Bug (2007)

There’s something about bugs that bug the daylights out of movie goers. To prove our point, check out the chiller dillers Them! (1954), The Fly (1958), Return of the Fly (1959), Curse of the Fly (1965), Empire of the Ants (1977), The Fly (1986), The Nest (1988), Arachnophobia (1990), Mimic (1997), and Cicada! (2018). Of course we can’t forget Bug (2006), not to be confused with Bug (1975). In this R-rated flick, veteran fright helmer William Friedkin (1973’s The Exorcist) conjures up a new kind of creepy freak-out with a blisteringly intense, palpably claustrophobic psychological thriller. Ashley Judd plays abused wife Agnes White, who flees her no-good old man Jerry Goss (Harry Connick Jr.) only to shack up in a sleazy motel with shattered Gulf War vet Peter Evans (Michael Shannon). Yet all too soon bugs are attacking the pair — inside, outside, and all over their bodies. Are the invading insects real or imaginary? Is it all just a nightmare? Bug raises these questions and more, just as Ashley will raise an exclamation point in your pants when she bugs out of her clothing on camera. In one scene, the skintastic actress flashes her bare buns and left breast when she gets out of bed. If that’s not arousing enough, we also get to see her character’s three Bs! Based on the same-named play by Tracy Letts, the film also features Brían F. O’Byrne, Lynn Collins, and the naked jugs and rug on Ms. Judd’s body double. Nothing buggy about that!