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Black Scorpion (1957) | 
| Director: Edward Ludwig
Actors: Mara Corday, Richard Denning, Pedro Galvan, Carlos Muzquiz, Mario Navarro
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: CDN$ 6.99
Buy New: CDN$ 6.24
You Save: CDN$ 0.75 (11%)
New (14) Used (2) from CDN$ 6.24
Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 10531
Format: Black White, Ntsc, Subtitled
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.6 x 0.5
MPN: WARD27518D
ISBN: 0790779285
UPC: 085392751822
EAN: 9780790779287
ASIN: B0000B1OGC
Theatrical Release Date: October 11, 1957
Release Date: October 21, 2003
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item, factory Sealed. Buy direct from the U.S. and save! We only ship airmail to Canada (7-15 days).Caiman, les prix qu'on aime! Tous nos produits sont neufs. Envoi par avion des Etats-Unis
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| Editorial Reviews:
From Amazon.com
Fans of '50s science fiction should be pleased by this "big bug" chiller, which offers a fine showcase for the talents of special effects master Willis O'Brien (IKing Kong/I). IThe Black Scorpion/I follows closely in the multiple footsteps of IThem!/I, produced three years earlier by the same company (Warner Bros.)--again, giant insects threaten mankind, though here a volcano is responsible for unleashing them, and the metropolis in peril is Mexico City. Though direction, acting and scripting aren't on par with IThem!/I, O'Brien's title creatures (which sport implausible yet creepy faces) are memorably monstrous, especially during hero Richard Denning's visit to their nightmarish underground lair. Warner Bros.' DVD features a surprising amount of extras for an older title. "Stop Motion Masters" is a short tribute to O'Brien by his famed student Ray Harryhausen; also included is O'Brien's dinosaur-laden opening for Irwin Allen's IThe Animal World/I documentary, and legendary test footage for two unfilmed monster projects by O'Brien's assistant, Peter Petersen. I--Paul Gaita/I
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Gwangi in a scorpion suit April 9, 2007
B. Chandler (Arlington, Texas)
Yep it is the standard big bug 50's sci-fi with a Mexican twist. br / br /We start with the obligatory narrative and a description of what may come. The narrator thinks that volcanoes are evil and bring destruction to farm land. To this land comes a pair of archaeologically strange doctors. They discover a fallen girl (that was just horsing around) and one of the scientists falls in love. The other states "man is born single." br / br /I will not reveal the ugly threat that you already see on the cover. However I think they used them again in "Attack of the Giant Crabs". Also it is fun to look at the technology of the time; they use huge walkie-talkie's, flash cameras (out of flash range), and Bakelite phones. The annoying part of the movie is the kid that will not stay in the car; we all hope he gets eaten early in the story. br / br /
They're Big, They're Bad, They're Bloodthirsty Beasts! June 4, 2004
Sheila Chilcote-Collins (Collinswood, Van Wert, OH USA)
They MIGHT be big. They MIGHT be bad. They MIGHT be bloodthirsty beasts, but you MIGHT think that the buggers in this film are quite bucolic if you aren't a fan of 50's and 60's stop motion animation, identical and repetitive special effects and stock footage.pI am a HUGE fan of ALL THREE, however, and enjoyed this film immensely!pMexico City is under attack! Due to an earth shattering volanic eruption (insert stock footage), fissures created in the earth's crust have unleashed GIANT PREHISTORIC scorpions, and one lone, segmented worm with pincers from their underground, subterranean LAIR! What happens to the citizens of Mexico City? Watch this BUGFEST and find out for yourself!pRichard Denning and Mara Corday star in this classic sci-fi big bug chiller but the true stars of the film are the amazing special effects, stop motion animation, and action scenes created by stop motion sensai, Willis O' Brien (King Kong) working on his last picture. Also featured effects man - an uncredited, young stop motion student, Ray Harryhausen who went on to become the master of stop motion animation with such greats as Mighty Joe Young, Jason The Argonauts, and The Sinbad Trilogy, just to mention a few.pGreat family fare with fun and chills for ALL!pHappy Watching!
A Classic! March 29, 2004
Kent (Iowa United States)
I am a fan of monster movies from the 50s and 60s than I am of the monster movies of today. The reason for that is because BW movies just seem to capture the horrors better and stop-motion animation just seemed to be fun to look at. Plus with stop-motion animation being cheaper (but more time consuming), more and more monster movies were made possible.brThe Black Scorpion has always been one of my favorites. Why I don't know. But, in my opinion, it is one of the very few giant bug movies that actually looks good and doesn't have really bad acting. Willis O'Brian had some pretty good looking effects in this one. Although there were some scenes which they used a blackened cartoon scorpion and on the close-ups of it, you could see the matting. Also there is some stock footage that is in this film. Don't worry, it's only stock footage from this film that repeats now an then when the Black Scorpion attacks. That in itself gets somewhat annoying and because some scenes don't fit right. Like when the Black Scorpion attacked two smaller ones after they had attacked the train, a close-up of the Black Scorpion killing the other two was stock footage used in the cave scene just minutes earlier in the film. brAll in all, a classic B movies that really isn't as goofy and bland as some of the other monster movies in the 50s and 60s. I would suggest picking this one up if you are a fan of the genre.
Madre dios! That's one big friggin' bug... February 17, 2004
cookieman108 (Inside the jar...)
Released in 1957, The Black Scorpion followed in a long line of giant bug movie, probably most notable 1954's Them!, which dealt with giant ants. The main difference being that in most of those movies, the gigantism in the creatures was caused by atomic radiation (I wonder how many men pondered radiating their private parts given that Hollywood seemed so determined to make us believe radiation would have the effect of embiggening things so?) and in this movie the cause was of a more natural reason.pThe Black Scorpion stars Richard Denning, who I remember most from the movie Target Earth (1954) and Mara Corday, a darkened hair beauty whose other notable films include Tarantula (1955) and The Giant Claw (1957). pThe plot involves a very active volcano in Mexico and geologists Hank Scott (Denning) along with a colleague are interested in seeing this activity first hand. Corday plays Teresa Alverez, a ranch owner whose cattle is being mysteriously slaughtered and is having difficulties keeping locals around to help her round up the cattle as they believe some devil bull or something is responsible.pTurns out the active volcano has ripped open some giant fissures in the Earth, exposing a vast underground cavern containing mostly giant, prehistoric scorpions. The scorpions, being a might bit peckish after years of living under the ground, start venturing out into the Mexican deserts, stinging and eating whatever gets in their path. They are soon discovered, the military comes in, blows them up real good, and that's the end of that...or is it? Okay, no it's not, as the humongous scorpions find another way out, and begin to do cool stuff like attack trains and find their way into populated areas. pWhat really worked so well in this movie is the special effects...well, at least the ones done by Willis O'Brien (King Kong) and Ray Harryhausen using stop-motion animation. Harryhausen isn't credited, but he ended up doing about 90 percent of the effects, under the supervision of O'Brien. The scenes with numerous scorpions attacking the passenger train are probably among the best in this feature. These effects contrasted greatly with the 'live' effects, the ones showing the drooling visages of the beasties up close. These were pretty bad, and they kept using the same visual over and over again, a gaping maw of a scorpion with custard-like drool leaking from between its' mandibles. At some point the production ran out of money, so some of the effects are of the cheapest kind, basically looking like a real scorpion placed on some kind of empty matte invading a Mexican city.pIn the end, there is a climatic battle, one with tanks, explosions, army guys and such...do they destroy the primitive creatures? I guess you'll have to see the movie (ain't I a stinker?)pThere are some great special features included in this release, which is strange as Warner Brothers really isn't known for this (they still use the cheap cardboard and plastic casing which drives me nuts). A feature called 'Stop Motion Masters' has Harryhausen talk about his greatest influence, Willis 'Obie' O'Brien, the man behind King Kong. Another clip included is one from the short called 'The Animal World', a feature created by disaster movie mogul Irwin Allen, which highlights HarryHausen and O'Brien's prehistoric segment, the highlight of the film. Also included are some short test footage found by another stop motion artist involving a mutant ape attacking a house and truck, using props from The Black Scorpion, and a small bit dealing with Beetlemen who were actually astronauts affected by cosmic radiation and ended up growing exoskeletons. Finally, there are some trailers provided, showcasing other Harryhausen and O'Brien films. Oh yeah, if the noise you hear the scorpions making sounds familiar, I was told that's because it's the same noise that the giant ants made in the movie Them! (1954).pCookieman108
 OOEY GOOEY FUN January 17, 2004
Michael Butts (Martinsburg, WV USA)
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!brThe scorpion is actually well down in most shots, Willis O'Brien's swan song after creating King Kong.brActing? 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!!!
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