The 1978 movie The Swarm, which features a star-studded cast that includes Henry Fonda, Michael Caine, and many other Oscar winners and major celebrities, has been called “the worst movie ever.” This is an astonishing fact considering the track record of its cavalcade of major performers. Critical reception for movies featuring these stars has generally been high. In fact, on Rotten Tomatoes, only 10 of Fonda’s 41 pre-1978 movies later received Rotten scores.

Michael Caine had also only had 10 Rotten movies before The Swarm. While the iconic star’s career has varied wildly between beloved classics and outright flops (including the notorious Jaws: The Revenge, production on which prevented him from being present to claim his first Oscar), he is best known for well-received movies as varied as the original 1969 heist movie The Italian Job (81%), the romantic dramedy Hannah and Her Sisters (91%), the horror movie Dressed to Kill (83%), and his many Christopher Nolan collaborations including The Dark Knight (94%), Inception (87%), The Prestige (77%), and Interstellar (73%).

What The Swarm Is About & Who Is In Its Cast

The Swarm Combines Multiple Popular 1970s Genres

The Swarm does boast a concept that leaves it open to be easily deemed a B-movie, as it follows a swarm of African bees that wreak havoc across Texas. While the movie could be considered a “nature runs amok” horror movie along the lines of Jaws or the earlier Frogs, the movie was directed by Irwin Allen, the producer behind iconic disaster movies including The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Fire, and Flood. As such, it has strong disaster movie elements blended with its horror scenario.

One of the most notable elements of Allen disaster movies was the fact that they typically assembled huge ensemble casts full of recognizable stars. The Swarm was no different. In addition to Caine and Fonda, the movie featured Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant, José Ferrer, Patty Duke, Slim Pickens, Fred MacMurray, Henry Fonda, Cameron Mitchell, and Don “Red” Barry. Between them, that ensemble cast has 25 Oscar nominations and 9 wins. Below, see a breakdown of the Oscar nominations and wins that have been accumulated by the main cast of The Swarm:

Why The Swam Is Considered One Of The Worst Movies Ever & Is It That Bad?

The Swarm Has A 9% Tomatometer Score

The Swarm was indeed called the worst movie ever by some at the time, which is belied by its 9% score on Rotten Tomatoes. This is due to a variety of factors, with critics taking jabs at the script, the direction, and the effects. The caliber of the cast has also been cited to the movie’s detriment, as it is widely considered a waste of such a talented ensemble. However, as the fact that it doesn’t have 0% shows, it still has its share of entertainment value, especially for those who find joy in B-movies of a certain vintage.