Empire of the Ants (1977)

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(Foreign Titles)

Nomination Year: 1996

SYNOPSIS: A crooked realtor (Joan Collins) tries to sell some tracts of land on an island which was a toxic waste dump, only to discover that the waste has infested the island with giant killer ants. A surly boat captain strands her and a small group of her crew and ex-customers, who begin to be picked off by the humungous insects in a series of near-death encounters. Their only chance is on the other side of the island, where there are supposed to be a few fishing and farming villages. But as they travel, the group learns that they're not being chased, but rather herded by the surprisingly intelligent ants to these villages, where the Ant Queen controls the humans via pheremones. Today the island -- tomorrow, the world! They can have it.

Bryan Cassidy

Smithee Award Nominations

Worst Special Effect
Filmed in Glorious Ant-Vision! When the camera shifts to a giant ant's point-of-view, it's supposed to simulate an insect's multi-faceted eyes. But this bargain-basement effect looks exactly like someone just took a Lite-Brite and stuck it in front of the camera.	Sorry, this clip has not yet been made available!

Stupidest-Looking Monster

"Hellp Meeeee! Hellllp Meeeeee!"

The pheremone-controlled humans get in line for daily treatments. The Queen Ant is in this glass booth, and the humans lean down to a vent on the booth's outside and inhale deeply as the queen squirts some yellowish powder in their faces. Bad enough, but the shot of the Queen is only Stock Footage of a plain old worker ant, blown up and superimposed on the booth. Its scrabbling at the walls doesn't look menacing or calculating. In fact, it looks like it's only thought is to get the hell out of there.

Sorry, this clip has not yet been made available!

Worst Picture
Who Are the Real Ant-Brains Here? The ants take over people's minds. Right.	Sorry, this clip has not yet been made available!

Directors

Director	Claim to Fame
Burt I. Gordon

Cast

Actor	Character	Claim to Fame
Joan Collins	<Not Yet in Database>	The bitch-on-wheels who put the "nasty" in Dynasty
Robert Lansing	<Not Yet in Database>	Was in 12 O'Clock High. Often seen on TV. Most recently Control on "The Equalizer" and Paul Blaisdell on "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues." Was Gary Seven, spy from the future, on that "ST:TOS" episode "Assignment: Earth."
Harry Holcombe	<Not Yet in Database>
Robert Pine	<Not Yet in Database>	had roles in the Black Scorpion TV series, The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, Independence Day, and was "Sgt. Joseph Getraer" in CHiPs and all spin-offs


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