In today’s Shocktober Double Feature, we will encounter giant insects, prehistoric beasties and a very befuddled caveman! It’s The Black Scorpion and Dinosaurus!
THE BLACK SCORPION (1957)
By the late 1950s, filmmakers must have been running out of insects that they could mutate and transform into giant monsters. Audiences had already been treated to such fare as Them (giant ants), Tarantula (spiders), The Monster From Green Hell (wasps), The Beginning of the End (grasshoppers), The Deadly Mantis (praying mantises), et al. All of which, I suppose, left scorpions. Hence, Edward Ludwig’s The Black Scorpion, in which a Mexican volcano belches forth a slew of the title nasties to terrorize the countryside. This film, a poor man’s Them but still better than some of the others just named, features impressive stop motion FX from master Willis “King Kong” O’Brien (although close-ups of the scorpions’ slavering countenances are pretty ridiculous looking), realistic-looking shots of a countryside shadowed by that smoldering volcano, and a formulaic 1950s monster script. It also boasts three exceptional scenes: a descent into the subterranean lair where the scorpions and other giant creepy-crawlies dwell; a scorpion attack on a speeding railway car; and the final battle, in a sports arena, between the last surviving arachnid and the Mexican army. Mara Corday, who also starred in Tarantula, here adds some nice eye candy, and ’50s sci-fi stalwart Richard Denning is his usual sturdy self. All in all, not a bad time killer … and, on the DVD incarnation that I recently watched, with some nifty extras, too.
DINOSAURUS! (1960)
I must confess that I, a middle-aged “adult,” learned a valuable life lesson from the juvenile film Dinosaurus! That lesson is, if you’re ever building a harbor on a Caribbean island, and dredge up a perfectly preserved T. Rex and brontosaurus from below the ocean floor, do NOT leave them lying on the beach during a thunderstorm, as a freak bolt of lightning may revive them and lead to all sorts of trouble! Yes, that’s just what happens in this cute little film – directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr. – with the added attraction of a grunting, Alley Oop-like caveman getting revived as well. This Neanderthal is basically used for comedic effect, especially when he invades a modern house on the island and runs afoul of waxed fruit, mirrors and up-to-date plumbing. Gregg Martell, I must say, is perfectly cast as this confused misfit. Less impressive, however, are the two dinosaurs. This is no Jurassic Park or Ray Harryhausen movie, and the creature FX are unconvincing; a serious suspension of disbelief will be required for adult viewers. The kiddies should just eat this one up, though. There’s a cute little boy character for them to sympathize with (he befriends the bronto, and even rides atop him!); one, fortunately, who’s not overly annoying for older viewers. The bottom line is that Dinosaurus! is good, goofy fun; put your brain on hold and enjoy it, preferably with your kids or your young nephew. Oh … as for that title, it’s what one of the characters, Dumpy(!), yells when the T. Rex approaches. Don’t ask me why.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: Amazonian natives, carnivorous trees, a man-eating houseplant, and full-frontal nudity … it’s Womaneater and Please Don’t Eat My Mother, in the Shocktober Double Feature #4….
Lots of good fun!
You bet, Marion!
Black Scorpion was one of the movie I watched with my son Kaidan as I introduced him to a AT-Home-Film-Festival of Giant Creature movies (starting with Them of course)! WE had a good time with it and while I don’t recall the arena scene, I do remember the train one, so that says something . . .
And I’m positive that Kaidan will fondly remember watching these movies with his old man for the rest of his life….