“We may be witnessing a biblical prophecy come true--the beasts will reign over the earth.”
While usually small and parasitic in their annoyances, bugs are a BIG problem for many people. From flies to beetles, mosquitoes, and beyond, insects have always occupied a special corner of our nightmares. So what happens when these tiny nuisances become absolutely gargantuan thanks to humanity's flirtation with atomic power?
You get THEM! And more importantly, you get the blueprint for decades of science fiction and horror films that followed.
The irony of revisiting Gordon Douglas's 1954 classic in Warner Bros.' stunning new 4K restoration is realizing just how many filmmakers have been borrowing from it for the last seventy years. The traumatized child wandering through an impossible nightmare. The skeptical authorities slowly realizing the scale of the threat. The scientists warning that mankind has crossed a line. The desperate hunt for a hidden nest before the creatures reproduce beyond control. The queen-monster showdown. Watch Alien, Aliens, Mimic, Tremors, or practically any creature feature involving swarms, nests, or humanity paying the price for its arrogance, and you'll find traces of THEM! lurking in the shadows.
A lot of artists have been raiding this nest for decades. And yet the original remains remarkably fresh.
Mass hysteria erupts as giant ants—mutated by atomic testing in New Mexico—begin a deadly march toward Los Angeles. Complete with a finale in the city's labyrinthine sewers, THEM! was originally intended to be shot in color and released in 3-D as Warner Bros.' answer to the monster boom sweeping Hollywood. Budget concerns scrapped those ambitions, forcing the production into black and white.
Turns out that was the best thing that could have happened.
The stark monochrome photography gives the film an atmosphere that color may have spoiled. The desert landscapes feel haunted. The shadows stretch endlessly. The sewer climax remains claustrophobic and oppressive. Seen in 4K, the cinematography doesn't feel cheap or dated—it feels purposeful, elegant, and surprisingly modern.
And the movie is smart enough to delay gratification.
For nearly half an hour, Douglas teases the audience, revealing only clues: strange footprints, mysterious wreckage, and a catatonic child clutching a broken doll. The suspense builds relentlessly before the ants finally appear. It is the same lesson that Steven Spielberg would later employ in Jaws: what you don't see can terrify you far more than what you do.
But when the ants arrive, they are unforgettable.
Effects artist Dick Smith helped create enormous mechanical insects—one stretching nearly twelve feet long—using gears, pulleys, and intricate puppetry. They hiss, screech, and move with an unsettling physicality that computer graphics often struggle to reproduce. Their iconic cry, created from manipulated bird calls, remains one of the most haunting monster sounds in cinema.
The practical effects still work because they occupy real space. More importantly, the fear still works because it was always about something larger.
Written by Ted Sherdeman, who held deep reservations about nuclear weapons, THEM! channels the anxieties of the Atomic Age into a cautionary tale about human arrogance. The monsters are not aliens from another world. They are our creation. Humanity split the atom, and nature answered back.
That idea has become one of the defining themes of modern science fiction. And it started here.
The film opens with one of horror's great images: a terrified little girl, played by Sandy Descher, wandering the New Mexico desert in shock, clutching a damaged doll. Her family has been slaughtered, though we don't yet know by what. Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) and his partner Ed Blackburn (Chris Drake) investigate, slowly piecing together evidence that something impossible is stalking the desert.
Enter Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn) and his daughter, Dr. Pat Medford (Joan Weldon), who uncover the horrifying truth and race alongside the military to stop the ants before they spread.
It's a simple story. But it's told with intelligence, urgency, and genuine suspense.
Which is why THEM! has endured while so many of its imitators have faded.
The greatest compliment one can give this film is that people keep ripping it off. The isolated survivor. The hidden hive. The unstoppable queen. The warning that science has unleashed something beyond control. These ideas have echoed through horror and science fiction for generations.
Most audiences know the descendants. They owe it to themselves to meet the ancestor.
For decades, THEM! was treated as a beloved cult favorite, an entertaining relic from the Atomic Age. Warner Bros.' 4K restoration finally restores its proper stature—not merely as a giant ant movie, but as one of the most influential science fiction horror films ever made.
The ants may have grown enormous because of radiation. The film's legacy grew because everybody else kept feeding on it.
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray / Collector's Edition
Home Video Distributor: Warner Bros.
Available on 4K/Blu-ray - June 16, 2026
Screen Formats: 1.66:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Video: Native 4K; Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A
Before giant bugs, alien queens, and apocalyptic creature features became science fiction staples, there was THEM! When atomic testing in the New Mexico desert transforms ordinary ants into colossal predators, scientists, soldiers, and law enforcement must race to stop the growing menace before humanity is overrun by its own creation. Directed by Gordon Douglas and packed with suspense, groundbreaking practical effects, and Cold War anxieties, THEM! remains the blueprint for generations of monster movies that followed. Now restored in stunning 4K Ultra HD by Scream Factory, this timeless classic proves that while others may imitate it, nothing can replace the original.
VIDEO
The new 4K restoration is nothing short of revelatory. The black-and-white photography has never looked richer, with deeper blacks, sharper contrast, and a remarkable amount of fine detail visible in everything from the windswept New Mexico desert to the damp, claustrophobic tunnels beneath Los Angeles. Film grain remains natural and organic, giving the presentation a cinematic texture that honors the original photography while offering a substantial upgrade in clarity and stability.
Most impressive is how the restoration enhances the practical effects—the giant ants look more tactile and convincing than ever, their intricate mechanical design standing proudly on display rather than being diminished by the added resolution. This is not simply a cleanup; it's a rediscovery of one of science fiction's most influential classics.
AUDIO
The audio restoration is every bit as impressive as the visual upgrade, preserving the film's original character while cleaning up decades of wear. Dialogue comes through with newfound clarity, the eerie electronic chirping of the giant ants is as unnerving as ever, and the film's sparse but effective score enjoys a welcome boost in presence and fidelity.
The soundstage remains faithful to its 1954 origins—don't expect modern bombast—but the improved balance and reduced hiss allow Gordon Douglas's careful use of silence, tension, and sudden bursts of chaos to shine through.
Most importantly, those iconic ant cries still send a chill down the spine, proving that great sound design doesn't age—it echoes across generations.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
Scream Factory gives THEM! a respectable package of extras anchored by a gorgeous 4K scan from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision, allowing the film's atmospheric black-and-white cinematography to shine. Supplements include an interview with actor Richard Bellis, an appreciation of director Gordon Douglas by writer Courtney Joyner, and a featurette exploring the film's memorable score with historian David Schecter. Rounding out the release are behind-the-scenes footage and the original theatrical trailer, making this an affectionate celebration of one of the most influential science fiction films ever made.
- 4K Scan from the Original Camera Negative
- Dolby Vision HDR presentation
- Interview with actor Richard Bellis
- Featurette on director Gordon Douglas with writer Courtney Joyner
- Featurette on the score with historian David Schecter
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Original theatrical trailer
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