This is a film still from EMPIRE OF THE ANTS dir Bert I Gordon, 1977, part of "Monsters Attack!" 16mm Double Bill presented by Lost Reels at The Cinema Museum (13 MAY 2023).

Lost Reels presents “Monsters Attack!” 16mm Double Bill at The Cinema Museum (13 MAY 2023).

“Monsters Attack!”: Lost Reels launches a series of classics, curios and forgotten gems on 16mm film with the inspired pairing of Ray Harryhausen’s golden age stop-motion sci-fi / horror masterpiece and Bert I. Gordon’s unintentionally hilarious cult feature.

Submitted by Lost Reels

“Monsters Attack!” 16mm Double Bill presented by Lost Reels at The Cinema Museum (13 MAY 18:00).

THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS d. Eugène Lourié, 1953 is a bone fide classic, responsible for a whole 1950s sub-genre of radiation-magnified monsters and malevolent aliens from outer space. It continues to engage audiences with its swift pace and frequent appearances of Harryhausen’s brilliant stop-motion monster.

In comparison, EMPIRE OF THE ANTS d. Bert I. Gordon, 1977 is a testament to genre resilience. A Florida swamp, a group of soap opera actors, and a reworking of THEM! (1954) were the only requirements for this commercially successful 70s monster feature. Frequently laughable the film has an undeniable camp value, and the sight of Joan Collins valiantly staying in character while squaring off against poorly superimposed ants and ludicrous ant puppets is unmissable.

Both films projected from one-of-a-kind vintage 16mm prints.

To celebrate this inaugural event all ticket holders will be entered into a free raffle for an original vintage 1977 UK quad poster of EMPIRE OF THE ANTS by legendary poster artist Brian Bysouth!

This is a film still from EMPIRE OF THE ANTS dir Bert I Gordon, 1977, part of "Monsters Attack!" 16mm Double Bill presented by Lost Reels at The Cinema Museum (13 MAY 2023).

Lost Reels presents “Monsters Attack!” 16mm Double Bill at The Cinema Museum (13 MAY 2023), booking now!

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*THE SMALL PRINT: Opinions author’s own. // As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any errors. Updates & corrections will be made to the online version only. // Event dates/times/formats are subject to change by the venue/organiser. Events may already be sold out at the time of posting, so please click quickly. // We try to list as many original format screenings as we can (8 to 70MM), but sometimes formats change due to age of the print, availability, logistics etc, so please check ahead with your venue if the format is your thing. // All images are used in the spirit of fair use for reporting & review – no ownership is implied or intended / unless otherwise credited to RADIANT CIRCUS as the original rights holder. We will remove any images immediately upon request – just get in touch. // We don’t filter our listings by age/certification: all readers & subscribers should therefore be 18+. // Finally, we always try to follow The Carny Code by “not screwing up anyone else’s game”, but everyone can make mistakes… If something does go wrong, we will always do our best to put it right. //.