SQUIRM (1978)
Starring Don Scardino and Patricia Pearcy
"Tell him about the worms," a woman cries in a restaurant as a dozen unbelieving people around her chow down on spaghetti. "They bite!"
Underrated, unjustly forgotten mid-1970s horror film from the writer-director of the excellent "Blue Sunshine" opens up with an intro hinting that it's the true story of what "scientists believe to be one of the most bizarre freaks of nature ever recorded."
After an electrical storm, things go haywire at a worm farm, when the squirmy little critters become dangerous creatures that bore into the flesh of humans. A city slicker (Scardino) shows up in the hick town of Fly Creek, Georgia for a rendezvous with his girlfriend. After finding a worm in one of his drinks he begins to suspect there's something wrong with the bloodworm population in the town. After finding two skeletons, he gets even more suspicious.
Highlights of the film include worms squirming out of a shower and a scene where they bore into a guy's face and are clearly seen moving around under his skin. The film is extremely low budget and mainstream audiences might find it too slow and documentary-like for their tastes. But '70s schlock fans and lovers of bad movies should look for it.
It's one of the best from Lieberman, a tremendous low-budget horror filmmaker who never got the attention or credit he deserved. "Arachnophobia" and many other nature-run-amok films were influenced by this gory pleasure, with special effects by Rick Baker. It's not as good as the brilliant "Blue Sunshine," however.