Swallowed

Part crime thriller, part body horror, part erotic dance, "Swallowed" follows two friends on a night from hell involving drugs, bugs and guns.

“Swallowed” exists in that nether realm between horror, crime thriller and eroticism. With a little bit of science fiction thrown in.

There’s obviously always been a lot of sex in horror movies — not just people actually rutting, but a sense of voyeurism and forbidden lust. This film, written and directed by scary movie veteran Carter Smith (“The Ruins,” “Bugcrush”) follows two friends on a night from hell when a drug deal goes terribly awry and leads them to terrible consequences — literally invading their bodies.

Dom (Jose Colon) and Benjamin (Cooper Koch) are best friends celebrating one last night together. Benjamin is leaving Maine for Los Angeles to become a porn actor. It’s all set up; they’re going to pay for his room and board and everything.

Certainly Benjamin has the tools for the trade: a boyish face, naturally lithe body and a sensuous twist to his every movement. Dom suspects the town is going to chew his friend up, but there’s clearly the tension of something else there.

Benjamin is gay and Dom is straight, though the way they look at each it’s pretty clear there’s more than chaste buddyhood going on here.

To help him score some money to get settled in California, Dom plans to do a drug run across the Canadian border and give the cash to Benjamin. It’s something he’s done before, but is surprised when a stranger, Alice (Jena Malone), turns up in the place of his usual contact. She’s jittery and menacing, and reveals that this run will be different: Dom must swallow little balls of narcotics for transport.

Dom refuses, but under threat of gun he ingests them. Benjamin has to swallow one, too.

While trying to pass the drugs at a rest stop, they encounter a homophobic redneck (Michael Shawn Curtis) who thinks they’re there for a tryst. His is the sort of accusation that’s also an invitation. Anyway, an altercation ensues and it becomes clear one of the drug balls inside Dom’s stomach has burst, leaving him barely conscious and unable to walk.

Benjamin wants to take him to a hospital, but Alice insists they go to her boss’ remote cabin and get the rest out. She also reveals that it’s not simple narcotics inside them but gestating bugs. Something about their bite leads to full body high that’s paralyzing. It also results in one’s, uh, nethers becoming uncontrollably engorged, as the film’s unabashed nudity makes clear. It falls to Benjamin to get the bugs out using the only means at hand.

The story takes an even more sinister turn when Alice’s boss shows up, a ridiculous older queen played by Mark Patton. He wears a leather fringe vest and sort of resembles Jon Voight’s character in “Midnight Cowboy” gone to seed. He’s even scarier than Alice, and yet somehow pathetic.

He looks upon Benjamin as a snack in need of tasting, which spurs the younger man to use his seductive skills in order to survive the night.

“Swallowed” mashes together all sorts of dark fears and impulses. For straight audiences there’s the implied aversion to gay sex, with the idea of strange objects inserted in forbidden places. I found the confused amorous relationship between Dom and Benjamin compelling; it’s an interesting dynamic that just happens to play out in a horror-adjacent setting. All the bug and butt stuff is sure to set anyone’s skin crawling.

Malone is the featured, if supporting performer, but Patton steals every scene he’s in with his combination of sibilant suggestion and leering menace.

This is the sort of movie that’s more about making you feel deeply uncomfortable rather than just smacking you with jump scares. It moves a bit slowly over its 95 minutes, but the bits that work will leave you shaking.

“Swallowed” is available Tuesday on digital and on demand.