Before zombies, vampires, and werewolves became the hottest monsters in Hollywood, America went through a gargantuan creepy crawler phase that led to the likes of Tarantula (1955) and The Deadly Mantis (1957). The creature feature trend was kicked off by Warner’s Them! (1954), which centers on an unusual national threat: enormous irradiated ants desperate to establish new nests across the country.
