A woman with a seriously screwed-up life ends up taking in an odd but likeable stranger. As they get closer they deal with several issues like her ex-con ex-husband and the delusion that they’re both infested with some kind of blood-eating bugs.

Like most people who watched this film this weekend, I went in under the assumption that this was a completely different movie. On the one hand I like a movie like this, original, disturbing, realistic. They really expand the horizons of horror and at the same time open up the genre to lots of people who’d normally look down their nose at our beloved horror. On the other hand, who gives a shit what those people think and why am I being so nice when I was essentially a victim of the fraud perpetrated by the people who marketed this disappointing movie?

If you’ll notice, all the people who are giving Bug glowing reviews were either familiar with the play it’s based on, or had some knowledge of what it was about. The majority of us that went in based on the trailer are pissed, or at least let-down.

I’d never seen such anger in an audience, after the film ended while they were yelling about wanting their money back, they genuinely seemed upset. I don’t think that’s a good sign for a flick.

Speaking of odd reactions, there were several times when the movie was unintentionally funny and got big laughs. It’s hard not to laugh when someone’s smacking themselves in the face frantically, invisible bugs or not.

Ok, enough bitching, there’s some good stuff here, too. Ashley Judd is mesmerizing, her portrayal of a broken, lonely woman who has nothing left was truly heartbreaking. I never liked her character at all, but I felt for her just the same. The entire cast was an ugly look at a life below the poverty level, and it was more affecting than the bugs were.

Every scene was tense or disturbing, even the setup seemed to go on too long - mostly because it made me uncomfortable. In fact, every aspect of this movie was done well and there were several scenes that were truly horrific. This movie would have really been so much better if I’d walked in knowing nothing at all.

I have nothing at all against a surreal, psychological horror flick, and this is a well-done example of that. Good plot, great performances and a sweetly dark ending. Still, I left disappointed.

I did enjoy this movie, but it wasn’t the movie I went to see. I went to see something in the vein of Cabin Fever and got Eraserhead instead.

5 out of 10 movies that were a victim of their own PR