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Sunday, May 31, 2015

EMPIRE OF THE ANTS 1977 (SHOUT FACTORY)

A Bert Gordon classic comes to Blu-ray. >br />

Joan Collins forever won my heart by starring in "Devil Within Her" and what a joy to see her in this cheap but fun film directed by Bert Gordon.

Collins is a real estate seller that takes a small group of prospective buyers on a trip to look at her proposed property, and soon the entire party is threatened by enormous ants that have been made that way by radioactive materials that were carelessly dumped into the ocean and then washed ashore.

One of my favorite actors, Robert Lansing, is Dan Stokley, a boat captain that has taken the group out to the isolated area. His boat is overrun with giant ants and destroyed so the group must make their way up river on foot. Several of the group including and elderly couple are killed while trying to get away. It seems the ants are herding the humans into a small town.

When the survivors arrive in the town they notice something isn't right. The sheriff (Albert Salmi) is a liar and trying to hide something. It is soon made clear that the ants have taken over the town and are controlling people using pheromones to keep them under control and work for them.

Lansing wants no part of this so he sets the queen ant on fire with a road flare when he is given the chance and then the ants begin killing everyone in town. Collins dies and the other four survivors make it to a boat and escape. But the ants are still deep in the everglades as the movie ends.

This is based on the story by H.G. Wells, but in reality, the only thing it has in common with the book is the title. Gordon made his own film. The rest of the cast includes Pamela Susan Shoop, Robert Pine, Brooke Palance, Jacqueline Scott, John David Carson and Irene Tedrow.

Most reviewers are too harsh on this film, and that is sad because it is a lot of fun, and the Blu-ray looks very good. Shout has turned this out on a double feature with another movie entitles "Jaws of Satan" which will be reviewed here later.

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