FILM festivals are often notable for bringing some of the most controversial films in any year to prospective audiences.

Nine Songs, The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael and Irreversible have all received debuts on the festival circuit and never fail to set tongues wagging.

This year’s London Film Festival is no different, with films such as Flanders and Princess set to test the limits of how far is too far in terms of bad taste.

One of the most interesting films to be listed as controversial by the producers is William Friedkin’s Bug, which is said to mark a return to the form of The Exorcist.

Based on the acclaimed off-Broadway play by Tracy Letts, it’s essentially a three-hander between Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon (reprising his role from the stage production) and Harry Connick Jr.

Judd plays Agnes, a lonely waitress who lives in the rundown motel where she works, having fled a tragic past.

She then meets Peter (Shannon) a nervous drifter she begins a tentative romance with.

But when her recently parolled ex-husband Jerry (Connick Jnr) turns up, Peter is forced to turn protector.

Trouble is, no sooner has Agnes thought she has found someone she can trust, then Peter’s initial eccentricities take a darker turn, forcing Agnes to confront her loyalties.

The ensuing film takes place almost entirely within the confines of one motel room, and is said to build tensely to a “hysterical, emotionally draining climax”.

Michael Hayden, of the London Film Festival, wrote of the film: “Dazzling in its audacity, Bug is likely to divide audiences between those chilled by its horror and those appreciative of its deep, dark humour, but what’s certain is that it will be one of the most talked about films at this year’s festival and beyond.”

It screens on October 20 and 21 at Odeon West End (at 4pm and 11pm respectively).

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