"), the creative animated opening credits and some of the gags that look like Benny Hill sketches. In conclusion, "The Worm Eaters" will undoubtedly one of the most bizarre low-budget, Z-grade schlock productions you'll ever encounter, so be careful who you recommend it to.
NightOfTheLivingDon I think that it's a shame that collectors of movies such as this are steering good folk like you away from "The Worm Eaters." As far as I can tell this is a love it or hate it kind of movie, as is the case with any movie of its ilk. I think that it lacks respect to tell people not to bother with this film. Look, if you are into movies like "Big Meat Eater" or "Cannibal Campout" do yourself a favor and get your hands on "The Worm Eaters." You may not like it, but it may end up becoming one of your favorite movies! You know the deal with films like these. Jeez, "Flesh Eating Mothers" was awful, but I would never tell anyone to avoid it! I think this movie is downright hilarious, and the overacting (which I'm sure is not too unintentional) just makes the camp/slash/fun level sky-rocket.And to all of those people who thought this comment wasn't useful (though I know you will probably never read this): You can sit and spin!
ethylester Ignore those folks on here that say this movie blows. It is so great! I love every minute of it. What great characters! I am serious, there are some great characters. I love Herb Robins' character, he is so unique and he makes the greatest facial expressions. Great lines of dialogue. The husband of the weird fudgies lady is so funny. Everyone does over-act, but it's in a hilarious way. Kill me for saying this, but it's the kind of over-acting that John Waters is famous for - it's just too much! But in a good way. Yes, there's worm eating, but the story itself and the acting is really great. It doesn't even need the worm eating to be a stellar movie! If you like weird movies, you should see this one. I give it a 9/10!
William 1977 comedy (some facts list 1975) has Herb Robins assaulting the town using worms in a way that I really can't tell you for it would be giving away the surprise of the film. There is actual worm eating, and the ending is classic. Even got a chezzy title song. Played at the Seattle Film Festival in the mid-80's, this film got little attention and should be some sort of cult classic. Not recommended to people who don't want to see worm eating.
