32 Days of Halloween VI, Movie Night No. 5: The Black Scorpion (1957)

Yes, it's The Black Scorpion. The crazed super-hero flick from Roger Corman? No, but considering the poster snippet we posted above, you'd be forgiven for guessing that. No, instead it's the 1957 film which brought you giant scorpions unleashed upon an unsuspecting populace by a volcano. The last film directed by Edward Ludwig (the 1940 version of Swiss Family Robinson) and with stop motion FX by Willis O'Brien (the original King Kong), it was not immune to ribbing by MST3K. And for good reason. It's pretty whacked. But hey, it's Giant Creatures Attack Night here at 32 Days of Halloween, so this fits the bill perfectly. And I've been dying to find the full version online so I could include it in our festivities.

And yes, that's Richard Denning (Creature From the Black Lagoon) as Dr. Hank Scott. Previous fun with giant killer beasties have included a giant mantis, giant spiders, giant bunnies and a giant woman. Last year, it was giant ants.

The DVD is out of print, apparently. But it's available for $3 from Amazon streaming.