The Food of the Gods (1976)

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writers:

H.G. Wells (portion of novel)
Bert I. Gordon (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 June 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

One Taste Is All It Takes!

Plot:

Morgan and his friends are on a hunting trip on a remote Canadian island when they are attacked by a swarm of giant wasps...

Plot Keywords:

Island | Rat | Wasp | Cabin | Actual Animal Killed

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Marjoe Gortner	...	Morgan
Pamela Franklin	...	Lorna
Ralph Meeker	...	Bensington
Jon Cypher	...	Brian
Ida Lupino	...	Mrs. Skinner
John McLiam	...	Mr. Skinner
Belinda Balaski	...	Rita
Tom Stovall	...	Thomas
Chuck Courtney	...	Davis
Reg Tunnicliffe	...	Ferry Attendant

Directed by
Bert I. Gordon

Writing credits
H.G. Wells		(portion of novel)
Bert I. Gordon		(screenplay)

Produced by
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer
Bert I. Gordon	....	producer

Original Music by
Elliot Kaplan

Cinematography by
Reginald H. Morris		(director of photography) (as Reginald Morris)

Film Editing by
Corky Ehlers

Casting by
Betty Martin

Art Direction by
Graeme Murray

Makeup Department
Salli Bailey	....	hairdresser (as Sally Bailey)
Thomas R. Burman	....	special makeup artist (as Tom Burman)
Phyllis Newman	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Salvatore Billitteri	....	in charge of post-production
Flora M. Gordon	....	unit production manager (as Flora Gordon)
Robert J. Koster	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gavin B. Craig	....	second assistant director (as Gavin Craig)
Marianne Dolen	....	dgc trainee
Flora M. Gordon	....	assistant director (as Flora Gordon)

Art Department
John Stark	....	set director
John Stooshnov	....	property master
Reg Tunnicliffe	....	assistant props

Sound Department
George Mulholland	....	sound mixer
Rob Young	....	boom man

Special Effects by
Tom Fisher	....	special effects
John Thomas	....	special effects
Keith Wardlow	....	special effects
Rick Baker	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Bert I. Gordon	....	special visual effects (as B. I. Gordon)
Jody Richardson	....	visual effects coordinator
Erik von Buelow	....	miniature designer (as Erik Von Buelow)

Camera and Electrical Department
David R. Anderson	....	gaffer: British Columbia (as Dave Anderson)
Dave Clark	....	still photographer
Art Collier	....	best boy
Ron Gillham	....	key grip (as Ronnie Gillham)
Tim Hogan	....	dolly operator
Pat Hollywell	....	key grip: British Columbia
Gundar Lipsbergs	....	second assistant cameraman
Brian Montague	....	gaffer
Rod Parkhurst	....	camera operator
Dalibor Roas	....	technician: Cinemobile
Thom Ryan	....	first assistant cameraman (as Tom Ryan)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ilse Richter	....	wardrobe (as Ilsa Richer)
Bob Watts	....	assistant wardrobe

Editorial Department
Bill Berry	....	negative cutter
Tom Finan	....	assistant editor (as Thomas Finan)

Transportation Department
Bob Bowe	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	presenter
Cathy Buchanan	....	first aid
James Chaikin	....	production assistant
Duncan Daneault	....	auditor (as Duncan E. Daneault)
Eunice Forester	....	assistant to producer
Carol Gordon	....	location coordinator: Canada
Peter Grant	....	production assistant
Sharon Hall	....	production assistant
Margaret Hanly	....	script supervisor (as Margaret Hanley)
Burt I. Harris Jr.	....	production assistant
Jacques Khouri	....	location coordinator: Canada
Ann Lander	....	publicist
Jacob Roueche	....	production assistant
James R. Westwell	....	location auditor (as Jim Westwell)
David Sheldon	....	production executive (uncredited)

Production Companies

• American International Pictures (AIP)

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Toho-Towa (1977) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Globo Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Orion Home Video (video)
• Stingray (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Vestron Video (video)

Special Effects

• Burman Studio, The (special props) (as The Burman's Studio)

Other Companies

• Simon Fraser University  acknowledgment (as Football team of Simon Frazer University)
• Children of Sir John Franklin Community School, The  acknowledgment (as the children of Sir John Franklin Community School of Vancouver, British Columbia)
• Ryder Sound Services  sound by (as Ryder Sound Service)
• Universal Title  titles and opticals
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)
• Islands Trust  with the cooperation of: filmed at Cowan's Point on Bowen Island, British Columbia (as the Island Trust)
• Government of British Columbia  with the cooperation of: filmed at Cowan's Point on Bowen Island, British Columbia (as the Provincial Government of British Columbia)
• Hampton Associates  production services by (as Hampton Associates - 1975)

Also Known As:

"H.G. Wells' The Food of the Gods" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | USA:PG | UK:18 (video re-rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Cowan's Point, Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

Oversized reproductions of worms, chickens, wasps and rats were used to create the gigantic creature effect. Six different mechanized rat heads and four human-motivated rat costumes were also employed.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Morgan first meets Mrs. Skinner's Rooster, the legs (from the knees down) are visible of the crewmember wielding the giant chicken head.

Quotes:

Morgan:[narrating] My name is Morgan and I play football. We'd worked our butts off tryin' to get it together for the big Sunday game, so the coach told us to knock it off and relax for a few days. One of my teammates, Davis, came up with the idea that we head out to the island...

Movie Connections:

References Willard (1971)

A shameful way for BIG to go

You know, something bad happened to Bert I. Gordon. In the 1950s and 60s, he made films that were expected to be high camp ("Amazing Colossal Man," "Beginning of the End," "Attack of the Puppet People," "Earth vs. The Spider," "Village of the Giants" which inspired Irwin Allen's "Land of the Giants"). In the 70s, however, Gordon seemed to try to make his films serious. As with this film and, later, "Empire of the Ants," he found audiences had changed. Eco-horror with some message against nuclear power or industrial waste was the in-thing. Big studios didn't accept his old stuff anymore. So, he changed the tone of his movies and offered it anyone who would fund him. You can see the results.

The movie is based loosely on H.G. Wells' classic "Food of the Gods." Gordon later butchered Wells again with "Empire of the Ants." It revolves around a bunch of people who travel to the countryside and encounter giant, mutated animals and insects. The cast, like "Empire of the Ants" and other 70s eco-horror flicks, is filled with people who should have known better:

Marjoe Gortner (the psycho bag boy from "Earthquake") Pamela Franklin ("The Nanny," "The Legend of Hell House") Ralph Meeker ("Paths of Glory," "The Dirty Dozen") Jon Cypher (Chief Daniels from "Hill Street Blues") Belinda Balaski ("Piranha," "The Howling") Ida Lupino ("The Sea Wolf," "High Sierra," "Junior Bonner")

I was upset that Ida Lupino did that crapstravaganza. That is, until I saw John Huston in "Tentacles," Henry Fonda and Michael Caine in "The Swarm" and "Bradford Dillman in "Bug." Sometimes our favorite, beloved actors and actresses had to take schlock like this to either put food on the table or stay active in Hollywood.

Anyway, the animals are mutating because they're getting into Lupino's "ambrosia," a chemical mix she's supposedly using to make her fowl grow bigger. In H.G. Wells' story, the ambrosia, which means "food of the gods," makes everything bigger, including newborn children of pregnant women. The movie seemed about to touch on that, but didn't (although it was later shown in the very, very, very much unneeded 1989 sequel).

The acting is over the top. Franklin holds her own and Lupino seems to be having fun just being on the silver screen again after a long layoff. But, Gortner, a former brimstone evangelist, is unbelievable.

Ultimately, the undoing is caused by very poor special effects. The giant chicken attack will leave you rolling. Close ups of the head are actually done with a stunt actor in a chicken head trying to peck at people. The close-ups of the heads of the giant rats make them look like the stuffed toys they are. The sight of Ida Lupino beating at the giant plastic worm chewing on her arm will either make you laugh or have you crying as you fondly remember when she did much better films.

What makes this all worse is that Bert I. Gordon did a much better job with giantism in "Village of the Giants" in 1965. Could his talents have slipped this much in 11 years? Personally, I think he should have slipped a little camp into the film to take the edge off. When people think you're giving them crap and trying to pass it off as serious, the results are almost always less than pleasant.

"Food of the Gods" is decidedly unpleasant.