Empire of the Ants (1977)

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writers:

H.G. Wells (story)
Jack Turley (screenplay)

Release Date:

July 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

For they shall inherit the earth... sooner than you think!

Plot:

Sleazy scam artist Joan Collins tries to sell phony real estate deals down in the Florida everglades...

Plot Keywords:

Ant | Florida | Florida Everglades | Beautiful Woman | Ant Attack

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Joan Collins	...	Marilyn Fryser
Robert Lansing	...	Dan Stokely
John David Carson	...	Joe Morrison
Albert Salmi	...	Sheriff Art Kincade
Jacqueline Scott	...	Margaret Ellis
Pamela Susan Shoop	...	Coreen Bradford (as Pamela Shoop)
Robert Pine	...	Larry Graham
Edward Power	...	Charlie Pearson
Brooke Palance	...	Christine Graham
Tom Fadden	...	Sam Russell
Irene Tedrow	...	Velma Thompson
Harry Holcombe	...	Harry Thompson
Jack Kosslyn	...	Thomas Lawson
Ilse Earl	...	Mary Lawson
Janie Gavin	...	Ginny

Also Known As:

H.G. Wells' Empire of the Ants (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:Not Rated (DVD) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 (video premiere) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG (Certificate #24828)

Filming Locations:

Belle Glade, Florida, USA

Company:

Cinema 77

Trivia:

Inspiration for the phrase, "I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords," where insect is usually replaced or substituted in an ironic sense. Though no character in "Empire of the Ants" says this line, "The Simpsons" (1989) character of newscaster Kent Brockman says it in the episode "Deep Space Homer" and is alluding to the theme of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Before the Captain jumps in the ocean to try and save the boat, he takes off his shoes. After he burns the boat, he jumps in the water and you can clearly see his shoes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Deep Space Homer (#5.15)" (1994)

How You Going to Keep Them Down on the Ant Farm...After They Have Seen This Film!

Mr. BIG(Bert I. Gordon) does it again! He creates a truly bad science fiction film with amazingly poor special effects and some of the schlockiest character acting performances and dialogue around. Supposedly based on a story by H. G. Well's, The Empire of the Ants is about how a group of people go to one of those shin-digs put on by real estate folks hoping you will buy some of their resort property after drinking some of their third-rate drinks and eating some of their crummy snacks. Joan Collins is running the show, hoping to sell all the people who came by boat to her real estate project a lot. Seems she is not a wholly reputable businesswoman, yet she has no knowledge of the fact that giant ants that grew from a leaking can of nuclear waste have taken over the resort and begin feeding on her guests, first in pairs. In one of the more ridiculous scenes in the film, giant ants run on the dock, jump on the boat, attack one of the crew, and then cause the skipper, hardily played by Robert Lansing, to set fire to the ship and leave the survivors no recourse but to trek back by foot. The journey back causes lots of death and destruction. The most ridiculous scene in the film has an aged couple hiding in a cabin and then coming out to see these giant ants all over the hut and on the ground standing. I almost fell over laughing at the awful special effects! Finally, the remaining few reach a town that secretly has been taken over by giant ants that spray a mist over people and make them do their bidding. The second half of the film breaks any possibility that you take the film seriously. The first half, although filled with many a ridiculous moment, at least has some suspense and gives the actors a little screen time to show that some of them actually know how to act. The second half is a hodge podge of poor script-writing, bad character acting, and some more real cheesy special effects. The film is another testament to Mr. BIG's ability to create some of the campiest, bad sci-fi around. Despite all this negativity, the film is a load of unintended laughs!