CATCH A CLASSIC
Them! (1954) TCM, 8:30 a.m.
One of the earliest of the “big bug” monster movies that arrived in theaters in the early post-World War II Atomic Age — and the ensuing anxiety that era and its new weapons delivered to audiences — also happens to be one of the best. The “Them!” in this 1954 classic from Warner Bros. are ants that have been transformed into gigantic monsters after years of exposure to radiation left over from A-bomb testing in the New Mexico desert. The film takes its time before revealing the creatures, which is good for a few reasons. For one thing, they are kind of silly-looking, although considering the
effects standards of the day they aren’t too bad, and certainly there would be far more ludicrous creations hitting movie screens in these types of films over the ensuing years in cheaper movies with less creative talents. Not showing the ants right away also ratchets up terrific suspense and an eerie ambience as police officers (including one played by the film’s star, James Whitmore) on patrol begin getting reports of missing persons and finding strange footprints accompanying massive damage while they patrol during a sandstorm. Sounds like the creepy howling of the wind during that sandstorm play an important role in these early scenes, and throughout the movie, in creating a tense atmosphere in Them!, and the chilling trills signaling the ants are nearby more than offset how limited the insects’ appearance may be in terms of making them terrifying threats, whether it’s in the early scenes in the desert or the climactic showdown in the Los Angeles sewer system.