The earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization.The earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization.The earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 3 nominations total
Christian Drake
- Trooper Ed Blackburn
- (as Chris Drake)
Mary Alan Hokanson
- Mrs. Lodge
- (as Mary Ann Hokanson)
Olin Howland
- Jensen
- (as Olin Howlin)
Richard Bellis
- Mike Lodge
- (uncredited)
John Beradino
- Patrolman Ryan
- (uncredited)
Robert Berger
- Patrolman Sutton
- (uncredited)
Oscar Blank
- Alcoholic Ward Patient
- (uncredited)
Willis Bouchey
- Official at D.C. Meeting
- (uncredited)
Richard Boyer
- Trooper #1
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe flamethrowers used in the movie were standard World War II weapons and were loaned by the U.S. Army. The actors handling the weapons were World War II combat veterans, who had used them in battle.
- GoofsSergeant Peterson and Bob Graham are seen throwing cyanide gas bombs into the ant nest without wearing gas masks, only wearing gear to protect against the heat. Cyanide gas is so deadly to humans that this simply would not have happened that way.
- Quotes
The Ellinson Girl: [screaming hysterically] AHHH! THEM! THEM! THEM!
- Crazy creditsAlthough the movie was shot in black and white, the film title at the opening credits appears blood red and blue. This was accomplished by Warner's Eastman Color process.
- Alternate versionsA 2-3 minute segment following the projection sequence was excised from the film in the mid-1950s following a lawsuit from a real-life scientist whose name was used in the story for a fictional explanation of atomic energy effects on ants. The scene was removed from the negative and has not been restored though it has turned up in some collector's prints.
- ConnectionsEdited into Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
Featured review
From The Sands Of New Mexico
One of the greatest of Fifties science fiction features came from the Warner Brothers Studio in 1954. Them! is one of the best examples of the paranoid Fifties and all the things that we were afraid of that could result from the new atomic age.
Ever since J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team exploded that first atomic bomb on the desert in White Sands, New Mexico radiation has spawned a new breed of giant ants nine to twelve feet in length. It's taken a decade for them to be discovered, the desert being a solitary place, but when these big guys come out of their holes, it's with a feeding frenzy vengeance.
First on the scene is deputy sheriff James Whitmore, who first brings in FBI man James Arness and then a father and daughter team of scientists, Edmund Gwenn and Joan Weldon. The trail eventually takes the four to Los Angeles where an escaped queen from New Mexico is building a nest in the sewer system of Los Angeles.
The tension and the action is brought to a fine pitch in Them! Though the human cast does give a good account of themselves, it's the special effects creating those giant ants that is the real star of the film. Other than a big of male chauvinism shown by James Arness towards Joan Weldon, the romance is non-existent. My guess is that those who survived the experience went on about the serious business of finding out what other kind of mutated creatures might be spawning as a result of atomic testing. Which was a very real fear in the Fifties.
Edmund Gwenn comes off the best as a most intelligent and civilized scientist who knows the dangers and explains the situation to the military and civilian authorities without any condescension.
Them! gave many nightmares to movie goers back in the day. The film is still capable of doing just that.
Ever since J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team exploded that first atomic bomb on the desert in White Sands, New Mexico radiation has spawned a new breed of giant ants nine to twelve feet in length. It's taken a decade for them to be discovered, the desert being a solitary place, but when these big guys come out of their holes, it's with a feeding frenzy vengeance.
First on the scene is deputy sheriff James Whitmore, who first brings in FBI man James Arness and then a father and daughter team of scientists, Edmund Gwenn and Joan Weldon. The trail eventually takes the four to Los Angeles where an escaped queen from New Mexico is building a nest in the sewer system of Los Angeles.
The tension and the action is brought to a fine pitch in Them! Though the human cast does give a good account of themselves, it's the special effects creating those giant ants that is the real star of the film. Other than a big of male chauvinism shown by James Arness towards Joan Weldon, the romance is non-existent. My guess is that those who survived the experience went on about the serious business of finding out what other kind of mutated creatures might be spawning as a result of atomic testing. Which was a very real fear in the Fifties.
Edmund Gwenn comes off the best as a most intelligent and civilized scientist who knows the dangers and explains the situation to the military and civilian authorities without any condescension.
Them! gave many nightmares to movie goers back in the day. The film is still capable of doing just that.
helpful•280
- bkoganbing
- Jan 1, 2009
Details
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
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