BLACK SCORPION (1957) - It's an ok stop motion giant scorpion movie. Scorpions come from the earth in a remote part of Mexico and attacks Mexico City. The scorpions are the result of some volcanic activity and in the film they show you some real footage of people around a real Mexican volcano eruption. The best parts of the film was when the scorpions attack a train and the masses in the city running from the creatures.
(http://www.awdsgn.com/Classes/WebI_Fall02/WebI-Final/JBusser/MovieImages/Scorpion.jpg)
THE SLIME PEOPLE(1963) - It's a film about some creatures that arrive with the fog. They resemble a poor version of PREDITOR only within the fog. It also felt like NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. This film could have been better and I really didn't enjoy the style of the film. Here's Andrews review for The Slime People (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/slimepeople/).
(http://www.badmovies.org/movies/slimepeople/slimepeople1.jpg)
THE CRAWLING HAND (1963) - Always wanted to see this one. The film drags alot, but has a couple decent moments. Astronaut comes back to earth, but is taken over by radiation or something that causes him to want to kill. The astronauts ship is destroyed by mission control to prevent his suffering. Part of his arm and hand land on the beach and a teenager finds it and takes it home. The hand starts killing people while also taken over the teenager. The film was produced by the same company as the THE SLIME PEOPLE. Again I didn't appreciate the style of movie making of eithier film. There are better B-movies.
(http://www.trashpalace.com/images/crawlinghandDVD.JPG)
Rented all 3 from Netfix recently.
Post Edited (03-11-05 21:48)
I liked the black scorpion. One of the better 'atomic mutant monster' flicks of the 50's.
Scorpion is way cool --
Didn't Willis O'Brion do some of the stop-motion animation on this one? The same guy that did King Kong? I'm doing this from memory --
I seem to recall I liked this film quite a bit --
Slime People -- This one has Vanity Project stamped all over it in big, bloody letters -- some minor studio hack finally got permission to use the Paramount backlot to do his little picture. I especially remember the business about how if you spear one of the creatures, all you have to do is take the head off your spear to make it "slime(bleed)" to death.
Really odd --
Never seen the other one, though I believe with all my heart that The Hand, with Michael Caine, is not only the BEST crawling hand picture ever made, but is in fact Oliver Stone's best movie.
I think I'll start a thread . . .
peter johnson/denny crane
My kids really liked "Black Scorpion"
THE SLIME PEOPLE was one of the first movies I ever rented on video, WAAAAYY back when I had my Beta machine!
Post Edited (03-13-05 06:45)
THE BLACK SCORPION DVD also has many great extras about stop-motion movies and creators. Some of the films covered in the different extras are KING KONG, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG and it even has a short called PREHISTORIC ANIMALS. Check out the DVD and you won't be dissappointed.
Four different types of giant monster movies:
1) Stop-Motion - (Like The Black Scorpion)
2) Mechanical Giant Creature - (like in Them !)
3) Super-imposed - (like in Beginning of the end)
4) Rubber Suit Monsters - (Like Godzilla)
You left out puppets!:
Sid & Marty Croftt monsters --
The Last Dinosaur!
The Giant Claw!!
Mothra!!!
Or, superimposed animation --
Or, just dragging a tail around:
Reptilicus!!!!
peter johnson/denny crane
Oh, and I forgot the invisible dinosaur in SOUND OF HORROR. A must see !
Always had to watch Sigmund and the Sea Monsters every Saturday morning in the 70's.
Saw THE GIANT CLAW as a kid on TV, but would really like to see this film again.