Unearth

For some insight into a real-world "mind controlling" parasitical fungus with propagation similar to this movie, check out the "Cordyceps Fungus" (also called the 'Zombie Ant' fungus. Search also various YouTube/rumble videos) It's found worldwide, and prefers warm, humid locations like tropical rain forests. It can infect and destroy entire ant colonies and infects other species as well. It can significantly impact an ecosystem. The fungus embeds itself into the ant and then chemically controls and forces the ant to seek out and settle in an ideal location. It then makes the ant use its jaws to permanently clamp onto a leaf or other material until the fungus grows out from inside the ant into the air and spreads itself from "pods" like in the movie. It often forces the ants to locate near existing ant habitats so that it can infect more ants in a vicious cycle of infection and propagation.