Bug Buster is a 1998 American comedy horror

Comedy horror

Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary and film genre, combining elements of comedy and horror fiction. The comedy horror genre almost always inevitably crosses over with the black comedy genre; and in some respects could be considered a subset of it.The short story "The Legend...

 film directed by Lorenzo Doumani. It is the only known film to be written by Malick Khoury. In the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, this film was released under the title Some Things Never Die.

Despite having a reputation as being a poorly made film, it has nonetheless has achieved small B movie

B movie

A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....

 cult status.

Plot

After the mayor uses a potentially dangerous substance to protect the local plantation, the lakeside town of Mountview, in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, is attacked by a lethal species of large cockroach. After some of the town's inhabitants are killed, the mayor enlists the help of eccentric pest exterminator General George S. Merlin in order to prevent further harm to the local dwellers.

Cast

• Randy Quaid
  Randy Quaid
  Randall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain...
  
   as General George S. Merlin
• Brenda Epperson Doumani as Dr. Laura Casey
• Katherine Heigl
  Katherine Heigl
  Katherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007...
  
   as Shannon Griffin
• James Doohan
  James Doohan
  James Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek...
  
   as Sheriff Carlson
• George Takei
  George Takei
  George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
  
   as Dr. Hiro Fujimoto
• Meredith Salenger
  Meredith Salenger
  Meredith Dawn Salenger is an American actress identified by her performances while a teenager. Her best known role was the title role in the 1985 Disney film The Journey of Natty Gann.-Early life and career:...
  
   as Veronica Hart
• David Lipper as Steve Williams

Reception

Bug Buster received almost universally negative reviews from audiences and critics alike. Despite this, some viewers enjoyed it, seeing it as a throwback to fifties monster films. Robert Pardi of TV Guide

TV Guide

TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...

said "this modestly budgeted effort has a certain low key charm."