Originally going to be directed by
Roger Corman, who was later replaced by
Lucky McKee, and loosely based on the short story
The Feather Pillow by Horacio Quiroga. Shy Dr. Ida Teeter (
Angela Bettis) is a lesbian entomologist who can't find a companion that also shares (or merely tolerates) her love for bugs before she meets the weird artist Misty Falls (Erin Brown, a.k.a. Misty Mundae). That same day, Ida receives a package from Brazil containing a newly-discovered insect that is a parasite of warm-blooded animals.
Hilarity Ensues.
Tropes:
- All Gays Are Pedophiles: As soon as Ida's landlady discovers that she's gay, she accuses her of eyeing up her ten-year-old granddaughter. Ida is understandably offended.
- Asshole Victim: The landlady. She was an all-around homophobic Jerkass who was going to evict Ida and Misty simply because they are gay.
- Body Horror: After being infected by the parasitic beetle, Misty transforms into a grotesque bug-woman. It's in this state that she kills the landlady.
- Boy Meets Girl: Lesbian variation with Girl Meets Girl. Then they both get infected by a parasite.
- Chest Burster: We're given a look at a book concerning the parasitic beetle which shows its spawn tearing a bird apart as they emerge. It's unlikely that being significantly larger than a bird will spare Ida and Misty from this.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: A synopsis in IMDb described it as a metaphor of "the dangers of moving too quickly into a relationship". Also, STDs.
- Express Delivery: Played for both laughs and horror at the film's ending. Ida and Misty are seen laying in bed together with huge, exposed pregnant bellies full of parasitic beetle larvae, cheerfully talking about their condition and how quickly they're growing.
- Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong: The parasitic beetle feeds on Ida's blood and infects her with its eggs by using is proboscis in her ear. At the film's ending, it's shown alternatively doing this to both Ida and Misty, both of whom are visibly swollen with its spawn; it's left unclear if they'll give birth naturally or if the beetles will... take a more direct approach to delivery.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: Of the "Lesbian U-Haul Syndrome" type.
- Friend to Bugs: Ida is an entomologist who keeps a huge collection of various insects in her apartment. This quickly scares off most girlfriends she invites in.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: Ida's partner Max constantly pokes fun at his colleague's sexuality and begs her to tell him everything about her dates in time for the morning shower. He also keeps his hand in a "special place" while talking to her on the phone.
- Horror Hunger: One of the signs of Ida's developing "pregnancy" with her new pet's larvae is the disappearance of pets from her apartment complex.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Both Misty and Ida.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Ida has a most unladylike fascination with insects and her apartment filled with various insectoid pets. It creates a lot of friction with her landlady and makes it impossible to land a date for her.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: The happy music in the final scene.
- Strawman Political: The landlady. She explicitly accuses Ida of wanting to molest her granddaughter.
- Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: While not an actual ghost, Misty fits the image several times during the episode.
