Larva

Larva (2005) While we are on the subject of homage’s to 70’s horror movies, here is another one that succeeds much better than Frog-g-g, recently reviewed! Most genre fans have seen many movies about parasites eating from within and this isn’t much different but when these critters break out, head for the hills baby! Those suckers first attack from within and then grow big enough to attack from without. They have you covered from both sides now. It seems we have another evil corporation marketing its new feed to the local farmers and it turns out the feed grows the local parasite populations more efficiently than the cows. Soon cow tipping, a favorite local sport, becomes far too easy as the cows start falling over without help. The meat from the cows also contains the parasite and soon it is introduced to the local population. Only the new vet (fortunately, a vegetarian) seems to see what is going on. Soon not only are the cows tipping, but the local population is too, and these goll-durn bat like thorny critters emerging from the tainted folks start flapping around and eating the remaining untainted stock (both cows and us). But it’s southern redneck NRA members to the rescue as a local paranoid farmer has hidden enough munitions to win the Battle of the Bulge and to turn the tide against the larva. William Forsythe has the best line as the redneck farmer showing his large caliber stash to the vet and a winsome lawyer by saying, “Welcome to redneck nirvana. Its times like these that true paranoia sure pays off.” The threat is finally put down, the villains get eaten and the hero and heroine survive, but only after lots of cast depopulation and lots and lots of gore. I think this one hits its 70’s target much more than most of its type. The movie is rated R for: gross gore, excising cow bowels, really disgusting worms, multiple exploding abdomens, multiple tipping cows, multiple flapping-flying-crawling beasties, multiple villains, bikini running, children eating tainted burgers, things emerging from tainted burgers eating children, and especially for the scene in which a guy explodes while romancing his date in the back seat of his car (Super-Yuck!).