Squirm

"Squirm"..
Mike: Well... I don't know why, but okay! (Mike and the 'Bots wriggle in their seats.)

Filmed in 1976, Squirm is the tale of a Love Triangle between: Geri, a country girl, Mick, the city boy who wants to "examine her antiques", and Roger the local boy who's dissatisfied with his lot in life. More importantly, it's about the gigantic swarm of electricity-maddened earthworms that seek to tear them apart...literally.

It was directed by Jeff Lieberman, who also did the backwoods slasher Just Before Dawn and drugsploitation flick Blue Sunshine.

For the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version, please go to the episode recap page.

Tropes used in Squirm include:

• Abhorrent Admirer: Roger for Geri.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: Alma isn't a "character" so much as a vaguely woman-shaped collection of pipe cleaners bound together by whiny screeching and bad fashion sense.
• Art Major Biology: Needless to say eletrocuting an earthworm will not turn it into a psychotic monster that tries to kill everything in it's path. Also I'am pretty sure that earthworms don't have teeth.
• Attack of the Killer Whatever: Earthworms! Ooooooh! Well, they've got teeth. And there are a lot of them.
  • They're actually some kind of marine worm, at least in the close-up shots. Most of the time they're either rubber bands or Twizzlers.
• Behind the Black: "Oh, I didn't see you."
• Corrupt Hick: The Sheriff would rather make time with a local waitress than listen to some random, trouble-making city boy tell him about murderous, mutated worms who've killed several citizens - and actually, when you put it like that it's sorta hard to blame him.
• Creepy Child: I can hear the Dark/If I listen hard...
• Deep South: VERY much so.
• Dumb Muscle: Roger is clearly lacking in mental faculties, but he's just as plainly capable of snapping Mick in two on his knee.
• Electricity Can Do Anything
• Enforced Method Acting: They really are running for their lives when the tree falls through the house.
• Failed a Spot Check: Essentially the only way the worms or Roger could ever actually kill anyone.
• Fan Service: Attempted. Failed.
• Fish Out of Water: Mick.
• Go Mad from the Revelation: Roger was pretty unhinged before, but being infested with bitey worms that crawl under his skin seems to have driven him completely off his nut.
• Heroes Want Redheads: And they can have each other.
• Idiot Ball: Mick walking half a mile to the rice mill and carrying back plywood with his bare hands instead of just using the station wagon for transport.
• Ironic Nursery Tune: Watching in the garden/Waiting in the yard...
• Musical Spoiler: The end credits song plays on the radio when Geri first gets home with Mick.
• Noisy Nature: Who know worms could roar?
• Old Shame: The acting didn't work out too well for Don Scardino (Mick), but he's become a successful TV director, winner of two Emmys for Thirty Rock, where he's also a producer.
• Opening Scroll
• Posters Always Lie: Look at that poster up there! Look at it! You'd expect something awesome from that, wouldn't you?
• Sanity Slippage: Geri and Alma's mom isn't all there at the start of the picture, and she just keeps getting worse throughout.
• Say My Name: "Mr. Beardsley?"
• Shirtless Scene
• Shower Scene
• Stalker with a Crush: Roger, convincingly and disturbingly so.
• Super Strength: Well, for worms.
• The Swarm
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: Roger.
• Unusual Euphemism: "Now you're going to be the worm-face!"
• What Could Have Been: Picture it, my friends: Kim Basinger as Geri. Martin Sheen as Mick. Sylvester friggin' Stallone as Roger. It very nearly happened. Allegedly.
• The Worm That Walks: Roger sort of becomes one.

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Whisp'ring in my keyhole:/"I know you're in there..."