Monster of the Day #3368

Bert I Gordon last made a movie with monsters in 1965, and that one, Village of the Giants, wasn’t really a monster movie. After that we branched out in different genres. And although he did make a horror movie in 1972 (starring Orson Welles!), it didn’t have a monster in it. So it was 11 years after Village, and 14 years since The Magic Sword, when he went back to LOOSELY adapting H. G. Wells’ Food of the Gods and also returned the giant monster that were his bread and butter.

I imagine many consider The Magic Sword to be Mr. Gordon’s best film, but expect many more would give the nod to Food of the Gods. A major B-movie cast (Marjoe Gortner, Ralph Meeker, Ida Lupino, Pamela Franklin) and lots and lots of giant monsters; rats, wasps, maggots and even chickens and a humongous homicidal rooster. Talk about a cock fight! Anyway, just fun on a stick. Sadly, Mr. Gordon’s next swing at a Wells adaptation isn’t quite as much fun.

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🐻 bgbear_rnh

Why did the giant chicken cross the road?

Who’s askin’
Cullen Waters

I adore this movie. Fun on a stick is right. It doesn’t follow the book all that well, which is why I’ve never read the book.

I’m not a giant Magic Sword fan, so I’d say this was B.I.G.’s best. But ignoring that, this is his best Giant Animal movie by far.
Rock Baker

Honestly, I felt EMPIRE OF THE ANTS was the better of the two, or at least the more enjoyable drive-in picture. FOOD OF THE GODS had such poor character development of the type which became all to common in the 70’s. (Example, Ralph Meeker is a jerk because he’s a big businessman, and he’s only a big businessman because he’s a jerk.) EMPIRE OF THE ANTS wasn’t far better, but it felt more even handed after this one. Gordon’s scripting and character work had fallen a long way from his 50’s work.
Cullen Waters

I dunno. There are so few likeable characters in Empire of the Ants. The “business people” are running a scam on the clients, too many of the people are cowardly jerks, and the others you’re never quite certain what their names are. Two thirds of the way through it switches into another movie entirely. And all the way I’m pretty certain it doesn’t have any better character development than Food of the Goods has. Plus, it doesn’t have Pamela Franklin in it, which is quite the demerit.
Gamera977

Bwaacckkkkk!!!!! I say now we start some ‘Why did the HUMAN cross the road’ jokes!
🐻 bgbear_rnh

because I told him to
Rock Baker

Maybe it’s just that EMPIRE doesn’t feel quite as mean spirited as FOOD does.
Ken_Begg

Well, mileage varies. I personally like the variety of monsters in Food, and again, enjoy the fact there is no real side plot. As for how mean that is, that’s something else that is a personal line. I will say that ’70s horror as a whole is obviously more meanspirited than the horror that came before it.

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