10 More Apocalypse Horrors That Broke All The Rules
1. Phase IV
1974's Phase IV is notable for far more than merely being the single directorial effort of legendary Hollywood title designer Saul Bass - it's also one of the most bizarre and unforgettable end-times movies ever made.
In stark contrast to the many typical "killer bug" movies of its era, Phase IV takes a uniquely surreal, cerebral approach to its subject matter, as a strange cosmic event causes Earth's ant populations to rapidly evolve, build strange pillars rising out of the Earth, and begin taking over the world.
It might sound silly, yet Bass almost entirely avoids B-movie schlock in favour of something far more unsettling, depicting the ants as a force of nature whose plan is ultimately more abstract than merely killing off the human race.
Instead of presenting an apocalypse in which a literally massive outside force threatens our existence, humanity becomes subverted by a species we generally pay little mind, yet which has mobilised in unfathomable number to undermine us.
Fun fact: Phase IV is also notable for featuring cinema's first-ever crop circle, some years before they were commonly used in staging UFO hoaxes around the world.