They Nest

They Nest is a 1988 American horror film directed by Joseph Ellison and starring Cosmo Allegretti, Susan Lucci, and Eric Forsythe. The film's plot centers around Dr. Michael Cahill, a talented but high-strung emergency room doctor who has just suffered a nervous breakdown in his high-pressure job. Feeling burnt out and needing to clear his head, Dr. Cahill takes a few months off to unwind on the isolated island of Little Turtle off the coast of Maine. Upon arrival, Dr. Cahill finds himself at odds with the local residents, who seem unfriendly and disinterested in accepting outsiders. The islanders, led by the gruff and taciturn town leader, Sheriff Brown, appear to be a tight-knit community that values their seclusion and self-reliance above all else. The doctor's attempts to win them over are met with disdain and outright hostility, with many of the locals viewing him as an outsider who is disrupting their way of life. Meanwhile, a series of bizarre and unsettling events begin to unfold on the island. A dead body washes up on the shore, but what makes this incident truly disturbing is the swarm of enormous, mutated cockroaches that infest the corpse. The roaches are the size of small rats, with razor-sharp mandibles and a seemingly insatiable appetite for human flesh. As Dr. Cahill tries to warn the townsfolk about the threat posed by the mutated cockroaches, he is met with skepticism and even outright hostility. Many of the islanders seem to be in denial about the existence of the roaches, and some even appear to be infected themselves, displaying symptoms such as skin lesions and erratic behavior. Despite the initial resistance, Dr. Cahill is determined to prove the existence of the cockroach infestation and its connection to the mysterious body on the shore. With the help of his nurse, Emily, and a few sympathetic islanders, he begins to dig deeper into the situation, uncovering a shocking explanation for the origins of the mutated cockroaches. It turns out that the roaches were once exposed to a toxic substance that had been dumped into the ocean by an offshore oil rig, causing them to undergo a bizarre and terrifying metamorphosis into their current, flesh-eating form. The mutated roaches are now feeding on the island's wildlife, including the body that washed up on the shore, which had succumbed to the infestation. As the situation spirals further out of control, Dr. Cahill and his allies must find a way to stop the cockroach infestation before it's too late. They discover that the roaches are attracted to the warmth and movement of human bodies, and that they are spreading rapidly across the island, infecting and killing anyone who comes into contact with them. With time running out, Dr. Cahill and his team concoct a desperate plan to eliminate the roaches using an old, homemade pesticide that they believe might be effective against the infestation. The plan involves sealing off the island, creating a makeshift barrier to prevent the roaches from escaping, and then using the pesticide to kill off the remaining roaches. In the climactic final act, the roaches attack the island in full force, overwhelming the defenders and causing widespread chaos and destruction. Dr. Cahill and his team fight back using whatever means are at their disposal, but the outcome is far from certain. As the battle rages on, the town's leader, Sheriff Brown, finally comes face-to-face with the horrifying reality of the cockroach infestation. Realizing too late that the roaches are not just a nuisance, but a deadly threat to the entire island, Brown joins forces with Dr. Cahill and his team to try and contain the outbreak. Ultimately, the combined efforts of Dr. Cahill and the islanders pay off, and the roach infestation is brought under control. However, the aftermath is left to the audience's imagination, as the survivors of the outbreak are left to pick up the pieces and rebuild their shattered community. Throughout They Nest, director Joseph Ellison uses a combination of eerie atmosphere and suspenseful storytelling to create a tense and unsettling horror experience. The film's low budget and somewhat dated special effects are somewhat mitigated by the cast's enthusiastic performances and the sheer sense of dread and desperation that pervades the entire narrative. Overall, They Nest remains a cult horror classic that is sure to please fans of the genre who enjoy a good, old-fashioned survival horror story.