The Food of the Gods

Bert I. Gordon
1976

Something tells me the original HG Wells story about the eponymous goop that causes animals to grow to alarming proportions didn't include shaggy blonde football players with sideburns in the lead, but honestly additional 70's affects could only better a fun-times B picture like this. Directed by special effects vet Bert I. Gordon, the film's pleasures come squarely from the copious use of matte shots, puppets, and some solid animal wranglin.' A couple of pro ballers get more than they bargained when they head out to blow off some steam on a rural island. One is stung and killed by a gigantic wasp, and our hero runs afoul a monstrous rooster. The source of the mondo critters comes from a thick, white, battery substance (ewww!) oozing forth from a spring in Ida Lupino's (!) backyard. When the maggots and rats get ahold of God's food things take a turn for the worse with Ida, the jocks, the standard love interest, a pregnant couple, and the stock asshole all thrust into a Romero-esque "survival horror" scenario. The matte shots are inconsistent with a sometimes lamely obvious and sometimes ingeniously skillful frame break between humans/scenery and marauding rats/miniatures. In general the puppets are pleasantly ludicrous (particularly the giant chicken), with a big model being pushed violently from offscreen into the poor actor in front of the camera. Also, the conceit that while rats are excellent swimmers, maybe the giant ones won't be, is more than a little eyebrow raising. All around schlocky fun that should be required viewing for pre-computer effects junkies.