Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Drenched in blood, guts, and giant bugs, Gary Jones's Mosquito is so close to being a great horror movie that it's truly depressing the film didn't take itself more seriously and the actors didn't take more lessons. The film opts for a high level of camp, but never drifts far enough into the clever comedy realm of Arachnophobia or Tremors to attain a more prestigious cult classic status.

When regular mosquitos begin drinking the blood of dead aliens from a downed spaceship they grow to gargantuan proportions and all hell breaks loose for the vacationers relaxing in the nearby campgrounds. Ray (Tim Lovelace) and his Park Ranger girlfriend Megan (Rachel Loiselle) band together with meteorologist Parks (Steve Dixon) and the nerdy Ranger Hendricks (Ron Asheton) to fend off both the mutated bugs and cantankerous criminals Junior (Mike Hard) and Earl (Gunnar Hansen in fine goofy form mocking his own Texas Chainsaw Massacre performance).

Mosquito wastes no time setting up an elaborate explanation for why giant mosquitos roam the grounds (although the reason chosen is likely better than the typical government chemical testing) and gets right into the action and carnage. Borrowing a few cues from Aliens and other imitable horror staples, Mosquito showcases enough impressive action sequences that it's a shame the movie didn't try a little harder to be serious. The threat of the monstrous mutant skeeters, coupled with their bloodthirsty method of feeding creates a tense mood by itself, but much of the hokey dialogue quickly substitutes suspense for eye-rolling laughs. The potential for amazing is there, but the direction the creators insist upon keeps Mosquito squarely in the territory of cheese.

Director Gary Jones got his start in makeup and special effects - and it shows. Impressively grotesque practical effects comprise the majority of the monster mosquitos and they look as real as ten-foot insects can. The gore has a classic early 90's feel and scenes of razor sharp proboscises to the chest and eyes provide some cringe-worthy moments. With such a fast introduction to the mayhem only a few bystander deaths are shown, but Jones makes good use of them, most notably in a tent ambush sequence that ably displays the film's overall tone. As his wife is being assaulted by a killer insect, a doltish camper continues to take swigs from his beer as he runs to her aid.

With such effort on practical mosquito effects throughout, it's disappointing to see poorly done green screen and a spattering of subpar stop-motion mixed in, but such shortcomings can be forgiven once the bloodsucking bugs return to their brand of fluid-draining in all their puppetry glory. The less-than-admirable acting (and the difficulty in obtaining a DVD of the film) will likely keep this forgotten killer insect classic from the casual horror enthusiast, but few of its genre came so close to cheesy perfection as Mosquito.

- Joel Massie

Wow, what can I say? This has been my favorite movie since it came out back in '95. Before it was released I had a copy because I was doing dialogue transcription and I got to watch it over and over and over, to my delight. Speaking of dialogue, the first time I saw this movie, I could guess what they were going to say before they said it, just think of the cheesiest dialogue for any movie, and there you have it! I have to admit, the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" reference was always one of my favorites. The giant 6 foot mosquitos have always held a special place in my heart and I can't believe how much the DVD's are going for these days. I have a VHS and DVD version of this movie and whip it out whenver I get a chance. This movie is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it to anyone. Don't expect high dollar special effects though. I wish I had a giant mosquito to hang in my home as a decoration.

I give this movie 5 stars for the entertainment factor alone. No other movie makes me laugh as much as this one does, there's action, green gooey mosquito blood, eye popping special effects (hee, hee), goofy dialogue and of course dialogue's nothing without the acting. What can add that has not already been said but "Bravo!". If you want to forget about how the economy is or how "scary" the election is, then take a little camping trip to Michigan, via Mosquito, kick back, enjoy and don't forget the repellent!