Over half a century later, “Them!” remains a masterclass in effective creature horror, delivering chills while reflecting societal fears.
The Professor is the first to pick in our new rotation where he gets to select a Vintage flick (1969-back), and he went with “Them!” (1954)!
FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
Them!, directed by Gordon Douglas in 1954, is a landmark in classic sci-fi horror cinema. It was one of the first films of its era to feature giant mutated creatures, in this case, ants, and it set the stage for a wave of “creature features” that would define the genre in the 1950s and beyond.
In the early 1950s, America was in the midst of the Cold War, and the fear of nuclear annihilation loomed large in the public consciousness. The aftermath of World War II and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki introduced the terrifying potential of nuclear power. This gave rise to a cultural anxiety around atomic energy, which soon became a major theme in film and literature. Them! capitalized on this fear by using radiation as the catalyst for its monstrous menace: giant ants spawned from nuclear testing in the New Mexico desert.
The film is often considered the prototype of the 1950s “nuclear monster” movie, where atomic radiation is portrayed as an uncontrollable and unpredictable force that creates monstrous mutations. Them! was not the first film to exploit atomic fears (that would be 1953’s The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms), but it was arguably the most influential.
Them! stands out because it effectively blends science fiction with horror.
The ant attacks, initially heard as unsettling high-pitched chirps, work like classic monster movie scares, focusing on suspense and atmosphere rather than outright gore or violence. For its time, the film boasted impressive special effects, particularly the giant ant puppets. While the mechanical ants may appear quaint to modern audiences, they were a significant achievement in 1954, offering a tangible and unsettling visual of the mutated menace.
Them! essentially kick-started the giant insect subgenre of horror/sci-fi, inspiring a slew of imitators like Tarantula (1955), The Deadly Mantis (1957), and The Black Scorpion (1957). It also paved the way for other giant creature features, influencing films such as Godzilla (1954), which would expand the monster genre further by also addressing atomic fears.
A quintessential piece of classic sci-fi horror cinema, its strengths lie in its storytelling, practical effects, and ability to tap into the cultural anxieties of its time.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Interview With Writer Chris McAuley and Artist Clint Langley (“Shadows of the Stokerverse”)
We chat with writer Chris McAuley and artist Clint Langley about the new book coming in 2025 titled Shadows of the Stokerverse. They currently have a Kickstarter campaign going to get some awesome exclusives, so go help them out!
After the hugely successful launch of the comic book series Dracula The Return: Cult Of The White Worm in 2022 working with Scratch Comics and the equally successful launch of the Stokerverse Role Playing Game released by Nightfall Games, which featured the stunning artwork of 2000ad comic art legend Clint Langley (ABC Warriors, Slaine, WarHammer 4000) ideas started to flow between Chris McAuley, Clint Langley, and Shane Chebsey to find an exciting way to expand the Stokerverse beyond Dracula himself.
It was not long before the enthusiasm for these ideas manifested in some concept art from Clint, which then inspired new stories from Chris and before long writer and artist were inspiring each other and a huge collection of incredible work started to amass. They now offer you the results of this work in the pages of a 100 page beautifully designed art and story book with an introduction from Dacre Stoker, that combines the vivid word craft of Chris McAuley, the stunning and often visceral artwork of Clint Langley, and the sublime design skills of Andy Bloor.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
The crew discusses one of the best thriller/horror flicks of all-time, The Silence of the Lambs.
SAW (2004)
Journey back to where Jigsaw was born and watch a modern horror classic with the Spookshow gang, as they discuss Saw.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Spookshow is a collection of guys (and, now, one incredible lady!) with varying degrees of Horror fandom. Since 2018, we’ve reviewed Horror, Cult, Action flicks, and, of course, total crap, so you don’t have to, but we encourage you to nonetheless. If you’ve listened to us before, thank you! If you’re new to our brand of stupidity, then welcome. We want you to enjoy watching these films with us; join us in having fun with them & learning about them as well.
Part of the Morbidly Beautiful Podcasting Network! Go to the all-new www.aaspookshow.com & join our Patreon for bonus episodes & content over at https://www.patreon.com/aaspookshow & follow us on Twitter @AASpookshow as well as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Slasher & our YouTube channel by searching All-American Spookshow Podcast. Email us at [email protected] with questions & comments, and be sure to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify!
LINKS: https://linktr.ee/aaspookshow
Horror/Cult Movie Podcast & YouTube Channel!
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
The ‘Universal Summer’ continues, as The Professor picks another true horror classic, “Son of Frankenstein” (1939)!
Part of the Morbidly Beautiful Podcasting Network! Go to www.aaspookshow.com & join our Patreon for bonus episodes & content over at https://www.patreon.com/aaspookshow & follow us on X @AASpookshow as well as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Slasher, Threads, Bluesky & our YouTube channel by searching All-American Spookshow Podcast.
Email us at [email protected] with questions & comments, and be sure to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify!
Episode play icon
The ‘Universal Summer’ continues, as The Professor picks another true horror classic, “Son of Frankenstein” (1939)! Part of the Morbidly Beautiful Podcasting Network! Go to www.aaspookshow.com & [...]
June 22, 2026
Episode play icon
The ‘Universal Summer’ continues, as Donny picks some classic “gateway horror” with the Don Knotts comedy “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” (1966)! Part of the [...]
June 15, 2026
Episode play icon
The ‘Universal Summer’ heats up, as Josh goes with Sam Raimi’s 2009 return to horror, “Drag Me To Hell”! Part of the Morbidly Beautiful Podcasting [...]
June 8, 2026
Search Results placeholder
Follow Us!