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Bert I. Gordon

Bert I. Gordon

Director, producer and writer, also cinematographer · Died March 8, 2023, aged 100 · Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA

Bert Ira Gordon (born September 24, 1922 in Kenosha, WI) was an American film director most famous for such science fiction and horror B-movies as The Amazing Colossal Man and Village of the Giants. Most of Gordon's work was in the idiom of giant monster films, for which he used rear-projection to create the special effects. His nickname "Mister B.I.G." was a reference both to his initials and to his preferred technique for making super-sized creatures. Gordon held a degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He began his career directing television commercials before moving to film in 1954 to produce Serpent Island. In 1957, he began his prolific association with American International Pictures. In 1960, he wrote, produced and directed The Boy and the Pirates, starring then active and popular child star Charles Herbert alongside Gordon's own daughter, Susan. The trio appeared together in the celebrity lineup at the 2006 Monster Bash in Pittsburgh, as The Walt Disney Company's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) spiked interest in previous "pirate" films. Empire of the Ants (1977) featured a pre-Dynasty Joan Collins, who later said of the film that it was her worst acting experience, but by then the loosely-based modernized H. G. Wells tale had been elevated to cult film status. While none of his films received significant critical attention, his work attained popularity in some circles. Cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) has featured several of his films, which the accompanying episodes are often regarded as some of the show's best. Gordon passed away on March 8, 2023, at 100 years old. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bert I. Gordon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 24, 1922
Died
March 8, 2023 (aged 100)
From
Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
Works as
Director, producer and writer, also cinematographer
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 4% in 30 days

What are Bert I. Gordon's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Power.

Genres

Horror5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 5th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 7th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 14th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
43%
Power
17%
Morality
16%
Bonds
10%
Ideas
8%
Self
3%
Society
3%
Survival10 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMortality2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 11 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 12 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 13 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Dread
11
Thrilling
6
Absurd
3
Melancholic
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Fun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Bert I. Gordon's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Bert I. Gordon's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

25 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Secrets of a Psychopath(2015)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Satan's Princess(1989)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Big Bet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Witching (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director

  • Let's Do It! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer

  • Burned at the Stake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Empire of the Ants(1977)

    Director · Producer · Screenstory · Visual Effects

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Food of the Gods(1976)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · Visual Effects

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Mad Bomber(1973)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Necromancy(1972)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • How to Succeed with Sex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Picture Mommy Dead(1966)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Village of the Giants(1965)

    Director · Producer · Screenstory · Visual Effects

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • The Magic Sword(1962)

    Director · Producer · Screenstory · Visual Effects

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Famous Ghost Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director · Producer · Story · Writer

  • Tormented(1960)

    Director · Producer · Story · Visual Effects

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Boy and the Pirates(1960)

    Director · Producer · Story · Visual Effects

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Spider(1958)

    Director · Producer · Screenstory · Special Effects

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • War of the Colossal Beast(1958)

    Director · Producer · Screenstory · Special Effects

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Attack of the Puppet People(1958)

    Director · Producer · Special Effects · Story

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Amazing Colossal Man(1957)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Cyclops(1957)

    Director · Producer · Special Effects · Writer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Beginning of the End(1957)

    Director · Producer · Special Effects

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • King Dinosaur(1955)

    Director · Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Serpent Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Supervising Editor · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 25 titles from 1954 to 2015.

Biggest box office

Empire of the Ants (1977)

$970 worldwide

Highest rated

The Mad Bomber (1973)

Midcredits 38th

Most popular right now

Empire of the Ants (1977)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing25 of 25: 1 only directing, 24 with another role · typical Midcredits score9thWriting21 of 25: 0 only writing, 21 with another role · typical Midcredits score9thProducing23 of 25: 0 only producing, 23 with another role · typical Midcredits score9thCinematography2 of 25: 0 only cinematography, 2 with another roleEditing2 of 25: 0 only editing, 2 with another roleOther crew11 of 25: 0 only other crew, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score8th

25 titles, 24 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 23 of them.

By decade

1950s8 · crew1960s6 · crew1970s5 · crew1980s5 · crew2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Bert I. Gordon's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 9th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 14th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

14thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

7thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th16

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 18 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned3
  • Mixed15

Most divisive · director, writer, producer

Secrets of a Psychopath (2015)

85th percentile spread · 58% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer, producer, cinematographer

The Mad Bomber (1973)

Midcredits 38th · 37% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 47/100 and the pacing 40/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Bert I. Gordon work with?

People who share at least 2 of Bert I. Gordon's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Albert Glasser shares the most, 8.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers