After a sexually frustrated hammer salesman steps on a rusty nail, he must determine whether the world’s sudden and violent turn against him is real or the result of an infection consuming his body and mind.

 

DIRECTED BY

OLIVER BERNSEN

WRITTEN BY

HENRY BERNSEN

PRODUCED BY

ZOE ROSENBERG

STARRING

PETER FALLS

MICHELLE ORTIZ

ROBBIE ARNETT

CORBIN BERNSEN

STEPHEN BORRELLO

JESSY MORNER-RITT

SYDNEY WINBUSH

FRANCESCA GALASSI‍

SYNOPSIS

Carroll’s worldview is dominated by the threat of catastrophe and the decline of morality in the face of human extinction. Then he steps on a rusty nail. He stumbles through the modern world, searching for romance, shedding toxic friendships, and fighting for truth... all while struggling to maintain his deteriorating health and sanity.

As his moral crusade edges closer to self-destruction, Carroll is confronted with the ultimate existential question: are we really doomed, or is he just dying of tetanus?

NEWS & PRESS

AWARDS:

Honourable Mention (Calgary Underground Film Festival 2026)

Special Mention - Low Budget Great Films Competition (Fantaspoa 2026)

Audience Award - Panorama Section (Sitges Film Festival 2025)

PAST FESTIVALS:

Grindhouse Paradise 2026 (French Premiere)

Calgary Underground Film Festival 2026 (Canadian Premiere)

BAFICI 2026 (Argentine Premiere)

Fantaspoa 2026 (South American Premiere)

SXSW 2026 (North American Premiere)

Sitges Film Festival 2025 (World Premiere)

REVIEWS:

4/29/2026: Inside the Rot: Oliver Bernsen on Bagworm, Family, and Making the Movie You Can Make — (POINTS OF REVIEW)

4/22/2026: CUFF ‘26 Review: Repugnant Losercore “BAGWORM” A Festival Highlight — (RUE MORGUE)

4/22/2026: CUFF 2026 Review: BAGWORM, Visually Excoriates Modern Masculine Isolation — (SCREEN ANARCHY)

4/20/2026: BAGWORM: Loving In A Decaying World — (MARTIN WULLICH)

3/20/2026: ‘Bagworm’ Review: A Graphic And Gruesome Look Inside The Toxic World Of The Manosphere – SXSW — (DEADLINE)

3/18/2026: Bagworm (2026) ‘SXSW’ Movie Review: A Relentlessly Gnarly Ride Through a Man’s Deep Well of Insecurities — (HIGH ON FILMS)

3/14/2026: ‘Bagworm’ is a Mind-Bending, Body Horror Odyssey [SXSW 2026 Review] — (DREAD CENTRAL)

3/13/2026: ‘Bagworm’ SXSW Review – Squirm-Worthy Body Horror Doesn’t Fully Stick the Landing — (BLOODY DISGUSTING)

3/13/2026: ‘Bagworm’ Review – A Wild, Weird & Deeply Uncomfortable Journey You Cannot Help But Watch [SXSW 2026] — (GEEK VIBES NATION)