Soudain les Monstres

Wasps, worms, chickens, and rats feed off of an icky, gooey substance that causes them to grow to gigantic proportions, then terrorize the occupants of a remote mountain cabin. This trashy adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells story isn't just any ordinary bad movie. It's a movie that starts off so bad that you are compelled to actually keep watching it to see how much worse it can possibly get, and you have one heck of a good time in the process. Surprisingly, the film does have some fine points. The special effects are really quite acceptable, considering the era and the film's limited budget. And, amazingly, some of the performers manage to retain their dignity. Pamela Franklin as a sassy lady scientist and Ida Lupino as a bible-spouting farmer's wife come off best. This movie was a remake of the 1965 release VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS, also filmed by Bert I. Gordon.

I first saw this movie at the local drive-in theater when I was about 13yrs old. It scared the you-know-what out of me back then. I just rented the DVD and sitting there on my sofa, in my mid 40s I enjoyed it all over again! Sure, it's silly....very "B-rated" type film....but if you just accept that going into it, you won't be disappointed. In this day of Computer Generated garbage, it's refreshing to see REAL special effects. The rats are still scary some 30 years later!

Rent it, enjoy it for what it is: a campy, silly scary movie. I just love it! It saddens me to see that it's made it's way onto several "worst movie" lists. Relax people, enjoy it!

I've gotta go....I think I hear rats coming.....

A rare food taken by an old woman (penultimate film for Ida Lupino) provokes the excessive increasing on animals and bugs . Then killer beasts , gigantic flies , huge chicken , wasps , worms and enormous rats strike tourists on a secluded island . Football team players (Marjoe Gotner , John Cypher) enjoying vacations have to fight the giant monsters that are attacking people (Ralph Meeker , Belinda Balaski as an unperiled pregnant woman and Pamela Franklin's last film although she would continue to work on TV in guest).

This is an entertaining movie from expert Bert I. Gordon and freely based on H.G. Welles novel , being AIP's most successful film of the year . Although it suffers from average special effects and regular performances . The flies reproduction are quite badly made but the rats are better staged by means of true bugs increased by optics effects . Over-sized reproduction of massive worms , bulky chicken were utilized to incarnate the enormous creature effects and were also used various diverse mechanized rats . As six different mechanized rat heads and four human-motivated rat costumes were also employed . The miniature design and special props were made by Von Buelow , titles and optical effects by Universal title ; plus , the visual effects by coordinator J. Richardson and , of course , Bert I. Gordon who usually makes his own FX , he's a real craftsman . The movie gives special thanks to football team of Frazer University and the children of Sir John Franklin Community of Vancouver ,British Columbia , where it was filmed.

The film was produced in little budget by Samuel Z. Arkoff who created along with James H Nicholson the American International Pictures in which during the 60s and 70s produced several monster movies and the prestigious Roger Corman-Edgar Allan Poe series . The motion picture was professionally directed by Bert I Gordon. Bert is a B series producer/director , known as Mr B.I.G. He's a monster movies expert in which animals and men suffer voluminous shapes change caused by food or radioactivity. As occurs in ¨The cyclops¨ when the protagonist becomes a giant human monster,as well as a soldier converts in ¨War of the colossal beast¨, the immense insects of ¨Begining of the end¨, a monstrous spider in ¨The spider¨, giant ants in ¨Empire of the ants¨. Other his works in fantasy-terror are : ¨Picture mommy dead¨ and ¨ Necromancy¨, among them. It's followed by a lesser sequel titled ¨Food of gods , part 2 (1989)¨ directed by Damian Lee where the huge rats strike again and maim beautiful women.

In this adaptation of a portion of H.G. Wells's "The Food of the Gods", a strange substance bubbles up out of the Earth and causes giantism in forms of animal life including wasps, chickens, worms, and rats. Among the unlucky people caught up in this invasion of plus- sized critters are football player Morgan (Marjoe Gortner), his teams' P.R. man Brian (Jon Cypher), expectant couple Thomas (Tom Stovall) and Rita (Belinda Balaski), pathologically greedy opportunist Bensington (Ralph Meeker) and his associate Lorna (Pamela Franklin), and farm woman Mrs. Skinner (Ida Lupino).

You gotta love him; veteran film director Bert I. Gordon was *still* relying on his favourite movie theme of large menaces at this point in time. This effort is ultimately dumb, silly, and sloppy, but just like many bad B movies, it's not without appeal, especially when it comes to supposed shock scenes (that chicken attack scene early on in the movie is a riot). The special effects, as one will expect, are for the most part none too convincing. The acting is variable; Gortner is likable as always as the hero. Veterans Lupino and Meeker had certainly been in much better films, but they're as solid as ever. Meeker is particularly funny in a very one note and sleazy portrayal. The lovely Ms. Balaski does well as the young mother to be who feels no need to marry the father of her baby. Gordon does generate some atmosphere from the surroundings; this was filmed on location in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

One thing's for sure: this will rub many animal rights activists the wrong way.

Six out of 10.

If you are a Pamela Franklin fan, this is a must! Campy, schlocky, and plain bizarre are words too weak to describe this movie. Check your brain at the door and enjoy Ms. Franklin in her last cult appearance.