Attention U.S. TCM Subscribers: Immediately following Saturday's showing of Bad Day at Black Rock is a really bad day for anyone who encounters Them! (the giant mutant ants that is). The motion picture, however, is one of the best creature features ever made. (For a brief review plus showtime information all across the U.S., click here):
Warner Bros. studio technician Dick Smith designed two full-sized models of giant ants, which were controlled by ropes and pulleys, to interact with the actors. Film footage of smaller models and real ants, enlarged to appear nine to twelve feet long, were intercut with the rest of the film. THEM! received an Academy Award nomination in the Special Effects category.
According to a 6 October 1999 Daily Variety news item, Artists Production Group, an arm of AMG, planned a remake of the film, which was to be written by Mark Montgomery and directed by Joe Johnston. The picture was never produced.
