Movies with Exterminators

Movies with Exterminators

Hollywood has produced thousands upon thousands of films. As such, it’s not surprising that a fair amount of them have exterminators as primary characters. The following are some of the most notable films with characters in the pest control industry.

The Ant Bully (2006)

This animated movie revolves around a young boy named Lucas Nickle who is shrunk down to the size of an ant and recruited to help rebuild a colony that he had previously destroyed when at his normal size. After a change of heart, Lucas tries to rescue the ants from the ruthless exterminator Stan Beals that is set on exterminating the ant hill. Of course, being a film that takes place from the perspective of the ants, the exterminator is seen as the antagonist, however, there are even greater reasons why Mr. Beals earns a bad name, especially within the pest control industry. At the beginning of the film, he tricks a child into signing a contract for pest control services, a practice which is illegal and is also extremely unacceptable and frowned upon within the pest control industry. Along with this he is depicted smoking cigars on the job as well as taunting and demeaning his clients… both of which are highly unprofessional and unacceptable practices as a pest control professional.

Arachnophobia (1990)

In this film crawling with arachnids, the brilliant John Goodman delivers a fantastic performance as the goofy exterminator Delbert McClintock. While initially a bit dismissive to his client’s concerns, he soon finds himself face to face with some pretty gnarly spiders and a very serious threat. McClintock has several very silly lines but one in particular rings true in the pest control industry: “there’s no room for amateurs in this game.” Though the quote is funny delivered as such, it is better explained by saying that ‘serious infestations require professional intervention in order to truly be solved.’

The Borrowers (1997)

While the famed actor John Goodman was the exterminator in the previous film, in The Borrowers, he’s the one needing an exterminator. However, the beings he wants taken care of do not have multiple legs, compound or various eyes, and pinchers… but they are small, very small. Averaging around 3 inches tall, the fictional beings known as ‘Borrowers’ are tiny humans that operate in a secret society all around the world. They remain hidden from “human beans” (their misunderstood version of ‘human beings’) while simultaneously living in our homes and simply borrowing odd items as they need them. As the tale goes… that other matching sock that disappeared, that button from your coat you hadn’t noticed went missing, or even that last battery you thought you still had left in your drawer are all items taken by the Borrowers. When Goodman’s character Ocious P. Potter discovers these little guys living in a house he wants to demolish, he calls in Exterminator Jeff (played by Mark Williams who is famous for his portrayal of Mr. Weasley in the Harry Potter Franchise) to take care of them. Ultimately, Exterminator Jeff recognizes that these beings are far from pests and along with Pete Lender, the little boy who lived in the house before it was set for demolition, they befriend and help the Borrowers to escape the evil clutches of Mr. Ocious P. Potter.

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Ghostbusters (1984)

“Who you gonna call?!” Possibly the most famous film on this entire list, Ghostbusters revolves around a fictional “ghost control” company in the extermination industry. The exterminator in The Borrowers was also attempting to exterminate fictional beings, but he was a traditional exterminator by trade and was just thrust into the special job by sheer happenstance; while in the case of the Ghostbusters, their sole services in the extermination industry revolve around supernatural apparitions. Donned in uniforms and gear reminiscent of actual pest control technicians, these ‘exterminators of the occult’ would get down and dirty to successfully remove ghost infestations wherever they were found.

Caddyshack (1980)

Bill Murray was one of the famed Ghostbusters, but he was also another kind of exterminator in this comedic film in the early 80’s. His character Carl Spackler has a particular vendetta against the pesky gopher that’s ruining the lawn at the golf course. Humorously, at the end of the film, Spackler ends up taking his extermination efforts to the extreme by blowing up the golf course. But, as extreme as this method was it was still ultimately unsuccessful in eliminating the invasive gopher.