The Insect Fear Film Festival or IFFF is an annual free event held every spring since 1984, and is the first university-sponsored event of its kind in the U.S., typically taking place on a Saturday in February. Organized by the Entomology Graduate Students Association at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the festival blends education with entertainment. It showcases films, shorts, and TV episodes that highlight insect biology and celebrate the role of insects in popular culture.
The purpose of the event is to dispel fears of insects by providing relative knowledge while various insect-themed monster movies are shown. Before the films begin, May Berenbaum, the festival organizer, the UI Entomology department head and professor, typically introduces each film, providing scientific context, debunking inaccuracies, and exploring why we fear insects. She also points out "biological improbabilities" and filmmaking flaws, often noting that some films are "so bad they’re actually entertaining." (However, the organisers often have to watch the films several times in order to identify a theme and select the best films. "It’s really excruciating sometimes," Berenbaum said.)
The festival typically includes several animated shorts and two or three feature-length films. The evening usually starts with a family-friendly film, as parents and children make up a large portion of the audience. By the second movie, however, "all bets are off." In addition to the screenings, this event is held alongside an insect petting zoo, exotic insect displays, an insect art contest, insect face painting, balloon insect folding, the Bugscope, a raffle with arthropod-themed prizes and other activities.
The festival is typically organized around a different theme each year, with past themes including insect invasions (e.g., The Naked Jungle and The Swarm), metamorphosis, cockroaches, mosquitos, and entomologists themselves. The theme influences not only the film selections but also pre-show activities and the design of the festival T-shirts, created by graduate students. These festival T-shirts, featuring the year's theme, are sold during the event to support insect-related outreach programs. The tradition of festival T-shirts began with the second festival.
The festival is usually held at Foellinger Auditorium. Due to the pandemic, the 38th IFFF in 2021 was held online, marking the first of two consecutive years the event took place virtually. In 2023, the festival returned to Foellinger Auditorium at UIUC.
The festival had showcased over 100 insect-related films, videos, and shorts by 2010. By 2024, it is estimated to have featured between 175 and 200 films, videos, and shorts. The most popular offering at the festival, according to the National Wildlife Federation's magazine in 1995, has been Beginning of the End (1957), which features giant grasshoppers invading the city of Chicago after consuming radiation-treated vegetables.
Recognized as the first university-sponsored public outreach event of its kind in the U.S., the festival is described by Adam Langer in The Film Festival Guide for Filmmakers, Film Buffs, and Industry Professionals (2000) as "specialized" and hosted at a "great university." It has garnered media coverage from outlets such as National Geographic Magazine, Canadian Broadcasting Company, National Public Radio, the Washington Post, and The New York Times.
Slogan and Aims "Scaring the general public with horrific films and horrific filmmaking."
The IFFF aims to spark a sense of wonder about the insect and arthropod world. It highlights the importance of scientific research for adults, while fostering curiosity in younger generations and potentially inspiring future careers in science. The festival serves as a bridge between technical knowledge and its real-world significance, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the natural world and the vital role insects play in it.
Founding and inspiration The film festival's founder, entomology professor and department head May Berenbaum, conceived the idea as a graduate student at Cornell University. One day, she saw a poster for a Godzilla festival hosted by the Asian-American Student Association and thought, "if they can have a sense of humor about their identity, why couldn’t we entomologists do the same?" When she pitched the idea, however, her department head dismissed it as undignified. Berenbaum brought the Insect Fear Film Festival to life after joining the University of Illinois faculty in 1980. With the support of department head Stanley Friedman, the first festival was held in March 1984.
Pre-film activities Before the films begin, attendees of the Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) have the opportunity to participate in various educational and interactive activities.
Insect petting zoo Guided by graduate students from the UIUC Entomology Department, attendees can handle and interact with live insects and arthropods, including tarantulas, large ants, beetles, and other fascinating species, while learning about their biology. The insects on display may change each year, depending on the festival's theme, e.g. a cockroach petting zoo in 2013 and a "maggot petting zoo" in 2005, offering a fresh experience for each IFFF. The petting zoo offers a unique opportunity for attendees to gain a firsthand understanding of these creatures, helping to dispel the fears and misconceptions many people have about insects.
Insect art contest Since 1993, the lFFF also features an Insect Art Contest for K–12 students, since 1993, inviting them to explore their creativity while learning about insects. Students (K–12) are encouraged to submit artwork that depicts insects and arthropods in any medium. The contest aims to inspire young minds to appreciate the beauty and complexity of these creatures, fostering a deeper understanding of the insect world. Winning entries are often displayed at the festival, providing an opportunity for students to showcase their work to the community. In 1990s, the contest was held with the Natural History Museum, where the winning drawings were displayed for two weeks. Due to the pandemic, the 2021 and 2022 Insect Art Contests were held online with a virtual art gallery to showcase students' artwork. In 2023, the contest returned to an in-person format.
The insect-themed artwork contest is usually due by mid-February annually. Please submit your artwork to the Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA), UIUC, or contact the IFFF coordinators, typically the EGSA presidents, for details.
Bugscope At the Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF), attendees will have the opportunity to experience a $600,000 high-resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) firsthand, gaining a deeper understanding of the true nature of insects with Bugscope. This interactive experience allows participants to remotely control the SEM and explore insects and arthropods, such as bees, beetles, flies, mosquitoes, and spiders, at sizes as small as 0.5–4 nanometers. The Bugscope team provides expert guidance, answering questions and offering insights into insect biology. By examining these creatures in extraordinary detail, festival-goers can counter common misconceptions perpetuated by Hollywood's insect-themed horror films.
Insect collection exhibit The exhibit showcased a diverse array of exotic insects, each thoughtfully curated to align with the festival's theme and the featured films of the year. The display typically included diverse collection of exotic insects and rare specimens from across the globe, spotlighting unique species that either tie into the festival's focus or appear in the annual feature films. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the biology, behavior, and ecological roles of these insects from graduate students and experts, providing opportunities for up-close viewing and educational interaction. In 2021 and 2022, due to the pandemic, a virtual exhibit was held that provided a virtual tour of the Illinois Natural History Survey's insect collection.
Insect (or Honey) Tasting In 1993, the IFFF served food made from insects for tasting. In 2000, the bee-themed year, the IFFF featured honey tasting.
Themes and films
43rd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (2026) The 43rd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) was held on February 28, 2026. The 2026 theme is “Insect-Human Hybrids,” focusing on films featuring mutant human–insect characters. Such hybrids are a recurring motif in folklore and popular culture, including figures such as Anansi and Seth Brundle from The Fly (1986). An episode of Sectaurs, adapted from the 1980s toy line featuring insect–human “tele-bonded” characters, was screened prior to the feature presentation. The feature film, Infestation (2009), depicts a global outbreak in which giant insects cocoon and transform humans.
42nd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (2025) The 42nd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) took place on February 22, 2025. The year’s theme was “Tarantulas: Hairy, Scary Spiders.” Tarantulas, known for their multiple legs, rapid movements, and venomous fangs, were highlighted for the ways they evoke both fascination and fear. Hollywood bug wrangler Steven Kutcher presented clips from various horror films featuring tarantulas. The festival concluded with a screening of Arachnophobia (1990), a film in which a California town attempts to contain a deadly spider infestation..
41st Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (2024) The theme of the 41st Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) was "Ant-Men" providing attendees with a unique and entertaining way to explore the fascinating world of ants, a highly social insect. The event highlighted ants' complex behaviors and drew intriguing parallels to human life. The films featured included The Ant Bully (2006), in which a boy, Lucas, is shrunk to ant size by ants, makes friends with them, and helps defeat an evil exterminator; and Ant-Man (2015), which follows a superhero who uses size-changing technology to communicate with ants.
40th Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (2023) In 2023, the 40th annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) focused on "living fossil" arthropods - species that have remained largely unchanged for millions of years. Featured films included Joe's Apartment (1996), in which cockroaches help their roommate fight developers, and The Monster That Challenged the World (1957), in which giant velvet worms wreak havoc in California. The festival also screened trailers for other films about living fossils and three episodes of Pike's Lagoon (2018–19), an animated series about a horseshoe crab. May Berenbaum, the festival's founder and head of the Department of Entomology, introduced the films, presented the art awards, and explained the biology behind 'living fossils', highlighting where the films got the science right - and where they went wrong.
39th annual Insect Fear Film Festival (2022)