A sturdy, serious-minded 1950s monster movie that plays like a procedural with giant ants instead of a murder case. Its black-and-white desert atmosphere, grounded investigation, and nuclear-age paranoia give it more weight than the premise suggests.
Them!
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Science Fiction · Horror
Wed · 1h 34m
Director: Gordon Douglas
Starring: James Whitmore, James Arness, Joan Weldon
Overview
As a result of nuclear testing, gigantic, ferocious mutant ants appear in the American desert southwest, and a father-daughter team of entomologists join forces with the state police officer who first discovers their existence, an FBI agent and, eventually, the US Army to eradicate the menace, before it spreads across the continent — and the world.
Director
Gordon Douglas
Cast
James Whitmore, James Arness, Joan Weldon
Curator Review
Verdict
A sturdy, serious-minded 1950s monster movie that plays like a procedural with giant ants instead of a murder case. Its black-and-white desert atmosphere, grounded investigation, and nuclear-age paranoia give it more weight than the premise suggests.
Best for
classic sci-fi horror fans
viewers who like monster movies with a procedural structure
fans of atomic-age paranoia and Cold War allegory
people who enjoy practical-effects-era genre filmmaking
Skip if
you want nonstop creature action
you need modern pacing or polished effects
you dislike earnest 1950s dialogue and military-science exposition
you prefer horror that is more psychological than pulpy
Overview
Them! is one of the defining atomic-age monster films: a movie that turns nuclear anxiety into a desert nightmare and then treats the threat with surprising seriousness. The setup is simple and effective, and the early stretch of investigation has a grim, almost forensic quality that makes the eventual reveal feel earned.
Worth noting
What gives the film staying power is its blend of pulp spectacle and procedural logic. Rather than rushing to the giant-ant mayhem, it builds dread through missing persons, strange evidence, and the slow realization that something has gone very wrong in the New Mexico desert. That approach makes the movie feel smarter than its poster art.
Bottom line
The effects and creature design are inevitably dated, but the film’s atmosphere, pacing, and commitment to its premise still work. It’s a foundational example of 1950s science-fiction horror: earnest, tense, and more influential than its B-movie trappings might imply.
Top Letterboxd reviews
mia 🦇 (3.5★) · 393 likes
of course you're a gigantic mutant insect and have pronouns 🙄
Ben Hibburd (4★) · 358 likes
Who would've thought a film about gigantic man-eating ants would be so good? Ever since I played the "Fallout 3" quest-line entitled "Those!" I've been meaning to watch this film, and now that I finally have, I can say that I wasn't disappointed. The film takes place nine years after the first nuclear tests were conducted in the New Mexico desert. However, lingering radiation has caused the surrounding ants to mutate into nine-foot-tall monsters that go on a catastrophic rampage.
Ethan Colburn (3.5★) · 334 likes
Them’s some big ants!!
Tim Fehrenbach (3.5★) · 204 likes
"them! them! them!" Starkly beautiful at first – Them! opens with wide, empty desert shots, a terrified girl gone mute, and dramatic black-and-white contrasts that create a sense of looming dread. That first act had me hooked – the trauma, the slow procedural investigation, the eerie sound design. When that first beast comes crawling up over that hill, I was all smiles, imagining the original Godzilla – born the very same year – nodding in approval. "we may be witnesses… more
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (4★) · 182 likes
While the ending felt a bit underwhelming, this is a pretty underrated B level movie about a bunch of ants who grow into a very dangerous size after some Atomic Bombs testing back on the 45. It subtly tackles on the fear and dangers of war though it never comes as preachy. Also why the big ants had me laughing more than actually scared, it was fascinating to learn about the many similitudes between them and us humans, There's a… more