Them (1954)

The recent success of such movies as Eight-Legged Freaks has reawakened interest in the great giant bug movies of the Fifties, and this welcome DVD issue of one of the... more >

The recent success of such movies as Eight-Legged Freaks has reawakened interest in the great giant bug movies of the Fifties, and this welcome DVD issue of one of the very best is salutary indeed; while the newer films can boast impressive CGI effects, the originals have far more atmosphere, craftsmanship and imagination, for all their less impressive special effects. Gordon Douglas (better known as a house director for Frank Sinatra) turns in a highly professional job on this genuinely unsettling film. Admittedly, THEM! is probably more effective before the marauding giant ants appear, and considerable suspense is engendered by the disturbing sounds the unseen monsters produce before they’re seen. But the ants themselves (relatively convincing -- if somewhat immobile -- large mock-ups) are among the better Fifties monsters, and the acting (from such stalwarts as James Arness and James Whitmore) gives an authority to the unlikely proceedings. < less

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Film Details

Cast

Edmund Gwenn, James Whitmore

Technical Details