Shout/Scream Factory brings us another double feature to
please those aficionados of the drive in once more. This time around we get one
of those really schlocky bad movies coupled with one that offers better than I
expected. No matter what the opinions of the movies are though, these are items
that drive in fans will want to have on hand for those backyard movie night
during the summer months when the beer flows freely and the interests in the
movies runs low.
EMPIRE OF THE ANTS comes to us from producer Bert I. Gordon
whose FOOD OF THE GODS took us down a similar path. Here we have the story of a
corrupt land developer taking a group of possible investors to an island that
is intended to be an up and coming resort. Unknown to them is the fact that
toxic chemicals were dumped in the area and washed up on shore, altering the
ants of the island into huge bugs the size of a Cadillac.
As the group tries to escape from the encroaching barrage of
ants they get picked off one by one. The ragtag group that remains finds
themselves being corralled where the ants want them to go and are nearly eaten
alive when they find help in the form of the local sheriff. Too bad that he and
the rest of the townspeople on shore have been coerced by the ants via mind
altering pheromones that control them. Only these few remaining folks have the
mental ability to rescue them all.
While some have discussed the amazing effects done with
little (I think zero) budget, I found them to be distracting at best. Composite
shots of blown up footage of ants set beside shots of actors wielding boat oars
don’t match at all with the line between the two images blurred and
outrageously visible. Alongside these problems are giant fur covered ant heads
used when we see a victim being ripped apart or eaten by the ants. Unbelievable
is the easiest word to convey what they look like. And yet there is a certain
amount of charm to be found in this low budget world of effects with some
decent acting by stars who had seen better days before signing on for this
movie. Fans and those pleasantly intoxicated will have a great time with this
one.
On the other hand JAWS OF SATAN offers a decent movie that
fell into the 70s genre of man against nature and corrupt town officials ripped
off directly from JAWS and inserted into so many films. Here we have a demon in
the form of a giant snake that escapes from a carnival train intent on wreaking
havoc in a town where the local priest, Father Tom Farrow (Fritz Weaver), is a
descendant of a line of religious leaders who have subdued the demon/snake for
centuries.
Bodies begin showing up with alarming amounts of snake venom
in the bites they’ve suffered. At first the town medical examiner agrees with a
local doctor (Gretchen Corbett) that these are snake bites to be alarmed about.
But with holiday events on the calendar and business owners fearful of losing
money, he quickly changes his mind with the help of the town’s mayor.
A herpetologist called in from a nearby university agrees
with the town doctor as to the cause of these deaths but that doesn’t persuade
the mayor to cancel any and all activities. As the doctor, the herpetologist
and the priest begin to compare notes and causes they begin to realize how to
handle the situation which comes to a dramatic conclusion in the cave where the
snake finally dwells.
Sure this is a JAWS rip off but that doesn’t matter. Those
moments when it becomes blatantly obvious are funny to see and may leave you
laughing. The effects work for the snakes is serviceable, the acting is above
what is usually found in a movie like this and the camera work is impressive,
but then again nearly everything cinematographer Dean Cundey touches looks
great. The end result is a movie that plays far better than you would expect.
As always the extras and quality of the final product live
up to the Shout/Scream Factory standards and fans will be more than happy to
have these on hand in this edition as opposed to some half thought out bootleg
copy taken from a poor VHS tape stored away in someone’s attic. Face it folks,
these movies may not be Shakespeare but they do offer some fun times and some
fun memories of drive in days gone by. What more could you ask for?
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