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Storyline
Desert ants suddenly form a collective intelligence and begin to wage war on the inhabitants. It is up to two scientists and a stray girl they rescue from the ants to destroy them.
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Taglines:
Ravenous Invaders Controlled by a Terror Out in Space Commanded to Annihilate the World!
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Director
Saul Bass has said in interviews that the studio tampered with the film during post production against his wishes.
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Goofs
The ant-queens seen are actually a species of wasps. This choice has been most probably made as to not seriously disturb several ant-states. However, ant-queens shed their wings when going into pregnancy and developing the huge white abdomen. It needs to be remarked that the choice for not ripping out the wasps' wings speaks in favor for the film makers.
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Quotes
Dr. Ernest D. Hubbs:
Memorandum, to R. Flanders Smith, Secretary National Science Foundation, Committee on Biological Controls. From E. D. Hubbs, Senior Fellow, Coronado Institute. Subject: Biological Imbalance in an Upland Arizona Valley. Facts on hand: traditional antagonisms among several ant species have come to a dramatic halt. At the same time there has been an apparent disappearance of those insects which pray on ants. Specifically, mantises, beetles, millipedes and spiders. If these conditions persist, they...
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Crazy Credits
The title is not revealed until the end credits. It is divided into segments "Phase I," Phase II," and "Phase III," and only at the very end when Phase IV is reached is the title ever given.
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Alternate Versions
In the book "Future Tense" by John Brosnan, an alternate ending to the film was described: "Bass originally filmed a spectacular, surreal montage lasting four minutes, showing what life would be like in the 'new' Earth, but this was cut by the distributor." A preview version with this ending intact was shown to some audiences in 1973-4; clips of it showed up in film's the theatrical trailer, and in Saul Bass' title sequence to Martin Scorcese's Cape Fear (1991). The alternate ending and preview version did not resurface until 2012. The 35mm original footage of the ending was scanned and color corrected (it had faded to magenta) by the Academy Film Archive. Beginning in 2013, repertory showings of the film (for instance at Cinefamily and Anthology Film Archives) have shown a DCP of this alternate ending after the main feature. Because Paramount would not license the footage, the 2015 Blu-Ray release by Olive Films doesn't include this alternate ending (or the theatrical trailer). It hasn't been until 2020 that the alternate ending has been made available officially outside theatrical revival showings. It is included as an extra on the Apple TV release of the film, and on 101 Film's Blu-Ray release in the UK.
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Connections
Referenced in
Fallout 3 (2008)
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This is one of the strangest, suspenseful movies I've ever seen. It must have been at lest 15 years since I last saw it, and I'm still looking around for it to appear on DVD, so that must mean something! What this movie lacks in action, it makes up for in suspense, and suspense you get! I'm baffled by the fact that this movie appears to be so little-known. The beauty of these kinds of movies, is that they are not so much plot-driven as well 'atmosphere-driven' (by lack of a better word), so you can watch several times without getting bored. The Thing is another movie with the same quality. Basically: highly recommended!