Them

In the suffocating darkness of a remote Arizona mining town, a plague of biblical proportions emerges from the desert floor. When giant ants—mutated by atomic radiation from a nearby weapons test—begin their methodical invasion of human civilization, a small group of scientists and military officers must race against time to understand their enemy before the creatures consume everything in their path. This episode of CBS Radio Mystery Theater plunges listeners into a nightmare of chittering mandibles, chemical warfare, and the terrifying possibility that humanity's own scientific ambitions have spawned its doom. The tension builds with each scene: the discovery of colossal tunnels beneath the town, the horrifying realization that the creatures are intelligent and coordinated, and the dawning horror that conventional weapons may be utterly useless. Your pulse quickens with every sound effect—the alien clicking of insect communication, the screams of panic-stricken townsfolk, the desperate urgency in the voices of those fighting for survival.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater, which aired from 1974 to 1982, revived the golden age of dramatic radio storytelling for a new generation. "Them," adapted from the 1954 film of the same name, exemplifies the show's masterful blend of science fiction dread and classic mystery elements. During the Cold War era when the original story emerged, giant mutant creatures symbolized the lurking dangers of atomic radiation—a very real fear that permeated American consciousness. The radio adaptation captures that atomic-age anxiety while stripping away visual effects to create something far more primal: the terror born entirely from imagination and sound.

Don't miss this gripping descent into entomological horror. Tune in and discover why CBS Radio Mystery Theater earned its place in broadcasting history—where the monsters are heard, never seen, and infinitely more terrifying for it.