The Satan Bug (1965) is a science fiction film in which a US government germ warfare lab has had an accident. The first theory is that one of the germs has been released and killed several scientists. The big fear is that a more virulent strain, named The Satan Bug, because all life can be killed off by it should it escape, may have been stolen. The film was loosely adapted from Alistair MacLean's 1962 novel The Satan Bug.

It was also one of the first espionage films to follow the lead of the wildly popular James Bond films that set the tone for action/adventure films of the 1960s and early 1970s. In contrast with the Bond spy thrillers, however, The Satan Bug was a serious attempt by director John Sturges to go in a different direction from his previous all-star blockbusters (The Magnificent Seven, 1960, and The Great Escape, 1963). Indeed, while it is hard to conceive of a film like Goldfinger (1964) without a major star in the lead role, The Satan Bug actually benefits from the lack of big name stars. George Maharis, a product of The Actors' Studio, is an effectively laconic hero who uses his brain, not his fists. The Satan Bug is, in essence, a "thinking man's" spy thriller. However, The Satan Bug failed at the box office and remains largely unknown.

A germ warfare lab has had an accident. The first theory is that one of the nasty germs has gotten free and killed several scientists. The big fear is that a more virulent strain, named The Satan Bug because all life can be killed off by it should it escape, may have been stolen. Written by John Vogel

Lee Barrett was until recently a security officer at Station 3, a top secret government laboratory. He was fired for insubordination but is called back to duty by General Williams when biological warfare agents are stolen from the facility. Of particular concern is the Satan Bug, a new and particularly virulent bacteriological weapon that could, if released, destroy all of mankind in a few weeks or months. The thief threatens to release the Satan Bug in a public place and Barrett races against time to stop him. Written by garykmcd