Film

Them!

Name: Them!
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Released: 1954
Cast: James Whitmore, James Arness, Joan Weldon, Edmund Gwenn, Onslow Stevens

"Them!" is the granddaddy of the giant-bug movie, but it plays it dead straight: cops, entomologists and the Army methodically track down nuclear-mutated ants terrorizing the American Southwest. It's a tense procedural more than a monster mash, heavy on escalating dread and bureaucratic competence rather than jump scares. Great for anyone who wants Cold War paranoia played with total sincerity.

TMDb rating

6.8

If you liked this

The Thing from Another World1951

The film that invented the "scientists and military discover something they shouldn't have" formula Them! runs on so well — same tense procedural rhythm, same Cold War dread, same insistence on competence under pressure.

But Talkier and slower than the ant chase you just watched; the "thing" itself gets far less screen time than you'd expect.

Godzilla1954

Released the same year, born from the same nuclear anxiety, but Japan's angle on atomic guilt is rawer and stranger — less bug hunt, more national reckoning wearing rubber skin.

But Slower pacing, heavier tone, and if you only know later campy Godzilla sequels this original will surprise you with how somber it is.

Alien1979

Swap the desert for a cargo ship and the ants for something worse — same slow-build dread, same competent-professionals-overwhelmed structure, but turned up to a genuinely terrifying pitch.

But Much more claustrophobic and gruesome than Them!'s daylight desert horror; this one wants to make you squirm, not just worry.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Threads1984

Them! turns nuclear anxiety into a monster you can shoot; Threads refuses the metaphor and shows what the fear was actually about, filmed like grim documentary rather than genre thrill.

The most devastating vision of nuclear consequence ever put on screen, following ordinary lives in Sheffield before and after a strike with unbearable, matter-of-fact detail.

But This is not entertainment in any conventional sense — it's bleak, slow, and genuinely upsetting, with none of Them!'s adventure-movie momentum.

Jaws1975

A different monster, same basic machine: local authorities in denial, an expert who finally gets listened to, and a menace that keeps outgrowing everyone's expectations of it.

But Coastal thriller instead of desert procedural, and Spielberg's showmanship is a lot glossier than Them!'s stripped-down, matter-of-fact style.

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms1953no page yet

One of the actual templates for Them! — atomic test wakes ancient creature, scientists scramble, city gets menaced. Ray Harryhausen's pioneering stop-motion effects are the real draw here.

But Thinner characters and a much simpler plot; it's more spectacle than the ensemble procedural feel Them! has.

Tarantula1955no page yet

Another desert-set atomic-mutation creature feature from the same era, with a giant spider instead of ants and a small-town-under-siege feel very close to Them!'s tone.

But Lower budget effects show their age more than Them!'s, and the human drama is thinner.

Aliens1986

If the Army-versus-insect-swarm dynamics in Them! appealed to you, this is that idea with marines, motion trackers, and a queen at the center of the hive.

But Full-throttle action movie rather than measured procedural — expect a much higher body count and adrenaline instead of dread.

The War of the Worlds1953no page yet

Same decade, same fear of forces beyond human control, same faith that science and grit might just save the day — a classic of the era's paranoid imagination.

But Alien invasion instead of mutant ants, and its pacing and effects are very much of their moment — expect matinee spectacle over suspense.

The Blob1958no page yet

A lighter companion piece from the same monster-movie boom — small town, skeptical authorities, a menace nobody believes in until it's nearly too late.

But Much campier and more teen-drama-inflected than Them!'s stern procedural mood; take it as a lark, not a scare.

Microcosmos1996

Them! makes ants terrifying by scaling them into monsters; this documentary makes real insects just as alien and awesome using nothing but extreme macro photography — no fiction required.

Wordless, hypnotic close-up footage of a French meadow's insect life, shot so intimately that ordinary bugs become genuinely strange and beautiful — a nature film that plays like science fiction.

But No plot, no danger, no dialogue — it's a meditative nature film, the polar opposite of Them!'s tense chase structure.

Eight Legged Freaks2002no page yet

Same skeleton as Them! — toxic waste breeds giant creatures, small town under siege, authorities scramble — but played entirely for laughs instead of dread.

A gleefully trashy, self-aware creature comedy that knows exactly how silly the "giant mutant bug" premise is and leans into it with genuine affection for the genre.

But Broad, campy humor throughout — if you want Them!'s straight-faced seriousness, this deliberately undercuts it at every turn.