Godzilla Month 2011 '08'

'The Black Scorpion' (1957)

I threw this one in, cause aside from Them, it seems to be the most memorable of American made giant insect movies from the fifties. I mean - just say the title - 'The Black Scorpion'.

This is probably a deviation that I spent the most time on, and it shows why.

Now...I saw the movie back in June (another reason why it made the list) and I didn't think it was anything special. It started out somewhat slow, and surprisingly, once the action starts up, it somehow stays boring. The scenes fighting the scorpions are somewhat forgettable as are the human characters.

But what this movie has going for it, is the stop-motion. Ignore all the shots of the Scorpion puppet with that stupid face with those ridiculous mandibles. Naw - the Stop-Motion is where its at. So, see it if you're a fan of Stop-Motion; otherwise, stay away.

(Here's an interesting note though; some of the stop-motion puppets of some giant insects in this movie were leftover the lost 'Spider-Pit Scene' from King Kong. Glad to know they got their day in the black and white sun somewhere.)