[profondo rosso]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

The Black Scorpion (1957)

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Nothing good ever comes out of the ground, especially if its got the word giant in front of it.I mean nothing spoils a picnic more than say a giant ant nibbling your jam sandwiches or a rather large mantis stomping around knocking things over, just because it's in a bit of a bad mood.And if you thought Mexican food was a bit scary then you definitely do not want to come across there prehistoric giant scorpions which come scurrying out of there lair after they are disturbed by an erupting volcanic, which intern was created by an earthquake,(gee that's a lot to happen in one day) there none too pleased about being woken up and they go about trampling on house's and the odd police car and maybe snacking on the odd Mexican when the need takes them.As usual, we have dashing American scientist (geologist actually) played by Richard Denning as Dr. Hank Scott and Carlos Rivas as Dr. Arturo Ramos, and of course, we also need a love interest, and since lady scorpions are not that appealing it comes in the very shapely shape of Mara Corday as Teresa Alvarez a local rancher and hottie. And while the effects are little crude and rough and ready around the edges, they are remarkably effective in that primitive way you only get with this type of low budget monster movie.In fact, the scorpions are quite creepy if a little bit otherworldly and are far more sinister in there demeanour than say your average giant ant who is basically a sucker for a big pile of a sugar cube and a marmalade sandwich.Of course, you can always rely on the military to end the fun of any giant creature, that eats trains or tanks and any military personnel not quick enough to outrun these tortilla dodging monsters.Highly recommend for anyone who likes insects the size of a house.

I only saw this for the first time around 18 months ago. The first thing that struck me was how gory ( for its time ) it was, the Scorpion is bizarre looking and have to agree Inspector, it is quite unnerving, especially the lingering shots of it salivating before it dines on someone. Great monster flick highly recommended.