History Film / PhaseIV

* LuredIntoATrap: The black ant in the AC unit chews on a wire with a mantis eyeing it as a meal. Once the mantis attacks, a second ant grabs it by the leg and drags it so it will fall and short out the machine.

* GlassShatteringSound: Lesko uses white sound to figure out which specific frequency will destroy the ants' mirrors, then switches to that to shatter them.

* AdaptiveAbility: Once our two leads use the yellow poison in the ants, several ants are shown individually attempting to get a large sample of it to the Queen ant. Once the poison gets to her (at the cost of the lives of three ants), she eats it and is shown laying a yellow egg. Not too much later, yellow ants immune to the poison are shown among the regular ones.
** There is a chance these yellow ants are poisonous as well but it's never made clear as none of the human characters ever physically touch them.

--->'''Hubbs''': Hello, James [Lesko]! As you can see, we are under siege. (Cut to a screen showing the mirrors that the ants have built outside, making the dome increasingly hotter).

* StuffBlowingUp: The ants begin constructing large towers and also solar reflectors to heat the laboratory. Hubbs constructs a homemade grenade launcher to take care of this.

* CloseOnTitle: Due to each act in the film being a different phase in the implied sequence of the title; the movie opens with Phase I, both subsequent acts are labelled as phases II and III with the movie ending on Phase IV.

* UrExample: One of the earliest examples of the CloseOnTitle trope, due to each act of the film being represented as the next phase of [[spoiler: the ants' domination of the world]]. The film opens with a Phase I titlecard, the second act is phase II, phase III starts the third act and we finally see Phase IV prior to the closing credits.

* CloseOnTitle

* SpiritualSuccessor: Presumably completely unintentional, but this film is nevertheless a far more faithful adaptation of the Creator/HGWells story "The Empire of the Ants" than the "official" Creator/BertIGordon film.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Kendra is barefoot throught the entire film.

The film opens with the Earth undergoing the effects of a strange and rare cosmic alignment. Scientists aren't sure what effects, if any, the alignment has had on the planet and are quick to write it off. One scientist, however, notices some strange behavior beginning to occur amongst Earth's ant populations--they're becoming more intelligent and aggressive. They've begun attacking larger insects and animal species that are threatening them. Then the ants decide to take it a step further and attack a human community, destroying its houses and driving out its residents. (Mind you, the ants are still the same size as they were pre-cosmic-alignment, they've just grown in intelligence and number.) Alarmed, the authorities dispatch a team of two scientists to the region of infestation to investigate what's going on. One of the scientists is a middle-aged British biologist named Hubbs (Nigel Davenport)--he was the one who originally noticed the ant's weird behavior. And the other scientist is a young cryptologist named Lesko (Creator/MichaelMurphy), whom Hubbs hired in the hope that he would be able to decipher the ants' communications and discover their intentions. The two men set up shop in the middle of the desert in a sealed geodesic dome equipped with poison sprayers and the best Seventies-Era technology government money can buy. Then they sit back and wait for the ants to make their first move...

Things don't go entirely as planned, however. A tragic accident involving one of their experiments results in the death of most of a farm family. Its lone surviving member--a teenage girl named Kendra (Creator/LynneFrederick)-- is forced to take up residence with the two scientists to await transportation out of the area. Things get worse when the ants sabotage the scientist's communication console, effectively cutting off everyone's sole means of escape. This might not have been a problem had the ants not proven themselves to be highly poisonous, and capable of building deadly traps. The humans aren't completely helpless--they have the science and ingenuity to counter the ants' measures. However, it remains to be seen which species will have the skill and intelligence to win the upcoming battle, much less survive it...

* AnimalNemesis: [[spoiler: Hubbs develops this mentality after the ants have poisoned him. It starts with him merely wanting to "teach the ants their place" and ends with him ranting and destroying everything in sight so he can kill a single ant whom he feels is spying on them. Kendra also releases the ants into the dome when, in a bout of rage at them killing her parents, smashes the equipment that contains them.]]

* CoversAlwaysLie: To be fair, the part where an ant comes from someone's palm ''do'' happens (but the person is long dead, so there's no blood), but the lab dome is never set ablaze and the poster implies that aliens are behind the ants' actions while the story never truly answers this.
* DecapitatedArmy: Hubbs' idea on the final act, driven by insanity and desperation more than anything else, is to leave the dome and walk several miles to what appears to be the central ant hive to kill the queen within. [[spoiler:Lesko walks to the hive, but the GainaxEnding occurs and pretty much implies that performing this would have been useless anyway]].

* EvilBrit: While Hubbs certainly isn't evil, he doesn't seem all that concerned about the deaths caused by one of his experiments. He's more interested in fighting the ants than he is in showing the proper amount of tact for his actions. (Of course, he's right about the ants and is justified in wanted his experiments to continue, but he should have done more than just shrug and say "Oh well," upon seeing the bodies of his experiments' unintended victims.)

* ForScience: Hubbs is pretty much this, [[spoiler:until the late stages of his insanity]], AdmiringTheAbomination, doing multiple theories and [[spoiler:coldly dismissing his role in the death of the farmers (by accidentally spraying them dead with a high-powered pesticide) by saying "sometimes people die"]]. Lesko also has the mentality, seeing in amazement the results of the computer analysis of the ants' reactions.

* GlassShatteringSound: Lesko manages to destroy the ants' mirrors by projecting white sound at them.
** Actually, he uses the white sound to figure out which specific frequency will destroy the mirrors, then switches to that.

* ItCanThink: The ants. And the cast is divided between admiring this, being terrified by this, and are looking for a way to make contact with the ants. [[spoiler:And even when many of them are quick to sacrifice themselves to sabotage the humans' gear, a scene after Lesko destroys the mirrors shows the ants grabbing their fellow ants' bodies and apparently ''mourn them'']].

* MinimalistCast: Two scientists, a bunch of RedShirt determined farmers that die quickly, and the sole surviving girl from the latter group that joins the scientists.

* SanitySlippage: Kendra's grandmother after the ants have driven them out of their home. And of course, there's also [[spoiler: Hubbs, who slips in and out of delirium after a poisonous ant bite has left his arm painful and swollen.]]

Things don't go entirely as planned, however. A tragic accident involving one of their experiments results in the death of most of a farm family. Its lone surviving member--a teenage girl named Kendra (Lynne Frederick)-- is forced to take up residence with the two scientists to await transportation out of the area. Things get worse when the ants sabotage the scientist's communication console, effectively cutting off everyone's sole means of escape. This might not have been a problem had the ants not proven themselves to be highly poisonous, and capable of building deadly traps. The humans aren't completely helpless--they have the science and ingenuity to counter the ants' measures. However, it remains to be seen which species will have the skill and intelligence to win the upcoming battle, much less survive it...

* {{Fanservice}}: Lynne Frederick (Kendra) was definitely very cute in a Seventies sort of way. One sequence follows an ant up close as it crawls through her clothing, giving the viewer an ant's-eye view of Kendra's...um...assets.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/55_og.jpg]]

This 1974 film would seem, on the surface, to resemble many of the other "Man vs. Bugs" films that came out during TheSeventies (like ''Film/TheSwarm'' and ''Film/KingdomOfTheSpiders''). ''Phase IV'', however, is a bit more cerebral than its brethren; the conflict with the ants in this movie more resembles a game of chess than it does an action-packed physical battle. It was the first and only feature-length film made by Creator/SaulBass, who is better known for his graphic designs and [[ArtisticTitle innovative opening title sequences]] for various classic movies, like Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''.

The film opens with the Earth undergoing the effects of a strange and rare cosmic alignment. Scientists aren't sure what effects, if any, the alignment has had on the planet and are quick to write it off. One scientist, however, notices some strange behavior beginning to occur amongst Earth's ant populations--they're becoming more intelligent and aggressive. They've begun attacking larger insects and animal species that are threatening them. Then the ants decide to take it a step further and attack a human community, destroying its houses and driving out its residents. (Mind you, the ants are still the same size as they were pre-cosmic-alignment, they've just grown in intelligence and number.) Alarmed, the authorities dispatch a team of two scientists to the region of infestation to investigate what's going on. One of the scientists is a middle-aged British biologist named Hubbs (Nigel Davenport)--he was the one who originally noticed the ant's weird behavior. And the other scientist is a young cryptologist named Lesko (Michael Murphy), whom Hubbs hired in the hope that he would be able to decipher the ants' communications and discover their intentions. The two men set up shop in the middle of the desert in a sealed geodesic dome equipped with poison sprayers and the best Seventies-Era technology government money can buy. Then they sit back and wait for the ants to make their first move...

This 1974 film would seem, on the surface, to resemble many of the other "Man vs. Bugs" films that came out during TheSeventies (like ''Film/TheSwarm'' and ''Film/KingdomOfTheSpiders''). ''Phase IV'', however, is a bit more cerebral than its brethren; the conflict with the ants in this movie more resembles a game of chess than it does an action-packed physical battle. It was the first and only feature-length film made by Creator/SaulBass, who is better known for his graphic designs and innovative opening title sequences for various classic movies, like Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''.

* KillItWithFire: The DeterminedHomesteader family builds a moat and fills it with gasoline, hoping that setting it ablaze will keep the ants at bay. [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs It doesn't works]].

* AnimalNemesis: [[spoiler: Hubbs develops this mentality after the ants have poisoned him. It starts with him merely wanting to "teach the ants their place" and ends with him ranting and destroying everything in sight so he can kill a single ant whom he feels is spying on them. Kendra also releases the ants into the dome when, in a bout of rage at them killing their parents, smashes the equipment that contains them.]]

The film opens with the Earth undergoing the effects of a strange and rare cosmic alignment. Scientists aren't sure what effects, if any, the alignment has had on the planet and are quick to write it off. One scientist, however, notices some strange behavior beginning to occur amongst Earth's ant populations--they're becoming more intelligent and aggressive. They've begun attacking larger insects and animal species that are threatening them. Then the ants decide to take it a step further and attack a human community, destroying its houses and driving out its residents. (Mind you, the ants are still the same size as they were pre-cosmic-alignment, they've just grown in intelligence and number.) Alarmed, the authorities dispatch a team of two scientists to the region of infestation to investigate what's going on. One of the scientists is a middle-aged British biologist named Hubbs (Nigel Davenport)--he was the one who originally noticed the ant's weird behavior. And the other scientist is a young cryptologist named Lesko (Michael Murphy), whom Hubbs hired in the hope that he would be able to decipher the ants communications and discover their intentions. The two men set up shop in the middle of the desert in a sealed geodesic dome equipped with poison sprayers and the best Seventies-Era technology government money can buy. Then they sit back and wait for the ants to make their first move...

* AnimalNemesis: [[spoiler: Hubbs develops this mentality, after the ants have poisoned him. It starts with him merely wanting to "teach the ants their place" and ends with him ranting and destroying everything in sight so he can kill a single ant whom he feels is spying on them. Kendra also releases the ants into the dome when, in a bout of rage at them killing their parents, smashes the equipment that contains them.]]

* ClosedCircle: Item one: the ants are surrounding the dome. Item two: Hubbs, in his emphasis to stay around to keeping on AdmiringTheAbomination, deliberately left the scientists' car outside of the dome. Item three: the first thing that the ants sabotage within the lab is the radio transmitter, so they cannot call for a helicopter.

Not to be confused with the suspense movie ''Phase IV'', which came out in 2001.

This 1974 film would seem, on the surface, to resemble many of the other "Man vs. Bugs" films that came out during the Seventies (like ''Film/TheSwarm'' and ''Film/KingdomOfTheSpiders''). ''Phase IV'', however, is a bit more cerebral than its brethren; the conflict with the ants in this movie more resembles a game of chess than it does an action-packed physical battle. It was the first and only feature-length film made by Creator/SaulBass, who is better known for his graphic designs and innovative opening title sequences for various classic movies, like Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''.

The film opens with the Earth undergoing the effects of a strange and rare cosmic alignment. Scientists aren't sure what effects, if any, the alignment has had on the planet and are quick to write it off. One scientist, however, notices some strange behavior beginning to occur amongst Earth's ant populations--they're becoming more intelligent and aggressive. They've begun attacking larger insects and animal species that are threatening them. Then the ants decide to take it a step further and attack a human community, destroying its houses and driving out its residents. (Mind you, the ants are still the same size as they were pre-cosmic-alignment, they've just grown in intelligence and number.) Alarmed, the authorities dispatch a team of two scientists to the region of infestation to investigate what's going on. One of the scientists is a middle-aged British biologist named Hubbs--he was the one who originally noticed the ant's weird behavior. And the other scientist is a young cryptologist named Lesko, whom Hubbs hired in the hope that he would be able to decipher the ants communications and discover their intentions. The two men set up shop in the middle of the desert in a sealed geodesic dome equipped with poison sprayers and the best Seventies-Era technology government money can buy. Then they sit back and wait for the ants to make their first move...

Things don't go entirely as planned however. A tragic accident involving one of their experiments results in the death of most of a farm family. Its lone surviving member--a teenage girl named Kendra-- is forced to take up residence with the two scientists to await transportation out of the area. Things get worse when the ants sabotage the scientist's communication console, effectively cutting off everyone's sole means of escape. This might not have been a problem had the ants not proven themselves to be highly poisonous, and capable of building deadly traps. The humans aren't completely helpless--they have the science and ingenuity to counter the ants' measures. However, it remains to be seen which species will have the skill and intelligence to win the upcoming battle, much less survive it...

''Phase IV'' would seem, on the surface, to resemble many of the other "Man vs. Bugs" films that came out during the Seventies (like ''Film/TheSwarm'' and ''Film/KingdomOfTheSpiders''). ''Phase IV'', however, is a bit more cerebral than its brethren; the conflict with the ants in this movie more resembles a game of chess than it does an action-packed physical battle. It was the first and only feature-length film made by Creator/SaulBass, who is better known for his innovative opening title sequences for various classic movies, like Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''.

[[quoteright:262:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Phase_IV_1036.jpg]]

''Phase IV'' would seem, on the surface, to resemble many of the other "Man Vs. Bugs" films that came out during the Seventies (like ''Film/TheSwarm'' and ''Film/KingdomOfTheSpiders''). ''Phase IV'', however, is a bit more cerebral than its brethren; the conflict with the ants in this movie more resembles a game of chess than it does an action-packed physical battle. It was the first and only feature-length film made by Creator/SaulBass, who is better known for his innovative opening title sequences for various classic movies, like Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''.

Although ''Phase IV'' once appeared on MysteryScienceTheater3000 during the KTMA days, it wasn't so much because of its quality as it was because of its sci-fi subject matter, its [[GainaxEnding strange, ambiguous ending]], and the fact that KTMA just didn't have a whole lot of movies in its library to choose from. (Pretty much anything they had that was remotely science fictiony --or remotely related to the Mystery Genre for that matter--wound up on the show.)