Mosquito (film)
| Mosquito | |
|---|---|
 Mosquito DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Gary Jones |
| Written by |
Tom Chaney Steve Hodge Gary Jones |
| Starring |
Gunnar Hansen Ron Asheton Steve Dixon Josh Becker |
| Cinematography | Tom Chaney |
| Distributed by | Helmdale |
Release dates | 1995 |
Running time | 93 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $200,000 (estimated)[1] |
| Box office | $986,314 |
Mosquito is a 1995 science fiction film directed by Gary Jones. The film's plot pays homage to the classic 1950s horror genre. The film stars Gunnar Hansen who played the character Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Ron Asheton, lead guitarist for the proto-punk rock band The Stooges also stars. After a long run on the USA Network, Mosquito was picked up by the channel SyFy. The film's classic b-movie dialogue, special effects that range from great to really bad, and eye popping gore have earned it a cult following.
Plot
The film opens with an alien ship that crashes into a U.S national park. The alien's dead arm comes out of the craft and a small mosquito starts feeding off the blood. While driving, two lovers Megan and Ray (Rachelle Loiselle and Tim Lovelace) accidentally hit the mutated giant mosquito. They get out of the vehicle to analyses it, unsure of its nature. They then go to a summer camp and rent a Bungalow. Meanwhile Hendricks (Ron Asheton) is sent off to spread mosquito-killing gas everywhere and even on the campers. Three bank robbers, Earl, Junior and Rex are stopped in the forest and this is when Rex makes his first encounter with the giant mosquitoes. He runs for his life but is accidentally shot down by Junior. Megan, Ray, Earl, Junior, Hendricks and Parks, a searcher for a radioactive meteorite, are brought together in a RV. They fight against the insects until the vehicle tips over and crashes. Everyone manages to get out, except for Junior, who is attacked and brutally killed by the mosquitoes. The rest of the group are trapped inside a sewer and fight off the mosquitoes with fire. The morning comes and the group comes out exhausted and wounded. They walk through the forest, find and hide in an abandoned farm house. But the mosquitoes quickly find the crew and try to get them. Meanwhile, searching around the house, Parks and Hendricks find a room filled with mosquito larva. So they plan to blow up the house to kill all the mosquitoes. They build a bomb, while still fighting against the mutants. Hendricks tries to escape the house using a dumbwaiter but the contraption breaks and Hendricks falls to his death. Earl is also later killed, one second before the house explodes, and only Parks, Ray and Megan manage to survive.
Cast
- Gunnar Hansen as Earl
- Rachel Loiselle as Megan
- Tim Lovelace as Ray
- Steve Dixon as Parks
- Ron Asheton as Hendricks
Production
The film's production began on June 7, 1993 and principal filming began on October 4, 1993.[2]
Matt Hundley was not the first choice to do special effects for this film. Another special effects artist started doing the effects for the film but mid way through, he said "I'll be right back, I'm going to get a pack of smokes," and never came back.[3]
Box office
On the opening weekend, Mosquito had grossed $211,000 and was show onto 870 screens.[4] Finally, the film grossed $986,134[5] which is over 4 times its budget.
Reception
Critical response
Mosquito has received generally negative reviews, especially at the time of its release, but has grown a cult following. It was released in limited theaters in only the United States and Canada, and only one in Mexico and two in Great Britain, limiting its gross.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 60% Tomatometer, based on 5 reviews.[6] However,on IMDB, it only holds a low 4.4/10 rating.[7]
Release
It was released to VHS and Laserdisc before the end of 1995, and DVD in 1999. It had a Special Edition DVD release in 2005, yet copies are still rare. Director Gary Jones wanted a sequel for 1998 or 1999 (as the film ends on a possible cliff-hanger), but was never started.
Synapse Films announced in July 2015 that a Blu-Ray Home Video release for Mosquito would be available October 13, 2015.