The Swarm is a 1978 American natural horror film directed and produced by Irwin Allen and based on Arthur Herzog's 1974 novel. It stars an ensemble cast, including Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant, José Ferrer, Patty Duke, Slim Pickens, Bradford Dillman, Henry Fonda and Fred MacMurray in his final film role. It follows a scientist and a military task force who try to prevent a large swarm of killer bees from invading Texas. The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, although praise was given to the costume design. It has been considered to be one of the worst films ever made.
Plot
In south Texas, a top-security United States Air Force ICBM command bunker is invaded and neutralized by an unknown force. An Air Force unit, led by Major Baker, investigates and comes across an unauthorized scientist at the secured base, Dr. Bradford Crane, who was tracking a large swarm of killer bees when they attacked the Air Force bunker. General Slater orders two helicopters to check the area, whereupon the helicopters are destroyed by the swarm of bees. Crane insists to Slater that the base was attacked by the same African killer bees that destroyed the helicopters. Helena Anderson, one of the base's doctors, supports Crane's story.
Meanwhile, in the nearby countryside, the Durant family is attacked by the swarm of the bees. The mother and father die from the bee stings, but Paul, their son, escapes in their car. Although he is stung, Paul manages to make it into town and crashes into the Marysville town square, where the citizens are preparing for the annual flower festival. The boy is brought into the hands of military personnel, where, due to the aftereffects of the bee sting, he hallucinates a vision of giant bees attacking him.
Wheelchair-bound Dr. Walter Krim confirms to Crane that the war against the bees they have feared for a long time has started. At the gates of the base, Slater confronts angry county engineer Jed Hawkins, who demands to see the dead body of his son, an airman in the bunker who was killed by the bees. Hawkins takes the body bag and departs, leaving the entire watching crowd silent over the loss. Slater suggests airdropping poison on the swarm, but Crane considers the ecological possibilities of the situation, as the poison will wipe out plant growth for a decade or more.
Recovering from his earlier bee attack, Paul and his friends search for the hive to firebomb it to avenge his family. This only angers the bees, who invade Marysville and kill hundreds. Crane and Helena take shelter at the local diner with pregnant café waitress Rita. Reporter Anne McGregor watches from the safety of her news van, hoping to get some exciting footage about the siege. After this most recent attack, and fear of another one, Slater suggests evacuating many of the townsfolk in a train. However, the bees attack the train, causing the locomotive to derail over a cliff and kill almost everyone aboard, including a love triangle made up of schoolteacher Maureen Scheuster, retiree Felix Austin and town mayor and drug store owner Clarence Tuttle.
Rita tries to board the ill-fated train but is saved at the last minute by going into labor and being confined to the hospital. She gives birth to her child while falling in love with the doctor in the process. Paul suffers a relapse from the effects of being stung earlier and later dies, devastating Helena and sending her into a rage about why the children have to die.
The savage swarm heads for Houston, Texas, and Crane decides to drop eco-friendly poison pellets on them, hoping the bees' senses will be harmed and they'll stay away from the city. Unfortunately, the plan fails. Dr. Krim self-injects an experimental bee venom antidote, planning to track the results, but the trial proves fatal and he dies. Meanwhile, nuclear power plant manager Dr. Andrews is convinced that his plant can withstand the attacks of the bees, ignoring the warnings of Dr. Hubbard. The bees nevertheless penetrate the plant, causing a nuclear explosion that annihilates Andrews, Hubbard, the plant and a nearby town.