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When science-fiction and horror overlap, there is running and screaming, the towns people grab pitchforks and torches and the very idea of what it means to be human is called into question. At least, that’s what happens in some of the best movies that dip into both genres.

The age-old question of where the ethical line is in science and whether it should be crossed never ceases to generate new terrors as technology continues to develop. Killer cyborgs and androids? Out-of-control genetic mutation? Radiation-spawned monsters? All of these have have fueled some of our favorite sci-fi horror films.

If you’re new to this subgenre, here are some great movies to start with:

Boris Karloff in Frankenstein (Credit: Universal Pictures) Frankenstein (1931)

The original mad scientist’s experiment gone wrong, with a career-making — and wordless — performance from lead Boris Karloff as the monster. With this and the horror hit “Dracula,...

The horror films of the 1950s are often relegated to two categories: space invaders and giant bugs. There is some truth in that generalization, but the reality is far more subtle with deep ties to the past along with the political climate of the decade itself. Both these categories can trace their lineage, at least in American film, back to two quintessential classics of the genre—Dracula and Frankenstein, but removed from spooky castles and unspecified European locales and placed squarely in the suburbs and cities of Cold War era America. Like Dracula, the alien invasion film examines the fear of “the other.” The so-called giant bug movies are really “science gone awry” movies and Frankenstein has been the template and ultimate expression of that idea since its publication in 1818. By the 1950s, the great scientific fear was nuclear power, specifically in the form of the atomic bomb and the...

Hot off the Disney+ debut of "Werewolf By Night," composer-turned-director Michael Giacchino has his sights set on another monster story, this time a remake of the atomic scare flick "Them!" The original starred James Arness, Joan Weldon, and James Whitmore and was about a bunch of giant, radioactive ants. 

For a certain generation of monster kids, "Them!" was the pinnacle of crazy sci-fi horror. Today's kids might be more comfortable with the Annabelles and Chuckys and Pennywises out there, but that doesn't mean there isn't a way to bring a socially conscious sci-fi/horror movie into the modern day and Giacchino seems uniquely suited to tackle such a challenge.

"Werewolf By Night" is nothing if not a love letter to classic monster movies and Giacchino's first outing as a director was a short film starring Patton Oswalt called "Monster Challenge," which lovingly poked fun at the king daddy of all atomic scare movies: "Godzilla.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a movie about giant atomic ants, but Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino has us covered. Deadline has reported that Michael Giacchino will make his big-screen directorial debut with a reboot of Them! for Warner Bros.

The original Them! was directed by Gordon Douglas and dealt with ants who had been mutated into giant man-eating monsters after atomic tests in New Mexico. “There’s always a movie in your mind that never leaves your head,” Michael Giacchino told Deadline. “For me, that’s Them! It wasn’t until much later in life until I learned what it was about, the nuclear age. What I love about Them! is exactly what it’s called: Them!. It’s about the other, the unknown which one refuses or can’t understand.” Giacchino added, “The current version of Them! is about immigration, and to tell a story...

In sad news, Joan Weldon, the stage and television actress best known for her performance in the iconic sci-fi monster movie Them!, has passed away. Though Weldon died on Feb. 11, her family had just recently announced the news. She was 90 years old.

"With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Joan Louise Weldon Podell, a loving and devoted mother, wife, grandmother and dear friend, on February 11 th , 2021," the family stated in Weldon's obituary. "She passed away peacefully at her home in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. A talented and successful opera singer and actress of theatre, film, musicals and television, she was simply known to many as Joanie, whose love for light-hearted pranks and practical jokes spread joy wherever she went."

Weldon was born Joan Louise Welton on Aug. 5, 1930. Left motherless at six years old and raised by her grandmother, Joan made her professional debut as a singer at the age of...

Joan Weldon, an opera singer and actor who starred in the 1954 sci-fi film “Them!,” died on Feb. 11 in her home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., her family announced Thursday. She was 90.

“With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Joan Louise Weldon Podell, a loving and devoted mother, wife, grandmother and dear friend, on February 11th, 2021, who passed away peacefully at her home in Fort Lauderdale Fl,” the family wrote. “A talented and successful opera singer and actress of theatre, film, musicals and television, she was simply known to many as Joanie, whose love for light-hearted pranks and practical jokes spread joy wherever she went.”

In “Them!,” which was nominated for a special effects Oscar and spawned a series of “big bug” movies in Hollywood, she played Dr. Patricia Weldon, who helps destroy the colony of mutant ants along with her doctor father.

Weldon made her professional stage debut at 16 years old,...

Joan Weldon, stage actress and a Warner Bros. contract player in the 1950s who achieved lasting sci-fi fame in the creature feature giant ant classic Them!, died Feb. 11 at her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She was 90.

Her death was only recently announced by her family. A cause was not specified, but the family notes that she “passed away peacefully” at home.

“A talented and successful opera singer and actress of theatre, film, musicals and television, she was simply known to many as Joanie,” the family writes, “whose love for light-hearted pranks and practical jokes spread joy wherever she went.”

Born in San Francisco, Weldon began her professional career at age 16 when she became the San Francisco Opera’s youngest contract singer. She would return to the live stage often, appearing on Broadway opposite Alfred Drake in the 1961 musical Kean.

In 1958 she played Marian the Librarian in the national touring...

Joan Weldon, the actress and singer dubbed “filmdom’s fairest exterminator” after her turn as a young scientist investigating giant, radiation-mutated ants in the 1954 sci-fi classic Them!, has died. She was 90.

Weldon died Feb. 11 at her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, her family announced.

A onetime contract player at Warner Bros., Weldon during her heyday appeared in several Westerns, including The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) and Riding Shotgun (1954) opposite Randolph Scott; The Command (1954) with Guy Madison; Gunsight Ridge (1957) alongside Joel McCrea; and Day of the Badman (1958) with Fred MacMurray.

On the stage, she starred for three years as ...

Joan Weldon, the actress and singer dubbed “filmdom’s fairest exterminator” after her turn as a young scientist investigating giant, radiation-mutated ants in the 1954 sci-fi classic Them!, has died. She was 90.

Weldon died Feb. 11 at her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, her family announced.

A onetime contract player at Warner Bros., Weldon during her heyday appeared in several Westerns, including The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) and Riding Shotgun (1954) opposite Randolph Scott; The Command (1954) with Guy Madison; Gunsight Ridge (1957) alongside Joel McCrea; and Day of the Badman (1958) with Fred MacMurray.

On the stage, she starred for three years as ...

The trailer for Dead Ant is here and it looks like a classic monster movie mixed with Spinal Tap. The movie is a comic reimagining of the sci-fi classic of Them!. The B-movie vibe is laid on extra thick in the new trailer that features Sean Astin tripping out on Peyote and Tom Arnold pulling out a gun to shoot a giant ant after explaining that he carries the gun because he's in the music business. If that doesn't make you want to watch the movie, who knows what will. The impressive cast looks like they had a blast making Dead Ant and the soundtrack is stuffed with fake 80s metal adding to the fun.

The story starts when the "one-hit-wonder" glam-metal band "Sonic Grave" embark on a trip to Coachella in hopes of a comeback, but end up in No-Chella since their manager couldn't book them for the official...

Merle Oberon films: From empress to duchess in 'Hotel.' Merle Oberon films: From starring to supporting roles Turner Classic Movies' Merle Oberon month comes to an end tonight, March 25, '16, with six movies: Désirée, Hotel, Deep in My Heart, Affectionately Yours, Berlin Express, and Night Song. Oberon's presence alone would have sufficed to make them all worth a look, but they have other qualities to recommend them as well. 'Désirée': First supporting role in two decades Directed by Henry Koster, best remembered for his Deanna Durbin musicals and the 1947 fantasy comedy The Bishop's Wife, Désirée (1954) is a sumptuous production that, thanks to its big-name cast, became a major box office hit upon its release. Marlon Brando is laughably miscast as Napoleon Bonaparte, while Jean Simmons plays the title role, the Corsican Conqueror's one-time fiancée Désirée Clary (later Queen of Sweden and Norway). In a supporting role – her...

By Doug Oswald

Randolph Scott plays a former Confederate spy in the 1953 western “The Stranger Wore a Gun.” When the movie starts, Jeff Travis (Scott) is involved in a brutal murder during the final days of the Civil War while spying for Quantrill' Raiders, a gang of notorious Confederate guerrillas. A wanted man after the war, Travis heads west to Arizona to start a new life. Josie Sullivan (Claire Trevor) helps him escape from a river boat and meets up with him later in Arizona. Travis also meets up with one of his former Quantrill Raider associates, Jules Mourret (George Macready), who offers him a position in his new gang of outlaws so he can continue to steal “Yankee gold.”

Mourret wants Travis to continue his old ways as a spy and pretends to be a detective sent by the stage line to investigate recent gold robberies. Travis meets the...

The gaudy MGM musical bio gets one last go-round, gathering an all-star cast to illustrate the songbook of composer Sigmund Romberg. Gene Kelly dances with his brother Fred, and Cyd Charisse does a hot number with James Mitchell, while star José Ferrer goes on stage to perform with his wife Rosemary Clooney. Deep in My Heart Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1954 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 132 min. / Street Date November 10, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 17.95 Starring José Ferrer, Merle Oberon, Helen Traubel, Doe Avedon, Walter Pidgeon, Jim Backus, Rosemary Clooney, Gene Kelly, Fred Kelly, Jane Powell, Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse, Howard Keel, Vic Damone, Tony Martin, Joan Weldon, Fred Kelly, Russ Tamblyn. Susan Luckey, Robert Easton, Barrie Chase, Douglas Fowley. Cinematography George J. Folsey Film Editor Adrienne Fazan Original Music Alexander Courage, Adolph Deutsch Written by Leonard Spigelgass from a book by Elliott Arnold Produced by Roger Edens Directed by Stanley Donen

Reviewed...

I'll trade you two RKOs for two Warners', an even swap! This quartet of movie-magic wonderments offer a full course on old-school film effects wizardry at its best. Willis O'Brien passes the baton to disciple Ray Harryhausen, who dazzles us with his own effects magic for the first '50s giant monster epic. And the best monster thriller of the decade is offered at its original widescreen aspect ratio. It's all special enough to merit a mid-week review. Special Effects Collection Blu-ray The Son of Kong, Mighty Joe Young, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Them! Warner Home Video 1933-1954 / B&W / 1:37 Academy - 1:85 widescreen / 335 min. / Street Date October 27, 2015 / 54.96 or 19.98 separately Starring Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack,, Frank Reicher, Victor Wong; Robert Armstrong, Terry Moore, Ben Johnson, Frank McHugh; Paul Christian, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey, Donald Woods, Lee Van Cleef; James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens,...

With her crisp diction and no-nonsense demeanor, Kathleen Chalfant is often cast as the voice of reason. She appears onscreen at pivotal moments, sets the protagonist straight, and is gone. The promise of Isn't It Delicious is that Chalfant plays the lead, and uses the opportunity to deconstruct one of the poised, imposing characters she's known for. The first glimpse of Chalfant as Connecticut matriarch Joan Weldon finds her meditatively smoking like a patrician femme fatale. Joan then joins her soft-spoken husband, Bill (Keir Dullea), to attend his brother's funeral, a family gathering that brings simmering conflicts to full boil. When director Michael Patrick Kelly and screenwriter Kathleen J. Kiley (both making their first feature film) focus on Joan, Isn't It Deli...

Godzilla 1954, Mickey Rooney, Giant Ants, Fascists, and rarely seen ‘Musty Stuffer’: Eclectic Packard Theater movies in May 2014 (photo: ‘Godzilla’) Godzilla 1954, Mickey Rooney, military fascists, deadly giant ants, racing car drivers, and The Mishaps of Musty Suffer, a super-rare slapstick comedy series from the 1910s, are a few of the highlights at the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus Theater in May 2014. Godzilla 1954 and fellow movie monsters Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla 2014, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, and Bryan Cranston, opens on May 16 in much of the world. On May 8 at the Packard Theater, you’ll get the chance to check out Ishiro Honda’s Godzilla 1954 aka Gojira — in the original, Toho-released, Japanese-language version (i.e., without Raymond Burr). As part of its Godzilla double bill, the Packard Theater will also present Motoyoshi Oda’s Gigantis, the Fire Monster aka Godzilla Raids Again (1955). Besides Godzilla, the Packard Theater will...

Hollywood horror has been all about sequels for the last 30-odd years, from the slasher films of Friday the 13th, Halloween, Child's Play and Nightmare on Elm Street, to the modern micro-budget franchise model of Saw, Paranormal Activity and Insidious.  In addition to the wild success of the latter approach, studios will occasionally drop a remake that no one in particular asked for (ahem, Carrie).  Not all remakes are necessarily bad news, however, as just this week we learned that Clive Barker himself would be writing a Hellraiser remake with Doug Bradley likely reprising his role as the iconic antagonist, Pinhead.  All well and good, but there's a huge chunk of Hollywood horror I'd love to see return to the screen: the good ol' fashioned creature feature.  Hit the jump to find out more.  Hollywood!  Adapt this: Them! What It's About: Next year marks the 60th anniversary of this science-fiction film from director Gordon Douglas,...

Randolph Scott Westerns, comedies, war dramas: TCM schedule on August 19, 2013 See previous post: “Cary Grant and Randolph Scott Marriages — And ‘Expect the Biographical Worst.’” 3:00 Am Badman’S Territory (1946). Director: Tim Whelan. Cast: Randolph Scott, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Ann Richards. Bw-98 mins. 4:45 Am Trail Street (1947). Director: Ray Enright. Cast: Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys. Bw-84 mins. 6:15 Am Return Of The Badmen (1948). Director: Ray Enright. Cast: Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Jacqueline White, Steve Brodie, Tom Keene aka Richard Powers, Robert Bray, Lex Barker, Walter Reed, Michael Harvey, Dean White, Robert Armstrong, Tom Tyler, Lew Harvey, Gary Gray, Walter Baldwin, Minna Gombell, Warren Jackson, Robert Clarke, Jason Robards Sr., Ernie Adams, Lane Chandler, Dan Foster, John Hamilton, Kenneth MacDonald, Donald Kerr, Ida Moore, ‘Snub’ Pollard, Harry Shannon, Charles Stevens. Bw-90 mins. 8:00 Am Riding Shotgun (1954). Director: André De Toth. Cast: Randolph Scott, Wayne Morris,...

Them!

Directed by Gordon Douglas

Written by Ted Sherdeman

1954, USA

In that filled-to-bursting canon of 1950s science fiction cinema, movies range from true film classics – like the Hawksian The Thing from Another World (1951), and that alarm bell about human desensitization, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – to cheapie craptasmagoriums like Beginning of the End (1957 – giant grasshoppers crawling over photographs of downtown Chicago), and It Conquered the World (1956 – “It” being an alien that looks like a devil-faced carrot with lobster claws). I’d go as far as to say the consensus is probably there’s just a few of the former, and a whole stinking pile of the latter. But scattered (thinly, I’d have to say) between those poles are movies neither classic nor crap, but made with enough craftsmanship to be eminently and repeatably watchable. You know: just good, damned fun! One of my faves from that group: Them! (1954).

A...

Paul Henreid: Actor was ‘dependable’ leading man to Hollywood actresses Paul Henreid, best known as the man who wins Ingrid Bergman’s body but not her heart in Casablanca, is Turner Classic Movies’ Star of the Month of July 2013. TCM will be showing a couple of dozen movies featuring Henreid, who, though never a top star, was a "dependable" — i.e., unexciting but available — leading man to a number of top Hollywood actresses of the ’40s, among them Bette Davis, Ida Lupino, Olivia de Havilland, Eleanor Parker, Joan Bennett, and Katharine Hepburn. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of Paul Henreid movies to be shown on Turner Classic Movies in July consists of Warner Bros. productions that are frequently broadcast all year long, no matter who is TCM’s Star of the Month. Just as unfortunately, TCM will not present any of Henreid’s little-seen supporting performances of the ’30s, e.

Some comments on my review of the Doctor Who Christmas Special 'A Christmas Carol' got me thinking about how it came to be that everyone's favourite Time Lord can never seem to get any 'action', romantically speaking. It's not been for want of attention or admirers; even back in the William Hartnell days, The Doctor was capable of flirting and even having a matrimonial 'near-miss' in the 1964 Who outing 'The Aztecs', so Matt Smith's Doctor is breaking no new ground in running away from connubial bliss with the 1957 version of Marilyn Monroe in 'A Christmas Carol'.

Can 47 years of sexual tension ever be released without killing the fundamental dynamic of the show? I've come to believe that it probably can't - which, if true, puts the Gallifreyan rogue at least neck-and-neck with Star Trek's Mr. Spock in terms of 'attractive unavailability'.

When the show...