Overdue Reviews: Mant

Greetings Friends and Neighbors, today's overdue review is all about Lawrence Woolsey's tingling masterpiece Mant (1962). 

Mant is the tragic tale about an ordinary man who becomes a twisted half man, half ant creature.  When Bill visits the dentist's office, he unknowingly is bitten by an ordinary ant.  Normally not a huge issue, but when compounded by the power of our friend Mr. Atom - he begins to undergo a metamorphosis, or change.  Yes the x-rays that hit Bill and the Ant merged their bodies and caused him to enlarge, or grow, into a huge ant monster.  Soon the army has to be called in to defeat the terror. 

This is an excellent example of the great films of the 50s and 60s.  The sad part when watching it today is that we don't have the benefit of the Rumblerama and Atomo-scope.  The original version of this movie featured all sorts of wonderful gimmicks such as buzzers in the seats and theatre rumbling sound effects.  That and of course a full sized Mant running up and down the aisles looking for a victim.  The showmanship is gone these days, I tell you. 

Of course, those astute Friends and Neighbors know that this movie can only be seen within the wonderful film Matinee by Joe Dante (1993).  Would it be possible, Mant would make an excellent piece of American film making, but alas this is a parody of the work of such pioneers as the great William Castle.  Though it is a fictionalization, this sort of stuff happened and that level of showmanship existed once upon a time. 

Go see Matinee and check out Mant! 

Be Excellent to Each Other,

~BAT

#Be2eO