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I'm in the mood to watch some old movies featuring real life people fighting (or just simply running away from) claymation monsters. It seems, after searching for a few of these movies myself online, that Ray Harryhausen is the master of this genre- but I'm not going to limit myself to just his work. If anyone has any suggestions on what I should buy, let me know.

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger is a classic.  Claymation skeletons, scorpions and a really ugly giant at the end.

King Kong did it best in my opinion.

Clash of the Titans is the most recently released good claymation movie I can think of.

And if you're in the mood for a laughably bad claymation movie try Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor.  The monster is claymation in some scenes and the movie features the worst security guard EVER.  It came out a few years ago, and is on the shelf of all three big video stores near me, so I bet you can find it.  It's the kind of movie this site is dedicated to.

I don't wont to sound high & mighty, but as a self confessed Harryhausen Geek for over 25 years, Ray's technique was Stop Motion Animation, not claymation. (Well ok it was officially named Dynamation, then Dynarama). But in any case Ray never used clay.

And you are right in saying that Ray had the men-shaking-sticks-at-creatures genre almost to himself, but having said that, try to find Jim Danforth's WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH - made 20 years before ILM invented Go-motion, the stop motion is simply amazing!!!

As for Ray's films, check out MYSTERIOUS ISLAND & THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (my personal favs). They both have better scripts than his other films & the animation in both is incredible.

Also the giant scorpions in THE BLACK SCORPION by Pete Peterson are so dynamic & fluid too. Plus the film is just plain fun to watch.

I was more than ready for someone to correct me. :)

Thanks for the suggestions.

JASON and the Argonauts!!! Funny story. I showed this movie to my nephew when he was little. At the begining, where the old lady saves baby from the soldier, my nephew began crying. "I'm not watching this," he cried. "There gonna put that baby in that basket and put him in the river." I had to explain to him that he was thinking of the Ten Commandments. He ended up liking it and all the monsters.

Pete Peterson worked on The Black Scorpion, but Willis O'Brien is who they usually  give credit to.  Harryhausen had surpassed O'Brien at this point.  

O'Brien and Harryhausen worked together on the original Mighty Joe Young for which Harryhausen got a special Oscar.  

Jason and the Argonauts and Valley of the Gwangi have always been my favorites.

A tribute to Harryhausen:

http://www.malevole.com/mv/misc/tribute/

I like all Ray Harryhasuen films, but I saw this one this year called JACK THE GIANT KILLER. It has a clamation giant cyclops and also FLESH GORDON II has a weird claymation monster.

 Jack the Giant Killer (http://imdb.com/title/tt0056112/)



Post Edited (09-07-04 20:00)

Always loved the effects in Clash of the Titans. Although for some reason the Creepiest Character (http://www.thecinemalaser.com/dvd_images_2002/0702/clash-of-the-titans-dvd-image-07.jpg) ever wasn't 100% claymation, but good old fashioned makeup.

I'm also a fan of Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. I always was partial to this film, dispite it's lackluster acting. It had alot of memorable characters.

See More (http://pharosproductions.com/aosma/smeyeofthetiger.html)



Post Edited (09-08-04 17:22)

Actually Harryhausen didn't win an oscar for Mighty Joe Young. Yes the film won the oscar for best visual FX, but the history books show that actual award went to RKO. The studio ended up giving the statue to Obie, & that's how that photo of Obie holding the oscar came to be.

And yeah Peterson was Obie's assistant, but during the mid-late fifties did most (if not all) of the animation himself, & whilst in a wheelchair too! He was an amazingingly gifted artist.

Favorite Harryhausen stop motion film is The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. Always thought that was a cool one and it inspired Godzilla at least