Communicating Fears in Film: Cold War Creatures, Part 3 - Them! (1954)

Send us Fan MailRounding out the third part of our unit emphasis on "Cold War Creatures", cohosts Garret Castleberry and Scott McMurry rev up their affection for Atomic Age allegories with director Gordon Douglas's 1954 classic, Them! The film experienced waves of praise among critics and moviegoers, followed by decades of broad audience obscurity, and then resurgent cult reverence over time. The dialogic duo explore Them!'s use of distinct desert mise en scene and how it functions in opposition to seafaring creature features ranging from Ray Harryhausen's The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (Eurgene Lourie, 1953) to previous discussion of Ishiro Honda's Godzilla (1954) (5:25). The pair poke fun at some of the character beats and diegetic moments in addition to the film logic driving the narrative action. Unlike critical satirists, these commentaries derive from an appreciation of what these cinema artifacts express about the social culture in which these films were produced and the Hollywood production methods and creative choices that make 50s science fiction a seminal period in film history.  Finally, the hosts return to emphasize the ways in which Douglas'sThem! communicates fear in film. (1:09:00). Hosts: Garret Castleberry, Scott McMurryProducers: Garret Castleberry, Will McMurry (Audio Engineer), Alli Garner (Cover Art), Austin Foster (Music)Recommended readings paired with Season Seven "Communicating Fears in Film":Kendall Phillips. Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture. Praeger, 2006.Stephen Prince. Apocalypse Cinema. Rutgers University Press, 2021.Murray Leeder. Horror Film: A Critical Introduction. Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2018.Gordon Douglas. (Director). Them! California, USA: Warner Bros., 1954.  Ways to Connect with us online:Follow and engage with Special Topics in Media on Twitter at @podcast_topics."Like" to follow our Special Topics in Media Page on Facebook (search Special Topics in Media).Join the Special Topics in Media Facebook Group and share your reviews of the film or this episode.Subscribe to Dr. Castleberry's academic YouTube Channel.Garret's academic website is available at https://garretcastleberry.academia.edu/.Support the show