Having lived through a 17-year-cicada swarm this year, I decided this French creature feature was a great way to kick off my 31 Days of Horror for 2021. And though it wasn’t all bad, this movie was less horror and more headache-inducing than I hoped for.
When a single mom raises locusts to make money on her farm, the results are lackluster. That is, until she discovers what they crave is blood, and she is more than willing to open a vein to grow her business. Meanwhile, as sales take off and she grows weaker from the feedings, her troublesome teenage daughter becomes fed up with being made fun of at school for being the Locust Girl, is tired of the incessant chirping noise outside her bedroom window (the sound is background noise throughout most of the movie), and is sick of eating pasta allllll the tiiiiime (to be read in a whiny voice). In a fit of rage, she unleashes some of the locusts, starting a chain reaction of, well, un-epic proportions. In fact, various swarms escape during the movie, and just disappear after claiming a single victim. The ending is not the best it could be, though it does step it up from the slow lead-up that is the other ninety minutes. If you’re looking for a great creature feature, you can’t go wrong with The Birds or other classics. But, if you miss the sound of cicadas drowning out your every thought this fall and don’t mind a good bit of gore, go ahead and give The Swarm a try.
- Top Scare: Swarm Attack
- Heartbeats: 1 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
- Scare Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5
- Recommended for: 13 and up