Wuchak
Written on 6/23/2022
_**Great locations, decent f/x for the time, but dull story**_
Vacationers on a Canadian island in the Great Northwest encounter huge animals, such as wasps, chickens, rats and grubs. Will they make it out alive? The cast includes Marjoe Gortner, Pamela Franklin, Ralph Meeker, Jon Cypher, Ida Lupino, Belinda Balaski and Tom Stovall.
āFood of the Godsā (1976) is a Bert Ira Gordon production, whoās known for āBā sci-fi/horror flicks, often involving giant creatures of one sort or another, such as āEarth vs. the Spiderā (1958), āAttack of the Puppet Peopleā (1958), āVillage of the Giantsā (1965) and āEmpire of the Antsā (1977).
It borrows the plot of āNight of the Living Deadā (1968) just exchanging the zombies for giant animals. While the Bowen Island locations are to die for (no pun intended) and the special effects are quite good considering the era, the film failed to engage me as far as the characters and their story goes, although I appreciate the grim tone. The actors are fine; they just needed a better script to draw out compelling human interest.
As such, any of the other flicks mentioned above is a better option even though this was a hit for AIP. Sure, āVillage of the Giantsā has a goofy side, but no one can deny its high entertainment value, not the least being its notable female cast. Speaking of which, fans of Belinda should know that sheās pregnant thru most of the picture.
The movie runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot at Cowan's Point, Bowen Island, British Columbia, which is just northwest of Vancouver (where the football sequences were filmed).
GRADE: C