Who is Ted V. Mikels?

American filmmaker Ted V. Mikels holds a unique position as one of the most unconventional directors of exploitation cinema. Famous for his eccentric home life (he once lived with a harem in a castle with secret passageways) and promotional gimmicks (he was known for having nurses and ambulances on hand to assist "scared-to-death" moviegoers), Mikels is now considered a pioneering master of low-budget movie making.

Examples of Mikels' influence can be seen everywhere: from music (punk band The Misfits wrote a tribute song called "The Astro-Zombies"), to Mikels' film The Doll Squad being the template for the television series Charlie's Angels, to inspiring the look of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.

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The Worm Eaters

Description from Oldies.com

Half worm and half human - people are being transformed into horrifying monsters! It's all the twisted work of a crazed recluse named Herman who has the ability to communicate with worms. When the local mayor runs Herman out of town for being a menace to society, the lunatic infests the local food supply with toxic worms. When people consume them, they mutate into ghastly, slithering creatures that are forced to do Herman's bidding. Those still unaffected must plot against the monster-maker before they too fall victim to the terrifying metamorphosis!

It takes a cast-iron stomach to watch the close-up shots of people consuming live worms in this weird, ultra-low budget horror flick that is as darkly comic as it is grotesque. The over-the-top performances, odd dialogue, and highly visible production goofs, all contribute to make The Worm Eaters a unique cult classic. In addition to writing and directing, Herb Robins has the lead role, having already honed his acting skills in quickie shock features like Invasion Of The Bee Girls and The Doll Squad. He is credited with directing another equally lurid feature, The Brainsucker, in which a killer dressed as a cork screw burrows into his victims' heads.

More information

IMDB listing

Where to buy

Autographed copy from Ted V. Mikels

Amazon.com

Oldies.com

Merchandise

Poster from Oldies.com

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