Empire of the Ants (1977) takes an approach like The Hellstrom Chronicles in its voiceover but with a campy tale of Florida swampland sales behind it. The narrator explains: “This is the ant. Treat it with respect, or it may well be the most dominant creature on earth.” He explains that it makes crops of fungus for food, herds aphids, acts as a warrior, and builds bridges—It “rank[s] next to man in intelligence… with a sophisticated communication system with obligatory responses.”
Then radioactive waste is dumped into the ocean from a boat with labels reading “Do not open.” “Active,” “Danger,” they say as a man in a suit pushes them into the sea by machine. The boat drives away, and one of the barrels floats on shore near a long pier. It’s oozing, and ants enjoy it.
The scene is set for a tragedy at the Pelican Yacht Club where a corrupt landowner is selling property. A group comes for a free tour and snacks: an old couple with a camera, a young couple, a single blonde woman, a single drunk guy, a dark-haired couple from a bus, a single guy in a sports car, and a single redhead “not under obligation to buy property.” Marilyn Price is the owner, and her partner and a boat captain accompany them. The group shares relationship discussions as they tour, but then ant point of view shots come in, and prospective buyers are killed one by one. Eventually survivors must escape through the swamps to the river where a boat is waiting. Dan the boat captain rows, and ants seem to be herding them. “Oh my God! They’re herding us like cattle!” (or aphids).
They make it to civilization—an old farm couple—and the sheriff picks them up, driving them past a sugar refinery near the river. “Whatever you do, don’t let them take you to the sugar refinery,” the old farm wife had whispered. They can’t get a rental car, so they steal one and try to get out of town. There’s a roadblock up ahead. Joe and the blonde run away. Dan is knocked out. “We have enough here to begin with,” the sheriff says. Joe and the blonde run through sugar cane. The others go to the sugar refinery—there are now only five left altogether. There is enough sugar there to feed an army—but they must turn out that much every day. Prisoners are in trailers—worker slaves.
A whistle calls, and ants arrive covered with sugar. Joe and the blonde can’t get away from the ants. All the workers and the tour group are led up stairs—almost all are expressionless. The sheriff says, there’s nothing to fear. “Isn’t she beautiful,” he says, pointing to the queen ant. “She needs it. That’s why it has to be this way. We have no choice.” Every week they must be indoctrinated by the ant so can all work together. “We can all do what they want us to do.” The tour group members are pushed to the front of the line. The ants are making sure townspeople will grow and refine sugar for them. The owner Marilyn is indoctrinated. Dan takes a flare into the queen ant’s room, disturbing the pheromones she is using to communicate with them. Everyone runs, no longer indoctrinated. Joe and Dan burn up the sugar cane and ants. Joe jumps from the truck, and it explodes inside the sugar storage site. Owner is killed, but four escape, but the radioactive waste source again goes unaddressed.
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