Film

Empire of the Ants

Name: Empire of the Ants
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction
Released: 1977
Cast: Joan Collins, Robert Lansing, John David Carson, Albert Salmi, Jacqueline Scott

A 1977 creature feature where giant ants terrorize a group of gullible investors lured to a toxic Florida swamp. It's campy, earnest, occasionally ridiculous, and surprisingly watchable—the kind of film that knows exactly what it is and leans into it with practical effects and genuine tension mixed with unintentional laughs.

TMDb rating

2.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you have a soft spot for drive-in creature features, where the giant-insect spectacle is the main event and earnest, slightly stiff acting only adds to the charm.

Skip it if you want tight plotting or truly menacing monsters; the film builds slowly, talks a lot, and its ants are often more funny than frightening.

What it asks of you: Just under ninety minutes, it moves at a leisurely pace before the creature set pieces arrive, so settle in for setup and talk rather than constant action.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Piranha1978

Same director, same era, same pulpy energy: flesh-eating creatures menacing tourists in a confined setting. Sharp, funny, and confident it's making B-movie entertainment without apology.

But The gore is deliberately silly rather than scary, and if you want genuine dread rather than camp thrills, this will feel thin.

Tarantula1955

The spiritual ancestor of giant creature chaos. A 1950s atomic-age giant spider rampage with real suspense, practical effects, and the earnest conviction that makes these films endure.

But It's slower and more restrained than Empire. If you want constant action rather than mounting dread, it'll feel patient to the point of sluggish.

Ants

An earlier, grittier take on insect invasion that feels like documentary realism. More serious in tone, genuinely unsettling, and proves the concept worked before it became kitsch.

But Black and white and dated acting conventions will test your patience if you're after modern-feeling thrills.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Empire of the Ants

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Them!1954

Both film giant ants as a consequence of human carelessness, but Them! is the ur-text—where the concept carried real dread. Empire is what happens when that template becomes pulp entertainment.

The original giant-ant film, made in actual black and white nuclear-age terror. It's not campy—it's genuinely unsettling and treats the concept with dead seriousness. The architecture of modern creature features is built on this.

But Slow burn that demands patience. If you want creature action, you'll wait through procedural science and military talk before the ants fully arrive.

Arachnoquake2012

Modern creature feature that understands the formula: earthquakes liberate a nest of venomous spiders, chaos ensues. Self-aware fun with decent effects and a game cast.

But Being newer, it feels slicker and less weird. If you loved Empire partly for its dated strangeness, this will feel too polished.

Grizzly1976

A massive rogue bear terrorizes a national park. Same year, same tone, same commitment to practical animal-attack set pieces without irony or winking at the camera.

But It's relentless and grim rather than fun. There's no comic relief, which means it can feel bleak if you wanted escapism.

Kingdom of the Spiders1977

Released the same year as Empire. William Shatner fights a tarantula invasion in Arizona with genuine conviction. It's silly and sincere in equal measure, which is the sweet spot.

But Shatner's performance is exactly as mannered as you'd expect. If that's a dealbreaker, nothing here will change your mind.

Day of the Animals1977

Same year, same premise: animals go haywire and attack humans. A solid ensemble cast, decent tension, and the specific charm of a creature feature that believes in itself utterly.

But The animal effects don't hold up, and the plot meanders. It's earnest but not always engaging.

The Food of the Gods1976

Both pivot on toxic contamination creating oversized threats, but Food of the Gods is far more stylish and strange—a genuine oddity rather than a straightforward creature feature.

A scientist's growth formula creates giant creatures (mostly rats and wasps) that rampage across an island. It's aggressively weird, beautifully shot, and directed by Bert I. Gordon with genuine visual ambition.

But It's slow, digressive, and the 'giant creature' effects are cheesy in ways that feel unintentional. The pacing is genuinely frustrating.

Twilight of the Dogs1995

Both examine nature's vengeance for human exploitation, but this is ecological grief rather than creature-feature fun—the serious version of Empire's premise.

A claustrophobic eco-horror piece where dogs become inexplicably hostile. It's modern and naturalistic where Empire is retro-campy, but both explore humans as invaders in ecosystems that bite back.

But It's bleak, slow, and offers no comic relief. The horror here is existential dread, not creature spectacle, which is a very different emotional experience.