The Black Scorpion
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Movie Reviews of The Black Scorpion
Movie Review: Link To Missing King Kong Footage
Summary: 5 Stars
Most people who are a fan of the original "King Kong" movie from the 1930's are aware of the so-called deleted giant insect/arachnid scene. Willis Obrien did the animation for King Kong and was well known for saving his stop motion models for the movies he worked on after they were over. Many of the creatures from "The Lost World", "King Kong" and "Son of Kong" appear in a least two of the above movies.
What does this have to do with "The Black Scorpion"? Think about it!! Willis Obrien did the stop motion work on this movie using giant scorpions and spiders. Watching this movie it is extremely apparent that it was a very low budget movie. So how did they come up with money for Willis Obrien to create new stop motion creatures for this movie. It seems very possible that these creatures are the same ones that were used for the deleted King Kong footage that so many fans pine for. When watching the movie it strikes me that the sequence in the cave with all of the different creatures wandering around seemed very old fashioned and King Kong like. Anyone who has seen the recreated footage, done by Peter Jackson as an attempt to approximate what the scene may have been like, will be interested in comparing it to the footage in this film and noting how similar it is.
The film itself is very good as a 1950's man vs monster movie. However if it is viewed as a possible window into how Willis Obrien may have finally tried to recreate his lost King Kong footage, that rumor has he was very proud of, the movie takes on a more interesting aspect.
Therefore, I give it 5 stars for it historic appeal. If you are interested in stop motion animation, and more specifically the making of "King Kong" and the lost sequences from that movie, this movie provides some interesting insight.
Movie Review: Wilis O'Brien's first "talkie" to make it to DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
It appears THE BLACK SCORPION is part of a Warner's Stop-Motion wave.It's being released concurrently with O'Bie's protégé Ray Harryhausen's BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS and THE VALLEY OF GWANGI ( a film O'Bie had tried to make back in the 30's) Although I find it odd Warner's chose to release this O'Bie film first , I'm thrilled one of his talkies is finally making it to DVD.While often compared to THEM the Stop-Motion Master's creatures put those Gi-Ants to shame. In addition to the titular Scorpions, there are Spiders and other invertibrates discovered in a Mexican volcano.It's historically interesting because this may be as close as we'll ever get to seeing O'Brien's censored "spider pit" creatures from KING KONG.This release is a good start but Warner's still needs to get with the program and release KING KONG, SON OF KONG, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, and THE GIANT BEHEMOTH on DVD.It's really a shame only the inferior re-makes of KING KONG and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG are currently available.EXCELLENT BONUS FEATURE:It also includes the Holy Grail of O'Brien and Harryhausen's collaborations. For years it was believed that THE ANIMAL WORLD prehistoric footage would never again see the light of day.As I understand it the live animal footage used in the bulk of the film came from many sources and acquiring all the video rights was deemed cost prohibitive for what was essentially a dated educational film.Congradulations to whomever at Warner Home Video realized most fans of this genre weren't going to watch the rest of THE ANIMAL WORLD anyway.
Movie Review: Nightmarish
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't let these old flicks fool you; very often the imagery is just as horrific as anything that could come out of Hollywood today. Spielberg, in his recent War of the Worlds visually paraphrases from this movie. It's cribbed from one extremely disturbing nocturnal scene of these giant scorpians attacking some helpless folks--I won't spoil it for you. The older style acting and plot devices actually underscore the horrific moments.
Some see these flicks as just old and funky B-movies but I'm lately arguing that if you accept them on their own terms (kind of like accepting old literature or art on their own terms) they're pretty remarkable. Heck, the original King Kong still gives me the willies at times.
Black and white is perfect for horror. It tends to simulate the dream state. Old scenic work and effects, as opposed to the modern and sometimes too literal ones, often have a surreal quality. Think of that burning windmill at the end of Frankenstein. Poetic in a way no modern film can approximate. Interestingly, Spielberg nods to all of this in his last film--it's a conscious tribute to the artistry of these older films-- which is why it may ultimately be the grandest of all sci-fi/horror films.
Movie Review: OOEY GOOEY FUN
Summary: 5 Stars
What's so great about this 50's classic is the use of the same scenes over and over---the face shots of the scorpion; when the big scorpion is killing the others, the close ups are the same; when the scorpions come rushing out of their lairs, again the same scene; shots of the doomed train are the same--but it's fun, and it's what makes the big bug movies of the fifties such cherished items. They are obviously way beyond par with today's CGI effects, but for kids growing up in the fifties and sixties, man were they scary!The scorpion is actually well down in most shots, Willis O'Brien's swan song after creating King Kong.
Acting? There is none, just the presence of Mara Corday and Richard Denning. But in a movie like this, who needs that? The beginning is admittedly slow but once the scorpions appear, things start stinging!!!
Movie Review: BETTER THAN DVD COVER!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
The dvd cover illustration shows the bad mock-closeup (minus drool) used several times too often in this 1957 b&w giant monster classic. It gives the unwary viewer the false idea that one is in for an unintentional laugh-fest. Quite the opposite! This is an extremely well made stop-motion Willis(KING KONG)O'Brien animation masterpiece! The giant scorpions (and there are many!) move quickly and attack violently, stinging human victims as well as themselves. And the acting, photography and location shooting are all top-notch making this a must see and one of the top three of it's kind along with BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS and THEM!
So don't be swayed by the cover into thinking this is just some lame grade Z cheepie. It's really ONE OF THE BEST!!!