Doc Rotten's Halls of Horror: Giant Monster Mayhem

Giant monsters, the halls of horror are full of them. The most famous of these monsters are King Kong (1933) and Godzilla (1954), each spawning countless imitations. King Kong came first in the Thirties directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, with classic special effects by Willis O’Brian. A sequel follows later the same year with The Son of Kong (1933) and two remakes have been made - King Kong (1976) directed by John Guillermin and King Kong (2005) directed by Peter Jackson. Kong would even meet Godzilla in Toho’s King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and star in a sequel for Toho called King Kong Escapes (1967). Their meeting occurs nearly a decade after the premiere of Godzilla (1954), which produced a long running series of giant monster movies with a U.S. version rumored for the near future. These films introduce creatures such as Mothra, Varan, Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla. The closest to these two might be Gamera, a giant space turtle. Throughout the Sixties and Seventies, a wide variety of challengers to the throne would invade Saturday matinees and Drive-In theaters across the world. Here are a few of the more unusual giant monsters to make it to the big screen.

KONGA 1961
In John Lemont’s science fiction film, Konga, British Botanist Charles (Michael Gough) Decker subjects a young chimpanzee to a serum that transforms it into a giant murderous gorilla. After King Kong (1933), Son of Kong (1933) and Mighty Joe Young (1949), most movie gorillas remained an actor in a suit rather that the stop motion effects that made these classic so great. Konga also employs the man-in-suit ideals, but this time the gorilla grows to be larger than a two-story house and picks up Dr. Decker much like King Kong carries around Ann Darrow. Years later, Dino De Laurentiis’ version of King Kong (1976), directed by John Guillermin, again employs the man-in-suit monster with costume effects created by the legendary Rick Baker. Even with superior effects and improved set design, it’s still visibly a man-in-suit and works no better than the lower budget feature Konga 15 years prior.

GORGO 1961
The same year, Gorgo, another British entry into the giant monster movie genre, was released. Directed by Eugene Lourie, the film tells the story of a large reptilian monster – 65 feet tall – discovered off the coast of Ireland. The creature is brought to London to be studied. When scientists examine the creature, named Gorgo, they determine that he is still a child and that an adult version would be 200 feet tall. Soon they discover that Gorgo’s mother is following a destructive path to her son. Arriving in London, the monster destroys Tower Bridge and Big Ben and faces off with tanks, infantry and the Royal Air Force. Gorgo ends up being a cross between The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and Godzilla (1954).

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