After the first use of atomic bombs at the end of World War II, Americans’ fears and the fictional symbols that represented them changed from creatures of superstitious folklore (like Dracula and Frankenstein) to those representing more immediate fears around atomic energy and radiation. One of the first and arguably the best examples of these was 1954’s Them!, directed by Gordon Douglas for Warner Bros. from a script by Ted Sherdeman. It is also a cinema milestone that set a new standard for special effects after the success of King Kong, and before the advent of CGI.

What Is ‘Them!’ About?
Image via Warner Bros.

A six-year-old girl is found by police wandering the New Mexico desert in shock. Police Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) traces her to a nearby abandoned and smashed trailer, which turns out to belong to a missing FBI man and his family reportedly on vacation. Local police contact the FBI, who dispatch agent Robert Graham (James Arness) to join the investigation. Crime scene samples forwarded to the national FBI lab prompt two scientists, doctors Harold Medford (Edmund Gwen) and his daughter Patricia (Joan Weldon) from the US Department of Agriculture, to fly to the scene.

Together with the law enforcement officers, they discover nine-foot-long omnivorous mutated ants, which they then realize are responsible for recent deaths and disappearances. After finding and examining the interior of the miles-deep mutant ant’s nest, it becomes apparent to the investigators that two mutant queen ants, capable of establishing far-flung new colonies of similar monsters and wreaking havoc, are now at large somewhere in the southwestern United States.

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What Makes ‘Them!’ a Landmark in Practical Effects?

Since the industry’s beginning, motion picture technicians have developed, improved, and perfected numerous technologies to create imagery of fantastic and imaginary creatures. These have included creature costumes, various forms of puppetry, miniatures, models, animatronics, photographic effects such as stop-motion animation, and various kinds of optical superimposition and compositing, right up to today’s CGI. Along the way, certain films have stood out for their leaps in technical innovations, such as The Exorcist in 1973, Jaws in 1975, Alien in 1979, American Werewolf in London in 1981, and ET, the Extra-Terrestrial and The Thing in 1982, until the advent of realistic digital imagery in Jurassic Park in 1993.

Not only was Them! one of the first nuclear monster movies of the ’50s, but it was also such a milestone for its time in terms of practical (as opposed to in-camera or optical) effects, surpassing everything that had been done prior. Practical effects have the advantage of being used on set with the actors in real time, providing realism in interactions. Since its release, Them! has generally been regarded by critics and audiences as one of the best science fiction films of the era, alongside The Thing From Another World and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

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The Movie’s Practical Effects Contributed to Its Success

The film’s success is largely attributed to the surprisingly realistic design of the mechanized creatures. These meticulously designed mechanical ants look real up close, down to their skin’s rugged texture, enormous unevenly-surfaced eyes, and hairy fibrous feelers. Additionally, director Gordon Douglas’ naturalistic documentary-style approach to the material and the low-key performances of his relatively unknown added touches of realism and relatability. Douglas slowly and skillfully builds suspense through suggestion long before the first creature appears a third of the way into the picture. Finally, its success is thanks to the script and largely no-frills dialogue. It delivers just the right touches of believable humor by producer-screenwriter Ted Sherdeman, who shepherded the project from concept to fruition — even in the face of early studio resistance. Besides the suspense and action, the film is firmly grounded in real science. We learn the ant species’ name, their foraging patterns, tunneling habits, how they breathe, their flying range and power, and their unique place in the animal kingdom as the only species besides humans to deliberately and aggressively wage war, a fact that originally inspired Sherdeman.

Them! was nominated for a Special Effects Oscar and won Best Sound Editing from the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) Professional Society. It made $2.2 million in its initial release over its cost of $800,000. It enjoys a 93% critics’ approval score on Rotten Tomatoes and remains an entertaining and enthralling landmark in science fiction film history.

Them! Release Date June 16, 1954 Director Gordon Douglas Cast James Whitmore , Edmund Gwenn , Joan Weldon , James Arness , Onslow Stevens , Sean McClory Runtime 94 minutes Writers Ted Sherdeman , Russell S. Hughes , George Worthing Yates Expand

Them! is currently available to stream on Tubi in the U.S.

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