It was the New Year's Day Videofest. Squirrel Lady had gone home at 9 pm. But, after a day of person-eating sharks, spiders, grasshoppers, bunnies, dinosaurs, and earthworms, Mr. Otter and I were just not ready to call it quits. This is a favorite of his, and as these 50s giant-irradiated-pissed-off-animal movies go, it's pretty darn good.

Atomic testing in the Southwest (and the opening credits show branches of Joshua trees, so you know it's close to home) has created giant ants. James Whitmore and James Arness are two highway patrol cops who are out to stop the madness! and end up in the LA water drainage system, battling it out, mano a mano...or rather, mandible to flamethrower...these guys are not stupid.

Pretty good writing, better than average quality special effects (which for the time is still not saying much, they made a lot of really bad giant animal movies in the fifties) and the fun of seeing LA get attacked make this a good choice for the genre.