Phase IV (1974)

Directed by Saul Bass [Other horror films: N/A]

Phase IV is a film I’ve known about in a vague sense for a long time, but after seeing it, it’s fair to say that I probably didn’t really know a thing about it. Intensely interesting in the visual effects, the plot of Phase IV is sometimes questionable, but for a slice of 70’s science fiction/horror, you should definitely see this.

My expectations going into this were that it’s be a typical insect invasion movie (such as The Swarm or Kingdom of the Spiders), and while there is sort of an invasion, the movie is not at all typical in approach, which certainly gives the film a very unique look.

Most apparent in the style here is the insanely beautiful cinematography, especially close-ups. More often than not, you can see the hair on each individual ant, and there are scenes here, such as an ant crawling up someone’s shirt, that I have absolutely no idea how they shot. The cinematography was fascinating, and it often felt like a nature documentary. I liked a decent amount about the movie, but the cinematography is easily the best part.

The story feels a little aimless at parts, though perhaps a better description would be hopeless, as the characters probably don’t have much in terms of options, as they were caught in a scientific resort center, trapped by a few trillion ants (that number is an estimate, but it’s probably not far off). The ants don’t attack the people, though – they could, and one person does get bit in an accident; they instead use the people almost as experiments, a nice reversal of the norm.

Phase IV is not your typical movie. It’s nothing at all like The Swarm or Kingdom of the Spiders (and though I’ve seen neither of these movies, I suspect it’s nothing like Empire of the Ants or It Happened at Lakewood Manor either); it’s more philosophical in it’s execution. It’s certainly a horror film, but it feels more at times, and that’s what gives the film such a unique feeling.

Nigel Davenport (1974’s Dracula, 1977’s The Island of Dr. Moreau, 1973’s The Picture of Dorian Gray) played the scientifically-focused stereotype, not overly concerned with welfare if it’s likely to impact his experiment. Michael Murphy (Shocker, Count Yorga, Vampire) had a few moments where he annoyed me, but I enjoyed his more personable attitude, and while Lynne Frederick (Schizo) didn’t add a lot, she did give a fine performance.

This isn’t a movie to watch if you want to see ants swarm over people. Most of the ant action is more at the microscopic level, such as them working together to get a piece of poison to counteract it, or tricking a praying mantis into shorting out an air conditioner. There is a quality scene in which ants crawl out of a dead man’s hand, but most of the action here isn’t on a violent level.

I’ve not seen many films like Phase IV. I suspect if I watched science fiction, I probably would, but the only science fiction I watch tends to be infused with horror, so my exposure to straight science fiction is very limited. Phase IV had an interesting idea going for it, and the final scenes will probably give you something to think about. I can’t say I thought it was an amazing movie, but visually, I do think the film is fascinating, and very much worth approaching.

7.5/10