Bug Buster (featuring Doug Jones and Derek Maki)

About this episode

Doug Jones and Derek Maki discuss the late-90s horror-comedy Bug Buster and its cultural impact.

Legendary actor and creature performer Doug Jones and independent filmmaker Derek Maki join Dan and Conrad to reminisce about Bug Buster (1998), a late-90s horror-comedy in which a quaint lakeside town is terrorised by mutant insects. The incredible cast combines a pre- Knocked Up Katherine Heigl with Randy Quaid, Star Trek alumni James Doohan and George Takei, Meredith Salenger, and – of course – Doug Jones as the big bad: Mother Bug! The movie sits squarely in the era when creature features were increasingly living on video rather than in theaters, and it builds its appeal from ecological panic, practical-effects goo, and the deliciously overripe promise that a “former military man” might somehow sort out an insect apocalypse with enough swagger. You can follow and support Derek's documentary on Doug's incredible career by visiting www.getmedougjones.com and adding it to your watchlist on imdb . The Kickstarter campaign kicks off on Monday 18 May. Support us on Patreon to nominate films for us to cover, access exclusive bonus content, and vote on the final verdict! Rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice, and tell a friend about us. Follow us on TikTok , YouTube…

People in this episode

Hosts: Conrad Chambers, Daniel Goh

Guests: Doug Jones, Derek Maki

Topics covered

• horror-comedy
• creature features
• film history
• interviews
• ecological themes

Keywords

• Bug Buster
• Doug Jones
• Derek Maki
• horror-comedy
• creature features
• Katherine Heigl
• ecological panic
• practical effects

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Acast, imdb, Patreon, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky

Books & works: Bug Buster

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