'Bug': Creepy and crawly and ultimately repelling

Portrayals by Ashley Judd as a cocktail waitress and lost soul and Michael Shannon as a mysterious drifter whose paranoid rants are deeply unsettling contain powerful elements. But the film grows weirder and more revolting as it goes along.

Judd and Shannon certainly are fearless as actors, but in service of what, exactly?
Although Shannon, who reprises his role in Tracy Letts' off-Broadway play, displays ferocious intensity to keep the audience off balance, the film's stagy feeling detracts from its disturbing potency. And it grows silly toward the end, eliciting unintentional laughs.

Director William Friedkin deserves credit for trying something way outside the box, but Bug can't decide if it's a suspense thriller, horror movie or an exploration of paranoia and the post-traumatic dissolution of a psyche. At one point, Shannon's character writhes on Judd's bed as if possessed, conjuring memories of Regan in Friedkin's seminal The Exorcist.
It's not Satan who is bedeviling Peter, however.

The unhinged war veteran is adamant that he is infested by insects.
He has little proof for his staunch conviction, but he still manages to persuade Judd. She goes from being a cynical, no-nonsense loner to a weak and sniveling parasite of sorts, feeding off the manic energy of the deeply disturbed Peter, who knows just how to play on her deepest vulnerabilities.

Extraneous plot points muddle things up, particularly scenes with her abusive ex-husband (Harry Connick Jr.), who has just been released from prison, and her allusions to a young son.
Judd has yet to find a movie that will showcase her talents as well as her debut feature, Ruby in Paradise.

And though she should be commended on taking on such a non-commercial and unpleasant part, looking about as unglamorous as a Hollywood actress has ever looked (even in a nude scene), she chews the scenery with a vehemence that threatens to devour the production.
Shannon is an impressive actor, particularly in his early, more subtle scenes. As the movie goes along, he plays his role as if he hasn't pulled back on his stage performance for the subtler requirements of the big screen.

Friedkin has tried to fashion a film that is mind-bendingly disturbing not only through the performances, but also by employing nightmarish shots and sounds. It feels forced and off-putting.
Bug will make you flinch with discomfort and delivers little payoff.

Its rattling intensity doesn't have much to recommend.