Them!
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Boy, do I love a good bug movie! I’m talking about bugs on the attack, of course. Where the creepy-crawly insects of the world get it into their heads to upset the delicate balance of Nature and show just how scary life can be when they decide that humans are the real pests that need to be stepped on, swatted, exterminated.
No question bug movies wormed their way into my heart at a tender young age thanks to the swarm of sci-fi and horror B-movies that flickered through the Cathode Ray tube of the old Zenith television that always seemed to be switched on in the house where I grew up. There were movies about rampaging tarantulas, grasshoppers, praying mantises, scorpions and leeches. All of them were giant, of course, brought to horrible, mutated life by radiation—the perfect metaphor for our collective Cold War fear of the nuclear age.
Most of these black and white gems featured flea-bitten budgets, cheesy acting, and grade-Z special effects. But who cared? For many of us, those sci-fi and horror B-movies were heaven-sent magic lantern shows that wowed our starved imaginations. And when those movies were also about bugs gone wild, well, then…next stop Nirvana.
Since those early days, mutant bug movies have become a sub-genre unto themselves. If you’re fan, I’m sure you already have your favorites. But let’s be honest: I would not even be writing these words of bug movie appreciation if not for the very first and the very best of them all. The Warner Brothers classic—Them! I love that exclamation point in the title!
Produced in 1954, Them! is a highly entertaining thriller about the race to save humanity from giant ants, each one with the size and attitude of a carnivorous house.
No surprise, these ants were born out of the testing of atomic bombs that took place in the New Mexico desert. Before long, they’re expressing their gratitude for their mutation by killing and wreaking havoc, and a team of experts is assembled to hunt the critters down. But when team discovers that some of the ants are queens that have flown off to start new nests, the race is on to save the world from a giant ant apocalypse.
This bug movie crackles with real tension and verve.
While it all may sound like a stereotypical cheapo B-movie fever dream, everything about Them! is anything but. Yes, the creature effects are silly, but this bug movie crackles with real tension and verve. With a cast of many well-known actors, the movie went on to become one of Warners’ biggest box office hits of the year.
I give Them! three-and-a-half out of four stars. You can stream it on multiple platforms. If you want a bug-eyed smile, watch Them! Then watch James Cameron’s 1986 film Aliens. Both movies have a surprising amount in common.
