Empire of The Ants (1977)
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
Written by Jack Turley, Bert I. Gordon and story by H.G.Wells
Starring Joan Collins, Robert Lansing and John David Carson
Runtime 1 hour and 29 minutes
Available on special edition Blu-ray from Kino Lorber here

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport and Editor in Chief

Back of box synopsis:
It’s no PICNIC! From sci-fi mastermind H.G. Wells and B-movie bigwig Bert I. Gordon (Village of the Giants, The Food of the Gods)—brace yourself for mutant mayhem and pestilent payback in this cult classic creature feature about good bugs gone BAD! Starring queen of mean Joan Collins (The Stud), this incredible insect extravaganza is swarming with flesh-crawling chills, hair-raising thrills and spine-tingling terror...with a venge-ANTS! A heavenly paradise becomes a hellish nightmare when a toxic spill turns harmless ants into rampaging, radioactive reprobates! Stumbling into their creepy lair, a sleazy land developer (Collins) and her clients (including Robert Lansing and John David Carson) are horrified to realize that the ants are having a picnic...and humans are on the menu! Fleeing for their lives—only to be squashed underfoot—they soon discover that these bad-boy bugs are hell-bent on exterminating mankind, and building an evil empire where humans check in...but they can’t check out!

Features that make it special…

Audio commentary by Film Historian David Del Valle and Filmmaker/Historian Michael Varrati
Audio Commentary by Director/Producer Bert I. Gordon
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English subtitles
Slipcover and reversible cover insert

Why you need to add it to your video library…

Watching this picture is like gazing into a crystal ball to be shown the future. With much of humanity’s continued lack of concern for our environment, it is not difficult to imagine a scenario such as this becoming our reality. When the next toxic chemical spill occurs and results in humongous, man-eating ants I’ll be very much like Roddy Piper in They Live, left only with the remark: “It figures it be something like this.” Frankly, I welcome it. Empire of The Ants may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but it does showcase the truth, and that is just how terrible human beings (most often men) are.

Out of all the creature features I have shared with you this past month, Empire of The Ants is my least favorite. The transfer from Kino Lorber is obviously great, but even a crisp picture can’t save a clunky story. With that said, the narrative is not really the reason one pops this type of disc into their player, now is it? The flick manages to deliver where it matters and that is with the design of the ants. The special effects created by Bert I. Gordon are truly exquisite. I particularly enjoyed the scene in which characters were placed in a vestibule and sprayed with the Queen ant’s pheromones, causing them to fall under her complete control. This made for quite the thrilling moment. However, the real chills came when witnessing the jumbo sized ants taking over a yacht, swarming the pesky people that got in their way and the magical camera techniques that were utilized to showcase their perspective. I like to call it “Ant Cam”. I could not help but wonder if it was this film in particular that inspired Joe Johnston when he was making Honey I Shrunk The Kids, especially in terms of the scene with the ant, Antie in the Szalinski’s backyard.

There is no doubt that the screenplay could have used a few more passes and the movie would have benefited from shaving ten to fifteen minutes from the runtime, but overall it is easy to overlook these faults while watching the ants march across the screen. I would also be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge actor Joan Collins, as Marilyn Fryser. She may be known for her trashy soap opera type fare, but in Empire of The Ants she truly is the Queen. I also think it is worth giving the commentary from Bert I. Gordon a listen, this guy has some stories. For the right price, this is a flick worth adding to your collection.

Find the rest of my thoughts on Kino Lorber creature features here and purchase Empire of The Ants from Kino Lorber here.