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Timeline

Them! (1954) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1954 · 94 min
JustWatch #13,070 6
Directed by
Gordon Douglas
Starring
Edmund Gwenn, James Whitmore, Onslow Stevens, Sean McClory, James Arness, Christian Drake

A group of people are lured by the promise of a transformative experience, believing it will improve their lives. However, they soon discover the reality is far different from what they were led to expect. Daniel is among those initially hopeful, but he’s forced to confront unsettling truths that challenge his beliefs and threaten to dismantle everything he thought he knew.

Sci-Fi Horror Cast, crew & box office
On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (14)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Them! (1954)

Where can you watch Them!? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on IndieFlix, TCM and Fawesome: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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14 events in order · contains spoilers

Them! Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Them! (1954) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Discovery of the catatonic girl in the desert

    Two officers find a catatonic girl wandering the desert near Alamogordo, along with the ravaged travel trailer she came from. They call for an ambulance and begin processing the crime scene. The discovery hints at a larger, more dangerous mystery at work.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Alamogordo, New Mexico

  2. Destruction at the general store

    The investigators head to a nearby rural general store, which has been destroyed in the same manner as the trailer. The store owner's body is found in the cellar, mutilated, and clearly not a robbery. No money is missing from either scene, suggesting something beyond ordinary crime.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Near Alamogordo, New Mexico

  3. An ominous sound and attack

    Back at the trailer site, Blackburn hears a strange pulsating sound from outside and investigates. He fires at something unseen and experiences a painful, violent shock, screaming in agony. The incident implies a deadly, otherworldly threat at the crime scene.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Desert near the trailer, Alamogordo area

  4. Graham arrives; scientists are summoned

    Agent Robert Graham is called in from the local FBI office to assist Peterson. He forwards a footprint cast to Washington, D.C., and learns that Drs. Harold and Pat Medford, a father-daughter myrmecology team, are being sent by the Department of Agriculture. Their expertise will help identify the insect clue.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Alamogordo / local FBI office

  5. Formic acid triggers a reaction

    Harold Medford exposes the girl to the scent of formic acid, a chemical characteristic of ants. The odor jolts her from catatonia, but she screams 'Them! Them!' in panic. The scientists begin to connect the girl’s condition to an ant-related threat.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Field near the trailer, desert

  6. Ant attack and blinding a threat

    Pat Medford is attacked by a giant foraging ant during a field search. Harold directs Peterson and Graham to shoot off the ant's antennae to blind it, then Peterson finishes the creature with a Thompson submachine gun. The encounter demonstrates the ants' dangerous capabilities.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Desert search area

  7. Mutation theory and the nest found

    Harold theorizes the ants were mutated by radiation from the first atomic bomb test near Alamogordo and have become carnivorous due to desert scarcity. A helicopter discovers a giant nest surrounded by human remains. Cyanide gas bombs are dropped and Graham, Peterson, and Pat enter to explore the nest.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Desert, near Alamogordo

  8. Two queens hatch and threaten spread

    At the lowest level, Pat finds evidence that two queen ants have hatched and flown away, suggesting the potential for further outbreaks. The team realizes the danger of rapid spread if the queens establish new colonies. Harold warns that humanity could be displaced if the ants proliferate.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Ant nest; desert

  9. Widening search: Brownsville lead

    The search area broadens as investigators pursue leads across states. Graham and Pat travel to Brownsville, Texas, to interrogate a ranch foreman who claims he was forced down by UFOs shaped like giant ants. The information expands the scope and urgency of the investigation.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Brownsville, Texas

  10. Acapulco freighter incident

    A queen ant boards a freighter in Acapulco, and its offspring emerge in the Pacific. The U.S. Navy responds but only finds two sailors alive; the freighter is ordered sunk to prevent spread. The pursuit of the ants reaches transoceanic scales.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Acapulco / Pacific Ocean

  11. Los Angeles drains: a citywide threat

    A shipment of stolen sugar leads investigators to a Los Angeles hospital, where a chronic alcoholic claims to have seen giant ants in the city’s storm drains. They trace the sightings to the drain network and connect them to the missing queen and two missing boys.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Los Angeles, California

  12. Martial law and the drain sweep

    Martial law is declared in Los Angeles and a curfew is imposed as the armed forces and scientists search the 700 miles of tunnels beneath the city. The team locates the remaining queen and confirms no other queens have escaped. The scale of the threat becomes starkly clear.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Los Angeles drains

  13. Rescue and final confrontation

    Peterson finds the two missing boys trapped by ants and calls for reinforcements. He is killed during the rescue attempt, but Graham arrives with backup and the queen along with her hatchlings is located. The nest is destroyed in a final push to end the invasion.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Los Angeles drainage system

  14. Endgame and reflection

    The Medfords confirm no further queens remain and the nest is destroyed, marking a grim victory. Graham wonders what havoc past nuclear explosions might unleash, and Harold notes that humanity has entered a new world with an unpredictable future.

    When
    1954
    Where
    Los Angeles

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:35

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Timeline questions answered

Them! Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Them! (1954): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did the giant ants become dangerous and start attacking humans?

Dr. Harold Medford explains that the ants were mutated by radiation from the first atomic bomb tests near Alamogordo. The radiation changed their behavior and made them carnivorous because the desert's sparse food supply could no longer sustain their enlarged bodies. This explains why they began hunting humans and livestock instead of their normal diet.

  • mutation
  • atomic bomb
  • carnivorous
  • desert
  • alamogordo
Q2

How did formic acid help identify the threat?

When Dr. Harold Medford exposed the catatonic girl to the scent of formic acid, the chemical signature of ants, she immediately broke from her catatonia and screamed 'Them! Them!' This reaction confirmed that the girl's traumatic experience was directly connected to ants, allowing the investigators to pivot from a conventional crime investigation to one focused on the insect threat.

Foreshadowing: The crime scene initially appeared to be the work of humans, with no money taken and mysterious violence.

  • formic acid
  • catatonic girl
  • reaction
  • identification
Q3

Why was it critical that two queen ants had hatched and escaped?

The discovery of two hatched queen ants was the most dangerous finding because a single fertilized queen can establish an entire new colony. Harold Medford warned that if both queens survived and founded colonies, humanity could be displaced as the dominant species within a year. This urgency drove the expanded search across multiple states and ultimately to Los Angeles.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows the queen discovery occurred deep in the nest before the ants had spread.

  • queen ants
  • colonies
  • spread
  • threat
  • reproduction
Q4

How did the giant ants spread from New Mexico to Los Angeles?

After two queen ants hatched in the Alamogordo nest and flew away, they dispersed to establish new colonies. One queen boarded a freighter in Acapulco, and its offspring attacked the ship in the Pacific before it was sunk by the Navy. The final queen made her way to Los Angeles, where she established a nest in the city's extensive storm drain system spanning over 700 miles, leading to the missing boys and the final confrontation.

Foreshadowing: The early discovery of two escaped queens set the stage for geographically dispersed threats.

  • queen
  • spread
  • acapu freighter
  • pacific
  • drains
  • los angeles
Q5

What did the ending imply about future threats?

The film ends on a grim note when Agent Graham asks what other horrors might result from past nuclear explosions. Dr. Harold Medford responds that mankind has entered a new world where no one can predict what will emerge. This closing exchange suggests the ants were just the first of potentially many mutated creatures that could arise from atomic testing, leaving the threat unresolved and ominous.

  • ending
  • nuclear
  • future
  • threat
  • mutation
  • prediction
Q6

Why were the two boys missing in the Los Angeles storm drains?

The two young sons were abducted by the remaining queen ant and her colony, dragged into the depths of the storm drain system. Peterson eventually located them trapped by the advancing insects and attempted a rescue, though he was killed during the effort before reinforcements arrived to save the boys and destroy the nest.

  • boys
  • rescue
  • drains
  • abduction
  • peterson
Q7

How did atomic bomb testing create giant ants?

Dr. Harold Medford theorized that radiation from the first atomic bomb test at White Sands near Alamogordo mutated the ants, causing them to grow to enormous size. This scientific explanation was the film's way of connecting the real-world anxiety about nuclear weapons to the horror of uncontrollable creation, a theme that defined 1950s atomic age science fiction.

Foreshadowing: The discovery occurred near Alamogordo, the actual site of early nuclear testing.

  • atomic bomb
  • mutation
  • radiation
  • size
  • science
Q8

What happened to Peterson in the final battle?

Peterson was killed during the rescue attempt in the Los Angeles drainage system while attempting to save the two missing boys from the approaching ants. His death occurred just before Graham arrived with reinforcements, which allowed the team to successfully confront the queen and destroy the nest.

  • peterson
  • death
  • rescue
  • battle
  • drains
Q9

Why was martial law declared in Los Angeles?

Martial law was declared in Los Angeles because the missing queen ant had established a colony in the city's storm drain network, spanning over 700 miles of tunnels beneath the streets. The threat to the civilian population was deemed severe enough to impose a curfew and deploy military forces for the massive search and elimination operation.

  • martial law
  • curfew
  • military
  • search
  • drains
Q10

How did ants get onto the freighter in Acapulco?

A queen ant, one of the two that hatched in the Alamogordo nest, flew to Acapulco and boarded a freighter. She laid eggs that hatched into worker ants, which emerged and attacked the crew in the Pacific Ocean. The Navy eventually sank the ship after only two sailors survived, preventing the ants from reaching land.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows the queen escape preceded any other sightings outside New Mexico.

  • acapu
  • freighter
  • queen
  • navy
  • attack

Movie threads

More Movies Like Them!, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Them! tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Urgent investigative thrillers like in Them!

Stories where a race against time uncovers a terrifying scientific threat. If you liked the fast-paced, suspenseful investigation in Them!, you'll enjoy these movies. This list features similar stories where characters race to uncover a terrifying scientific or monstrous threat, creating a tense and urgent atmosphere.

  • urgent
  • suspenseful
  • investigative
  • ominous
  • anxious
  • paranoid
  • Tone: tense, suspenseful, ominous
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives typically follow a procedural structure, where clues are gathered and a threat is systematically identified. The plot is propelled forward by the escalating nature of the danger, often moving from an isolated incident to a potential catastrophe. The focus is on the logical, yet frantic, steps taken to solve the mystery and survive.

Why they belong together: Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared structure of a high-stakes investigation, their fast pacing that creates a sense of urgency, and their tense tone driven by an unknown, often science-based, horror.

Deep Space movie poster

Deep Space

1988
Endangered Species movie poster

Endangered Species

2002
Off the Grid movie poster

Off the Grid

2025
Spectral movie poster

Spectral

2016
Alien Hunter movie poster

Alien Hunter

2003
Alien Siege movie poster

Alien Siege

2018
Interceptor Force 2 movie poster

Interceptor Force 2

2002
Proximity movie poster

Proximity

2020

Atomic age monster movies with nuclear fear like in Them!

Cold War-era stories where radiation spawns horrors that reflect human folly. Fans of Them! and its themes of radiation mutation will appreciate these films. Explore similar monster movies from the Cold War era that channel nuclear anxiety into terrifying creatures, often with a tense, high-stakes plot and a thoughtful, cautionary tone.

  • apocalyptic fear
  • nuclear anxiety
  • cautionary tale
  • monster thriller
  • government secrecy
  • fearful
  • Tone: tense, bleak, cautionary
  • Pacing: steady to fast
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves humanity's arrogance, often in the form of atomic testing, inadvertently creating a new and deadly life form. The conflict is not just about survival, but also a confrontation with the unintended and horrifying results of scientific ambition. The journey often ends with a pyrrhic victory, leaving the audience to ponder the fragile balance of power.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their central theme of 'science gone wrong,' specifically through nuclear anxiety. They share a specific historical mood, a straightforward monster-hunt plot, and a tone that mixes genuine horror with societal commentary.

Them! movie poster

Them!

1954
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms movie poster

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

1953
The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues movie poster

The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues

1955
The Lost Missile movie poster

The Lost Missile

1958
Fiend Without a Face movie poster

Fiend Without a Face

1958
I Married a Monster from Outer Space movie poster

I Married a Monster from Outer Space

1958
Monster from Green Hell movie poster

Monster from Green Hell

1957
It Came from Outer Space movie poster

It Came from Outer Space

1953

Every angle

Them! (1954) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Them! in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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