Directed by former teen heartthrob Clark Brandon (the kid from Mr. Merlin) and starring Tracy Griffith (Melanie’s sister, and co-star of The First Power), New Line threw this at video shelves with just enough gloss to suggest it belonged alongside Arachnophobia or Tremors – but it ended up gathering dust next to The Birds II: Land’s End.
It’s a loving mashup of ‘50s mutant insect movies and ‘70s eco-horror bug invasion flicks that hits all the expected beats. It also runs headfirst into all the usual sticky problems – it’s padded, it’s talky, and it’s not interested in reinventing the reel.
Skeeter doesn’t go for the jugular, and it doesn’t try to be overly clever with the tropes. It just does them. All of them. This is a movie made by someone who liked those old bug flicks and wanted to colour inside the lines. I respect that. Clark’s a purist, I dig it.
But whereas Ticks dropped the same year and bit harder with nastier effects and more confidence in its own schlock value (it’s still one of my favourites from the decade), Skeeter stuck with me too. Mostly because it stood out. This just wasn’t the sort of movie that was being made back then, it had a refreshing lack of self-awareness. To overuse a phrase, it was earnest.
It’s a title you might rent on a Friday night to pad out the stack, and end up watching Saturday morning over cereal. To be honest, it’s best served up as matinee material. And while most critics are happy to swat this thing away, I’ll go out on a limb and just say this – it doesn’t suck.