Tuesday, October 11, 2011

31 Uncanny Bits of Terror for October - Day Eleven: Ants on Film

Spiders are more Halloweeny, but we have been battling an ant problem at my house the last few weeks so I have had ants on my mind and on my kitchen counter and on the floor...

Them! (1954)
Thanks, America.
Thanks a million for the gigantic, mutant ants.




The Naked Jungle (1954)
Can the wealthy, sexually-inexperienced, plantation owner (Charlton Heston) and his "purchased", intelligent new wife (Eleanor Parker) stop arguing long enough to stop the ants from destroying everything Heston has spent his entire life building?

Can William Conrad tolerate their insane attempt to fight these tiny warriors?

Watch this thrilling, campy number and find out!



Phase IV (1974)
Saul Bass directed only one feature length film. This was it. When it came to creating a title sequence for a film, Saul was THE MAN. A Saul Bass title sequence looks like nothing else but a Saul Bass title sequence.

I'm still not quite sure if this one is REALLY any good, though.

I saw this more than a few times on TV as a child. I never failed to fall asleep before the ending. I bought the DVD when it came out and I still find that it lulls me to sleep.  This is by no means a comment on the quality of the film.  It's just that the film is slowly paced and Brian Gascoigne's electronic-drone score just does has that certain sort of hypnotic something that just sends me off to dreamland.

The word on the virtual street says the film is grand, so one day with enough caffeine I will have an opinion on this surreal, somber film.







Empire of the Ants (1977)
If seeing the name Bert I. Gordon (or Samuel Arkoff, for that matter) does not say to you that you are in for a good time in front of your boob tube then, pal, you better fire up your search engine and get to researchin'! Nowadays, I tend to gravitate towards his more "serious" films like The Mad Bomber, Picture Mommy Dead or Necromancy, but back when I was still digging eating dry, sugary cereal out of a cup in the shape of Batman's head his big creature films were the ultimate in Saturday afternoon derangement. Even as a child, I thought Joan Collins looked incredibly uncomfortable in this one.



It Happened at Lakewood Manor (Made for TV 1977)  AKA: Ants.

I recently purchased this film. I have yet to watch it.  By the looks of the trailer, it was three bucks well spent!

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