Them 2007

As New Mexico State Police Sgt. Ben Peterson (character) and his partner Ed Blackburn patrol the desert near Alamogordo, they stumble upon an enigmatic scene: a catatonic young girl wandering aimlessly, followed by a ravaged caravan with its occupants gone missing. The authorities rush to the scene, summoning an ambulance and attempting to revive the girl. Though initially unresponsive, she suddenly perks up at the sound of a hauntingly high-pitched hum emanating from the desert floor, her eyes snapping open as if awakened by some unseen force. As the eerie melody ceases, the girl slumps back into a catatonic state, unnoticed by the adults.

Later that night, the officers pay a visit to a rural general store, only to find its owner’s lifeless body. Peterson leaves Blackburn behind to secure the crime scene, while he takes a moment to process the gruesome discovery. But before he can fully absorb the implications, Blackburn vanishes into thin air, drawn by some unseen force outside. Days pass, and FBI Agent Robert Graham arrives on the scene to investigate the string of bizarre occurrences. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture sends myrmecologists Drs. Harold Medford and his daughter Pat to lend their expertise. As they begin their inquiry, Medford exposes the catatonic girl to the pungent aroma of formic acid fumes characteristic of ants. The potent scent awakens her from her trance-like state, and in a fit of panic, she cries out, “Them! Them!”

As Peterson accompanies Graham and the Medfords to the location where the girl was first discovered, Pat stumbles upon a gargantuan ant foraging in the desert. Under Medford’s orders, Peterson and Graham unleash a barrage of bullets at the ant’s antennae, effectively blinding and killing it with their submachine gun. Medford theorizes that these massive insects are the result of radiation from the first atomic bomb test near Alamogordo, which has caused them to mutate and wreak havoc on the area. A helicopter search ensues, leading them to the location where the giant ants have built their nest. In a desperate attempt to eradicate the threat, cyanide gas bombs are dropped into the nest before Graham, Peterson, and Pat conduct a sweep for any potential survivors. Inside the nest, Pat discovers evidence that two queens have hatched and escaped, each one determined to establish new colonies.

The authorities launch a global search effort to track down these mutated pests, scouring every corner of the globe. Eventually, they pinpoint the location of one queen and its offspring on a freighter sailing from Acapulco, but unfortunately, all crew members are found dead. In a swift and decisive move, the Navy dispatches a fleet to sink the vessel, eradicating any potential threat it may pose.

As Graham and Pat delve deeper into the mystery, they embark on a journey to Brownsville, Texas, where a mentally unstable civilian pilot, institutionalized after claiming he was coerced by extraterrestrial entities resembling gargantuan ants, becomes their prime suspect. Subsequent reports lead them westward to Los Angeles, where a hospitalized patient shares a chilling account of behemoth ants lurking in the drainage system outside his window. The grim discovery of a father’s mangled body serves as a stark reminder that not all cases end with a tidy resolution. In this instance, two young sons are missing, leaving investigators scrambling for answers. Peterson, undeterred by the daunting task ahead, joins forces with Graham and the Medfords to scour the drainage system in search of the vanished brothers. After navigating treacherous terrain, he locates the boys trapped near their ant colony, mere moments before being ambushed and killed by a monstrous insect. Graham arrives on the scene, accompanied by a contingent of armed forces, only to find themselves face-to-face with the remaining queen and her brood. The Medfords issue a mandate for eradication, and the ants meet their demise via flamethrowers, as Pat’s father ponders the far-reaching consequences of atomic tests conducted since Trinity, hinting at a larger cosmic context that may have precipitated this apocalyptic scenario.