ThrillerScience FictionHorror

The Swarm

- Monsters by the millions - and they're all for real!

Scientist Dr. Bradford Crane and army general Thalius Slater join forces to fight an almost invisible enemy threatening America; killer bees that have deadly venom and attack without reason. Disaster movie-master Irwin Allen's film contains spectacular special effects, including a train crash caused by the eponymous swarm.

Release Date : 1978-07-14

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Brad Crane

Original Name : Michael Caine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Capt. Helena Anderson

Original Name : Katharine Ross

Gender : Female

Character Name : Gen. Thaddeus Slater

Original Name : Richard Widmark

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Hubbard

Original Name : Richard Chamberlain

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maureen Schuester

Original Name : Olivia de Havilland

Gender : Female

Character Name : Felix

Original Name : Ben Johnson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Anne MacGregor

Original Name : Lee Grant

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Andrews

Original Name : José Ferrer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rita

Original Name : Patty Duke

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jud Hawkins

Original Name : Slim Pickens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maj. Baker

Original Name : Bradford Dillman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maj. Clarance Tuttle

Original Name : Fred MacMurray

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Walter Krim

Original Name : Henry Fonda

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gen. Thompson

Original Name : Cameron Mitchell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paul Durant

Original Name : Christian Juttner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Newman

Original Name : Morgan Paull

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Martinez

Original Name : Alejandro Rey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pete Harris

Original Name : Don 'Red' Barry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman Scientist

Original Name : Elizabeth Rogers

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Durant

Original Name : Doria Cook-Nelson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Durant

Original Name : Robert Varney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Duty Officer

Original Name : Ernie F. Orsatti

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sheriff Morrison

Original Name : Patrick Culliton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cameraman

Original Name : John Furlong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hal

Original Name : Chris Petersen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eddie

Original Name : Jerry Toomey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Receptionist / Nurse

Original Name : Barbara Costello

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nurse

Original Name : Jenifer Taurins

Gender : Female

Character Name : Radioman

Original Name : David Himes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Secretary

Original Name : Mara Cook

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bee Boy

Original Name : Joey Eisnach

Gender : Male

Character Name : Radarman

Original Name : Stephen Powers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lieutenant

Original Name : Chris Capen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer #2

Original Name : Tony Haig

Gender : Male

Character Name : Radarman #2

Original Name : Bill Snider

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nurse

Original Name : George Simmons

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sergeant

Original Name : Arell Blanton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Radio Sergeant

Original Name : Trent Dolan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Launching Officer

Original Name : John Williams

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pilot #1

Original Name : Steven Marlo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mechanic

Original Name : Phil Montgomery

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doctor

Original Name : Jim Galante

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Frank Blair

Gender : Male

Character Name : Captain

Original Name : Marcia Nicholson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Engineer

Original Name : Arthur Space

Gender : Male

Character Name : Standby Engineer

Original Name : Chuck Hayward

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chemical Warfare Guard

Original Name : Glenn Charles Lewis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Radio Announcer

Original Name : Art Balinger

Gender : Male

Character Name : Airman #1

Original Name : Michael Sheehan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Airman #2

Original Name : Howard Culver

Gender : Male

Character Name : Briefing Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Buzz Barbee

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Moore (uncredited)

Original Name : Ken Clayton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Train Passenger (uncredited)

Original Name : Marneen Fields

Gender : Female

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Bob Harks

Gender : Male

Character Name : Burning Man (uncredited)

Original Name : Mike Johnson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Train Passenger (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Krupnick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Colonel's Son (uncredited)

Original Name : Lawrence Moran

Gender : Male

Character Name : Briefing Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Monty O'Grady

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wild Lines (uncredited)

Original Name : John Otrin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Briefing Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Leoda Richards

Gender : Female

Character Name : Briefing Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Norman Stevans

Gender : Male

Reviews

Ragnar_Danneskjöld

@Ragnar_Danneskjöld

2021-06-23

Before we had Murder Hornets...We had THE SWARM!!!! In the 70s, this was one of the media's tools to terrify the populace. Unbelievably as it may seem, when released this movie scared the pants off of America in the same way that Jaws did when it made it to the theaters. The Killer Bee swarms in South America, created in cross-breeding African and Western Honeybees, of course had to share the stage with the other big threats of the day: The Upcoming Global Ice Age and Nuclear Power Plant disasters, both of which also made minor appearances in this film. Nevertheless, the fashionable fear in 1978 was bees and Hollywood was there to make sure YOU got the message that Man was bad and Nature would soon kick his ass. That asides, the movie in itself now is laughable, no better than the Global Warming Fear Films that the SyFy channel (AKA NBC) churns out today. The movie passes well beyond the level of believable when train passenger cars explode as they roll down a hill, the nuclear plant explodes like an atomic bomb killing 36 thousand people or when the military decides to burn Houston like Sherman did Atlanta, even though the bee swarms are not inside buildings or cars. The over-the-top fiction that even 2 stings from these bees will kill you, even though Science (oh, doesn't the Left like to laud that term up on a pedestal when it suits their agenda) knew at the time that the level of toxin in this new strain of bee was no more lethal than that of the average Honeybee. Rather, it was their aggressiveness in tracking threats and ruthlessness of their attack, compared to normal bees, that was the true fact of concern. The movie does bring a grade A cast to the table and most of the performances are respectable, although I did find the fact that Michael Caine liked to explode and shout through scenes rather disconcerting and over-dramatic. There are plenty of other situations that make no sense, like Henry Fonda's character using himself for a guinea pig when he's the only one who can work on a serum or Michael Caine breaking out a pane of glass to gain entry to a locked building, when people were already inside who could have opened the door, when the bees were attacking the town (and now had easy access to all the people in the building via the broken glass). Unlike the other disaster films of that decade, The Swarm doesn't even come close to being a serious threat and is little more than an inconvenient buzzing in the ear of the audience.