THEM! (1954) – Episode 194 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio
Release Date: 01/11/2025
Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio
“Yeah. I killed my mama. One night – it was my 14th birthday – she was drunk, and we had an argument. She hit me with a whiskey bottle. I shot her. I shot her dead.” “I thought you said you stabbed her.” “Oh yeah. That’s right. I stabbed her.” Sheesh. Keep your stories straight. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they discuss John McNaughton’s landmark film (1986). Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 298 – Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine...
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“A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.” Hmm. What if it has not eaten a cow? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they take to space via Disney’s (1979). Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 254 – The Black Hole (1979) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL...
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“Did you know that there are ways to raise the dead?” Of course. Don’t you watch horror movies? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they take a stroll through the (1967). Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 216 – Torture Garden (1967) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR...
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“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” Wait a minute. Is that what it means when your thumbs are pricking? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they visit Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival in Green Town, Illinois, via Disney’s (1983) from Ray Bradbury’s novel and screenplay. Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 297 – Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! ...
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“What is real? Are you certain you know what reality is? How do you know that at this second you aren’t asleep in your beds dreaming that you are here in this theater? Ah, yes… it all seems too real.” Are you sure this guy is a wizard? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they brave the world of Herschell Gordon Lewis with (1970). Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 253 – The Wizard of Gore (1970) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new...
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“Women! They let ’em vote, smoke, and drive – even put ’em in pants! But what do you get? A Democrat for president! A lot of smoke up your chimney! Russian roulette on the highway! You can’t even tell brother from sister unless you meet ’em head-on.” Don’t worry. This neanderthal doesn’t last long. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they visit the bizarre world of Russ Meyer in (1965). Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 215 – Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)...
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“You’re all gonna die in there! All of you! You are gonna die!” Well, for heaven’s sake, we all die. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out (1986), the sequel to the Spielberg-Hooper blockbuster. Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 296 – Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL,...
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“The dead of night exists in all of us, and no one knows at what strange, unexpected moment it will make itself known. And so tonight, for your entertainment, three tales: one of mystery, one of imagination, and one of terror.” Yay! Break out the popcorn! Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they stay another night in TV-land and cuddle up with Dan Curtis’s (1977). Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 252 – Dead of Night (1977) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the...
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“I don’t mind dying, but I hate the preliminaries.” Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they make a trip to an old dark house, or rather an old dark castle with (1940). Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 214 – The Ghost Breakers (1940) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC...
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“Do you know how you caught me? The reason you caught me, Will, is we’re just alike. If you want the scent, smell yourself.” Well, that, and you’re insane! Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out Hannibal Lecter’s coming-out party in Michael Mann’s (1986). Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 295 – Manhunter (1986) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era...
info_outline“Pfah! What kind of sense does that make? Is sugar a rare cargo? Is there a black market for it? Did you ever hear of a fence for hot sugar? If I was gonna make a deal with crooks to steal somethin’, it wouldn’t be for forty tons of sugar.” If you were a giant ant you would. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr, along with guest Gregory Crosby – as they take a deep crawl into THEM! (1954), one of the all-time great big-bug movies!
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 194 – THEM! (1954)
Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine
ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/
Synopsis: The earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization.
- Director: Gordon Douglas
- Writing Credits: Ted Sherdeman (screenplay); Russell S. Hughes (adaptation) (as Russell Hughes); George Worthing Yates (story)
- Special Effects by: Ralph Ayres (special effects); Ardell Lytle (pyroeffects supervisor) (uncredited)
- Selected Cast:
- James Whitmore as Sgt. Ben Peterson
- Edmund Gwenn as Dr. Harold Medford
- Joan Weldon as Dr. Patricia Medford
- James Arness as Robert Graham
- Onslow Stevens as Brig. Gen. Robert O’Brien
- Sean McClory as Maj. Kibbee
- Christian Drake as Trooper Ed Blackburn (as Chris Drake)
- Sandy Descher as The Ellinson Girl
- Mary Alan Hokanson as Mrs. Lodge (as Mary Ann Hokanson)
- Don Shelton as Trooper Capt. Fred Edwards
- Fess Parker as Alan Crotty
- Olin Howland as Jensen (as Olin Howlin)
- Richard Bellis as Mike Lodge (uncredited)
- John Beradino as Patrolman Ryan (uncredited)
- Robert Berger as Patrolman Sutton (uncredited)
- Oscar Blank as Alcoholic Ward Patient (uncredited)
- Willis Bouchey as Official at D.C. Meeting (uncredited)
- Richard Deacon as Bald Reporter (uncredited)
- Ann Doran as Child Psychiatrist (uncredited)
- Leonard Nimoy as Army Sergeant in Information Center (uncredited)
- William Schallert as Ambulance Attendant (uncredited)
- Douglas Spencer as Bit Part (uncredited)
- Dub Taylor as Railroad Yard Watchman (uncredited)
- Dick York as Teenager in Police Station (uncredited)
THEM! is generally considered the first giant bug movie, and according to the Grue Crew, who are joined by Gregory Crosby, it’s the best of the lot! A top-notch script delivered by a great cast and helmed by an experienced, successful director makes for an excellent film. Combine some pretty-damn-fine giant ants with expert cinematography, just the right editing, and some very disturbing ant-chirping, and the ants are truly terrifying. Edmund Gwenn (who is not in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms), Joan Weldon, James Whitmore, and James Arness lead the way with an incredibly long list of familiar character actors. Even Dick York (Samantha’s first husband on Bewitched, not her second) makes an uncredited appearance.
The Grue Crew again go for a record-length talkabout but there really is so much to discuss with THEM! and we had so much fun doing it! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did recording it.
At the time of this writing, THEM! (1954) is available to stream by subscription from IndieFlix and PPV from multiple sources. The film is available on physical media as a Blu-ray disc from Warner Home Video.
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Next in their very flexible schedule – this one chosen by Chad – is Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (1959). Was it directed by Riccardo Freda, Robert Hamton, Mario Bava, or all of the above? Bill Mulligan (known as “Bava Bill”) will be joining us to help us untangle the entanglement, and to help us find the source of that awful smell.
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com
To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”