Squirm

Squirm

Year: 1976

Runtime: 92 mins

Language: English

Director: Jeff Lieberman

HorrorHorror

On a storm‑ridden night, a violent electrical storm brings down power lines onto the rain‑soaked fields surrounding Fly Creek, home to an aggressive breed of worms. The surge of high voltage mutates the creatures into massive, hostile, man‑eating hordes that stalk the town’s residents, turning the quiet community into a ground of crawling terror.

Squirm (1976) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at Squirm (1976) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In the quiet, dust‑kissed town of Fly Creek, Georgia, a violent electrical storm tears through the night, snapping power lines and plunging the community into a sudden, oppressive darkness. The storm’s lingering charge seeps into the wet earth, where a local worm farm has been cultivating a massive stock of bloodworms and sandworms. As the rain‑soaked fields cool, the unseen current awakens something unnatural beneath the soil, turning the humble creatures into a silent, crawling menace that begins to stir the sleepy town.

The story follows Geri Sanders, a practical‑spun small‑town resident, and her boyfriend Mick, a city‑grown visitor who arrives for a weekend getaway. Their chemistry cracks the routine of Fly Creek, as Geri’s familiarity with the countryside clashes with Mick’s outsider curiosity. Together they navigate everyday errands—borrowed pickups, local diners, and visits to neighbors—while the atmosphere grows increasingly uneasy, hinting that the storm’s aftermath is more than just a brief inconvenience.

Among the locals, Roger Grimes stands out as the wiry owner of the worm farm, his quiet pride in the business contrasting with a simmering jealousy toward the couple’s chemistry. The town’s lone law officer, Sheriff Jim Reston, offers a steady, if skeptical, presence, reminding everyone that the power outage has left the streets vulnerable. At home, Naomi Sanders, Geri’s mother, and her sister Alma provide a familial backdrop that grounds the characters amid the gathering tension, their conversations slipping between ordinary concerns and the unsettling feeling that something has shifted in the night‑filled fields.

The film’s tone fuses classic 1970s rural horror with a palpable, low‑key dread, letting the oppressive humidity and the ever‑present hum of unseen electricity shape every scene. As darkness lingers and the town’s residents wrestle with the strange new reality, the story invites viewers to wonder what will emerge from the ground when the storm finally fades, and whether the quiet community can withstand a threat that silently crawls just beneath their feet.

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 18:09

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Nature's Revenge Horror Movies like Squirm

Stories where the natural world turns against humanity in a violent siege.If you liked Squirm, you'll enjoy these movies about nature gone wrong. This list features similar horror stories with monster attacks and scientific accidents, where creatures or the environment turn on a small community. Discover more films with a high-intensity, gruesome vibe and themes of survival against an unstoppable natural force.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern usually begins with a scientific accident or environmental disturbance that triggers the threat. The story quickly escalates from isolated, strange events to a full-scale assault, often trapping characters in a confined location. The focus is on the immediate, visceral danger and the characters' frantic attempts to understand and survive the onslaught, with a high probability of major casualties.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped together because they share a core premise of nature revolting, a fast-paced and high-intensity feel, and a dark, often gruesome tone. They deliver a specific kind of paranoid dread centered on the vulnerability of civilization to the natural world it has taken for granted.

Small-Town Siege Horror Films Similar to Squirm

A quiet, isolated community is suddenly besieged by an unimaginable threat.Looking for more movies like Squirm? This list features horror films where a small town is plunged into chaos by a monster or supernatural threat. Find similar fast-paced, high-intensity stories with themes of community survival, grief, and loss, all set against a backdrop of isolated terror.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows the rapid breakdown of order in a confined setting. Local authorities are quickly overwhelmed, and ordinary citizens must band together (or fall apart) to survive. The story leverages the intimacy of the small-town setting to raise the emotional stakes, as characters face the loss of neighbors and loved ones, leading to a bittersweet or bleak conclusion even if the immediate threat is vanquished.

Why These Movies?

These films are connected by their specific setting and structure. They share a vibe of communal panic and the unsettling transformation of a safe haven into a death trap. The pacing is typically fast, the tone is dark, and the emotional weight is heavy due to the personal nature of the losses suffered.

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Squirm Summary

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Squirm Summary

Squirm Timeline

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Squirm Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Squirm

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Squirm

More About Squirm

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