The Worm Eaters

The 1977 film, The Worm Eaters, directed by Herb Robins and starring Herb Robins, Lindsay Armstrong Black, and Joseph Sacket, is an over-the-top, eccentric, and grotesque blend of horror and humor. It is an iconic prototype in the world of cult cinema, a traumatizing feast for anyone with a taste for the bizarre, the absurd, and the downright disturbing. The film is an infamy for its unique storyline, brimming visual horror, and unconventional humor, making it a standout B-movie classic. Rebels against the mainstream styles and narratives, this low-budget film makes a monumental impression in the world of counter-culture cinema.

Herb Robins takes up both directorial and the leading role in the film, immersing himself completely into the world of The Worm Eaters. Robins plays the character of Herman Umgar, a German immigrant living as a hermit in a small American town named Merriweather, where he serves as the eccentric and sinister town handyman. Umgar is a peculiar hermit with an even peculiar love for worms. His infatuation is not just limited to the creatures' upkeep; instead, he lives with a thousand worms and finds unique ways to incorporate them into his daily diet.

Umgar's odd lifestyle and solitude is relatively harmless until he faces corruption and power greed from a heartless land baron, Micahel Finn. Finn's plots to seize Umgar's property and transform it into a lucrative development project. Finn's merciless stronghold on the town's resources and power stirs up a nerve in Umgar. Displaying the stark difference between their characters, while one man remains obsessed with his dream of sponge cake city, the other man deeply cherishes his companionship with his worm family and the humble life embodied with them.

Robins' character then takes a wicked turn, gearing towards revenge that's as bizarre as his lifestyle. The handyman devises a retaliatory plot, turning his worm friends into tools of vengeance. Without revealing too much, it's safe to say that the townsfolk soon find themselves in a sticky situation, where harmless picnic lunches and church potluck suppers become a chilling, supremely uncomfortable experience. Worms find their way into the lives of the people in ways unknown, and the focus of the humorous horror quickly shifts from Umgar’s peculiar habits to the grotesque reality faced by the townsfolk.

The fascinating character of Lindsay Armstrong Black further layers the movie. She appears as the lovely but sharp-tongued Gertrude Grime, playing a crucial part in the unfolding of the storyline. Grimes is a feisty maiden living in Merriweather and is the unwilling love interest of the unscrupulous Finn. Her role ties in elements of humor and unconventional romance to the film, showcasing a women’s strength against the predatory acts of Finn.

Joseph Sacket takes on multiple roles, showcasing versatility and adding additional support to the eccentric narrative. He is brilliant with his comic timing and injects a solid dose of absurd humor into this unusual horror-comedy. His performances leave you baffled, intrigued, and at times, shocked.

With utterly mind-boggling dialogues, absurdly hilarious plot twists, and a unique cinematographic approach, The Worm Eaters make a profound statement about gentrification, corrupt power, and the common man’s stand against it. Despite its apparent grotesque elements, the movie encapsulates the battle between powerful land barons and small-town folk with strong community ties, fitting the story into broader themes of coercion and resistance.

The Worm Eaters is a testament to the beauty of oddities in cinema. It mixes horror, comedy, and the absurd in a way that is entirely unique. It can be a tough pill to swallow for the uninitiated, but for anyone familiar with the delights of eccentric low-budget films, it's an all-you-can-eat visual delight.

The Worm Eaters is a film that delivers constant surprises and turns conventional cinema on its head. It is not just a horror-comedy but offers a social critique, buried beneath its layers of absurdity and grotesqueness. The film embraces its strangeness with open arms, and in doing so, becomes an iconic representation of fringe B-movie culture. Its distinctive style, absurd humor, and horrifying element rank it high among the unforgettable classics in the genre of Cult/B-movie.