The Black Scorpion (1957)

Thanks for the memories!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

best movie i've ever seen.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

I'm a scientist who deals with scorpions on a regular basis. I can tell you a few things in this movie that truly just made me laugh. First of all, common scorpions do not squeak like mice. Second, they do NOT drool constantly nor do they have faces like that. All that put aside, I really liked the concept of the film. Volcanic eruptions cause massive insects and scorpions living underground to surface and prey on human beings. I really loved the train scene, a wrecked train is a buffet for the giant arachnids. I do kinda feel like if more giant bugs were included besides just the scorpions, the film could be an instant masterpiece. Of course it would need a new title, but it could make a more interesting movie. Overall though, I love it, the scorpions are neat and I love how nature can really bite back. Would totally watch this one again.

This a very scary movie. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. It also has great special effects. It is very scary. 5.3 is a good ratting. But this is such a great movie that 5.3 is underrating it. This is a 9. It is a great movie. This is scarier then the 2014 reboot a of Godzilla. And that is not easy to do. This is scarier then Kong Skull Island and that is not easy to do. This is a great horror movie. It is one of the best horror movies ever. If does not scary know movie will. This is scarier then Godzilla raids again and that is not easy to do. If you like really scary movie then you will like this movie.

"The Black Scorpion" features great stop-motion effects by the master, Willis O'Brien (unfortunately marred by the frequent injection of a vastly inferior scorpion face close-up that rarely matches the action on screen). The movies starts a bit slow but really gets interesting when the intrepid geologists (and the annoying kid) descend into a cave full of giant worms and arthropods (and possibly a pterodactyl?). One scene that always stood out for me as a kid was the Darwin-award winning death of the heroic major (last words: "I won't miss this time …aaahhhhh" as he picks up the electrified harpoon). Beyond the excellent (at times) effects, the acting and script are pretty typical for the genre's characters (the hero-scientist, the gorgeous but superfluous dame, the old professor who explains things, etc) and do their job in setting up the action sequences. Some of the goofs just add to the charm of the film (you have to wonder if leaving the "Lionel Lines" logo visible on the doomed train was an inside joke) and there is a lot of discussion on IMDb and other sites about possible connections between scenes in this film and the legendary lost spider footage from King Kong (1933), making "The Black Scorpion" a must-see for buffs and historians. All in all: a worthy entry in the giant bug cycle of movies that crawled into theatres in the mid to late '50s.

A textbook, cut-and-paste example of a '50s monster movie, with all the typical ingredients including strange isolated deaths, a rampage through a city. Really, you could swap the scorpions in this film for a group of giant ants, or a scaly lizard, and it would still make sense.However what these kind of films all have in their favour are the special effects. For THE BLACK SCORPION, Willis O'Brien, the creator of the original King Kong, is on hand near the end of his career, and he creates some superb scenes with the scorpions. Highlights include a battle between a scorpion and a giant worm (in these stop-motion fests, two monster always end up fighting each other. It's an unwritten rule) and a scene where the scorpions smash apart a model train. And then of course there's the rampage through a city, something which I'll never get tired of.The actors all do their bit but it's the stop motion effects which we are really watching for, and they don't disappoint at all. The scene where the scorpion smashes the helicopters is exciting, but unfortunately there is no pathos to be spared for insects, and this element is missing. However you do have to feel a bit sorry for something that has just been killed by a man wearing a tank top! THE BLACK SCORPION is a generic film with some excellent special effects to keep things moving along. It's an average example of a monster movie in every respect, but it'll keep you entertained if you're a fan of these things.