Just a pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me

Thanks to the marketing, I assumed that William Friedken's Bug would be another horrorfest like the Exorcist. Not the case. This movie is a claustrophobic study of madness. There are a few of the typical horror movies scary elements, including a stomach churning scene in the middle, but the movie's threat doesn't come from the typical monster-victim relationship. Instead, the movie features two damaged people who reinforce and catalyze each other's paranoias and delusions.

The movie is based on a stage drama and it still feels like one. 90% of the movie takes place in a single set of room. This makes sense thematically as the madness severs connections with reality, including other people. The movie is also dialogue heavy and the characters often fall into the affected, overly articulate mode of stage dialogue. The final third of the film when the madness is filled with over-the-top jibberings that will either fascinate you or have you rolling your eyes. I thought the escalating madness was great.