BEAST FROM 20,00O FATHOMS, BLACK SCORPIAN & GWANGI October 21! (1 Viewer)

[Sean Campbell]

Is The Black Scorpion worth a blind buy? I picked up Gwangi and Beast already, both of which look great ( and two more VHS tapes have now been consigned to the nearest bin! )
Although both Harryhausen movies play on tv regularly, The Black Scorpion has to the best of my knowledge never been shown on tv or released on any format here.
And is it true that a giant spider used in a deleted scene from King Kong turns up briefly in TBS?

 

[Joe S]

And is it true that a giant spider used in a deleted scene from King Kong turns up briefly in TBS?

I have heard this recently elsewhere and believe it to be true (have to dig out some magazine articles someday to check...), since Willis O'Brien was involved.

I think Black Scorpion is definately worth having if you're a fan of this type film. Pete Peterson did most, if not all, of the animation... quite amazing when you consider that he suffered from multiple sclerosis and was limited in his movement.

The Harryhausen dinosaur footage from The Animal World is supposed to be included on the DVD. Why here? I guess because Willis O'Brien worked on that sequence with Harryhausen.

I haven't seen the DVD yet, but plan to get it.

Joe S.

 

[Mark_TS]

What is being referred to in KING KONG is the scene where KONG grabs the log as the men are crossing the chasm, and spills them all off down onto its dark floor.
As they land, large Spiders and other ...things come out of the shadows and devour the men, still alive...this was deemed too ghastly by the censors and was cut.

It would be sooo cool if this was true, but I doubt it....



I have seen a still photo or two of this scene in FMOF (Famous Monsters of Filmland)

 

[Johnny Angell]

Those pumpkins are amazing, Johnny. How exactly was that done?

Well, I create a template with Photoshop, print it out, and tape it to the pumpkin. I then take an exacto knife and cut the template to transfer the pattern to the pumpkin. After that I use these small woodworking tools to shave away the skin of the pumpkin. I usually don't cut all the way thru the pumpkin. This allows me to make more complicated designs.

All the images were screenshots from the dvd. Did you recognize the main menu? I have to admit I fudged on that one a little. Those banner messages, "They couldn't believe their eyes!", etc. I carved out rectangles for them to fit in, then printed the messages out on clear decal stock, and just laid them in there. I was running out of time woudn't have completed the pumpkin if I had carved all that lettering. Everything thing else was hand carved.

That pumpkin and the lighthouse scene were 'large' pumpkins. I coudln't lift the main menu pumpkin till I had cleaned and thinnned the walls.

 

[Gunnar Syren]

this was deemed too ghastly by the censors and was cut

A bit off topic, but wasn't this deleted before the film was submitted to the censors? It was my understanding that this sequence was cut quite early in post production.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Yes, the "spider" scene from Kong was cut after a very early preview, not by censors. Max Steiner didn't even score the scene, so it was gone fairly early in post-production.

 

[EdwardKarlinski]

I picked up all three of these films. I watched them this past weekend. All three are superb monster films. The special effects still hold up. I was thoroughly entertained.

 

[Johnny Angell]

That isn't the original poster art for Gwangi is it? It sure is ugly.

 

[Mark_TS]

"Yes, the "spider" scene from Kong was cut after a very early preview, not by censors."
----

'scuse me....!

I was quoting from memory long ago the FMOF article on KONG...you may very well be correct...

 

[Stephen Orr]

Has anyone seen these at a local B&M? I can't find them locally, so I may have to DDD it.

 

[Sean Dayton]

I saw them all in stock at my local Best Buy for 14.99 each.

 

[Joe S]

I bought BEAST and GWANGI last week. Saturday, I found a solitary copy of BLACK SCORPIAN at Best Buy amongst some other lesser titles.