Empire of the Ants
Empire of the Ants is a 1977 science fiction horror film co-scripted and directed by Bert I. Gordon. The movie is based very loosely on the short story Empire of the Ants by H. G. Wells. In Well's story, a Brazilian captain travels into the Amazon to fight ants that have evolved, developed tools and take organized actions against humans. The film involves a group of prospective land buyers led by a land developer who encounter and are pitted against giant, mutated ants as they travel by boat to view the land, which is essentially worthless.
Plot[edit | edit source]
The opening narration briefly introduces the viewer to the ant and its behavior. It takes note how ants use pheromones to communicate, and how they cause an obligatory response that must be obeyed. "But we (humans) don't have to worry about it..." As the opening credits roll, barrels of radioactive waste are being dumped off a boat into the ocean. Eventually, one of the barrels washes up on the shore and begins to leak a silvery goo attractive to local ants.
Meanwhile, shady land developer Marilyn Fryser (Joan Collins) takes a bunch of new clients to view some 'beach-front property' on a nearby island. In reality, the land is worthless, but the trip is cut short by the group stumbling upon the lair of gigantic ants. The ants destroy their boat and chase the group through the woods. Fleeing for their lives through the wilderness and losing many of their party along the way, the remaining survivors eventually discover the local island town. But their safety is short-lived when they realize that not only are the giant ants feeding on the local sugar factory, but that they are doing so at the invitation of the humans. The queen ant, using pheromones, has the entire town completely under her control. However, the survivors manage to escape and burn the sugar factory, killing the giant ants, and leave the island by a speedboat.-
The survivors encounter Phoebe and her husband
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The survivors are pulled up by Sheriff Kincade and his men
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Sheriff Kincade orders his men to take the survivors to the sugar factory
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The sugar factory workers pump sugar for the ants
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Sheriff Kincade and his men continue to move the survivors on
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The people of the town are brought to the sugar mill for indoctrination
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Sheriff Kincade looks on as the ants come to feed on the sugar
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The survivors are brought to the indoctrination chamber
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The queen ant inside the indoctrination chamber
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Sheriff Kincade explains the indoctrination to the survivors
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The survivors freak out at the sight of the queen ant
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The indoctrination begins with a man entering the chamber
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The queen ant breathes pheromones into the chamber
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The man inhales the pheromones
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The man exits the indoctrination chamber under the queen's control
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The mayor of the town goes through indoctrination
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The mayor is exposed to the queen's pheromones
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The mayor inhales the pheromones
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The mayor exits the chamber indoctrinated
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Phoebe and her husband get indoctrinated
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Phoebe and her husband leave the chamber indoctrinated
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A young woman goes in for indoctrination
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The survivors are pushed into the line for indoctrination
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The young woman leaves the chamber indoctrinated
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A young man in the chamber for indoctrination (which we don't see)
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The other survivors are captured by the indoctrinated sheriffs
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The survivors are brought to the indoctrination chamber
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Marilyn is put into the indoctrination chamber
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The queen emits her pheromones into the chamber
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Marilyn breathes in the pheromones
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Marilyn is indoctrinated to do the queen's bidding
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"Don't you see we mustn't disobey them...
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we must take care of them and we must help them."