Reality and paranoia blur in William Friedkin’s claustrophobic & intense character study / psyche-shattering horror film Bug. It’s an acting tour de force teetering on the edge of madness with Ashley Judd as a lonely waitress suffocating in a run-down motel, consumed by her own demons and in fear of her abusive ex (Harry Connick, Jr). But when a mysterious drifter (an absolutely unforgettable Michael Shannon) enters her life, his delusions threaten to engulf them both. Adapted by Tracy Letts based on his play, Bug is sweaty and boxed-in, an (almost) single room shocker that’s impossible to forget.
“Bug begins as an ominous rumble of unease, and builds to a shriek. The last 20 minutes are searingly intense: A paranoid personality finds its mate, and they race each other into madness. For Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, it’s a work of headlong passion. The film is lean, direct, unrelenting.” – Roger Ebert
“One of the most disturbing horror movies imaginable.” – Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald
