Press Book Collection - Frogs (1972)

Celluloid Snaps - The Deadly Bees (1967)

Director - FREDDIE FRANCIS

Country - UK

Genocide - War of the Insects (1968)

Dir: KAZUI NIHONMATSU

Country: JAPAN

AKA:

Konchû daisensô

Genocide

War of the Insects 

One of the more intriguing responses to the monster movie (kaiju-eiga) boom of the 1950’s and 1960’s was the one undertaken by Shochiku. The studio was more commonly associated with the prestigious and formally precise productions of Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujiro Ozu, and the burgeoning formal experimentation of the politically motivated Japanese new wave. But in the late 1960’s the studio produced four science-fiction/horror/fantasy productions in quick succession in order to reap the fertile and profitable soil sown by the likes of Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra, King Kong and Ghidorah.  The first was the laughably inept The X from Outer Space (1967), a film generally regarded as one of the weaker entries in the kaiju-eiga cycle. The next was the more conceptually ambitious Goke, Bodysnatcher from Hell (1968), an intriguing blend of UFO’s, vampirism and apocalyptic disaster. The films arresting visual palette and its strong premise have enabled it to become the most visible of the Shociku quartet. The third was the peculiar The Living Skeleton (1968), which was shot in black and white, and was an eerie tale of revenge overflowing with the atmospherics of kaidan. The fourth and final effort is the film under discussion here, a revolt of nature horror film with an elaborate and complicated narrative that includes the search for an H-bomb, a man wrongly convicted of murder, communist infiltrators, a survivor of the Holocaust, and the apocalypse. It’s a heady mix, drowning in a sea of ideas, an unwieldy beast that ultimately slays itself on its own convolution.

Lobby Card Collection - The Birds (1963)



Lobby Card Collection - Cujo (1983)

The Food of the Gods (1976)

Dir: BERT I. GORDON
Country: USA

AKA:
H. G. Wells' Food of the Gods

Writer/director/producer/visual effects designer Bert I Gordon is living proof that one can be a jack of all trades and master of none. Despite Gordon’s obvious shortcomings there is a certain infectious enthusiasm to many of his films - especially his science-fiction efforts of the 1950’s. How can one not enjoy the absurd prospect of giant grasshoppers in the ludicrous Beginning of the End (1957), the odd poignancy of The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) and the expectation of poorly realised mutant spiders in Earth vs. the Spider (1958)? As with many science-fiction films of the 1950’s the best thing about Gordon’s films were the titles. Nevertheless he managed to deliver distraction and entertainment, that is until Village of the Giants (1965) when his brand of gigantism (he also did a little people film - the awful Attack of the Puppet People [1958]) reached an apex of stupidity and boredom. Against the run of technology Gordon persisted with his visual effects, and more importantly persisted with the themes inherent in the subject of mutation. His science-fiction/horror efforts forming an interesting self-contained universe that might respond well to the auteur theory. In the late 1970’s he returned to his favoured landscape with The Food of the Gods (1976) and Empire of the Ants (1977), two films which took advantage of the ‘Revolt of Nature’ impulse that had been re-popularised in the wake of Jaws (1975).

The Black Scorpion (1957)

Dir: EDWARD LUDWIG
Country: USA

The Black Scorpion is a mundane pillar of unimaginative derivation. It efficiently sweeps through the landscape of convention in a desperate bid to resurrect the insectoid nightmare of the far superior Them! (1954). But if one digs around determinedly in the generic soil, one discovers that The Black Scorpion still manages to possess an historical importance. The meta-narrative (apologies for the academic jargon) of 1950’s mutant monster movies is one which explores the perils of atomic radiation, the side-effects of H-bomb tests, and the misuse of a science and technology that has been appropriated by the military. In a novel twist The Black Scorpion opts to entirely do away with this angle. There isn’t a single mention of radiation in this film, and the gigantic scorpions that terrorise the Mexican countryside and eventually the nation’s capital are freed from the bowels of the earth by a catastrophic volcanic eruption. For once mankind is not to blame for the ensuing chaos, but is instead at the mercy of a natural disaster, and at the mercy of creatures that have evolved in secrecy in a vast underground cavern. As a result the sheer monstrousness of the adversary can be combated without the lingering sense that perhaps mankind is getting what it deserves for meddling in the animal kingdom. There is no guilt complex here, and no return of the repressed. The Black Scorpion becomes one of the purest and most straightforward of all 1950’s ‘Creature Features’, it is divested of the extraneous baggage that slows down its contemporaries, its simplicity is a major asset.

Prophecy (1979)

Dir: JOHN FRANKENHEIMER Country: USA

aka:
Prophecy: The Monster Movie

Prophecy is one of the more hysterical and stupid of the ‘Revolt of Nature’ horror films that achieved major prominence in the years following Jaws (1975). On paper at least the talents behind this $12,000,000 Paramount Pictures production are easily a match for Spielberg’s aquatic opus. In the directors seat was veteran John Frankenheimer, a filmmaker of some repute who had distilled the paranoia of cold war politics to such devastating and conspiratorial effect in The Manchurian Candidate (1962), and who had interrogated questions of identity in the little seen Seconds (1966). The writer was David Seltzer who had achieved enormous prominence with his apocalyptic exploration of the return of Satan in The Omen (1976). For the themes of Prophecy however the more important Seltzer film is The Hellstrom Chronicle, a frantic and panic-stricken documentary about the possibility of humanities dominion over the planet being challenged by insects. Having explored this territory before with some measure of success one would assume that with Prophecy Seltzer was about to make a major ecological statement. It does make a statement, but the manner in which this proclamation is made is both preachy and pretentious. This is the worst type of Hollywood film, one that assumes its audience has the attention span of a goldfish and the intelligence of plankton. With films that have a ‘message’ to convey, the most important thing becomes the way in which that ‘message’ is delivered, and it is in its delivery that Prophecy fails miserably.

Alligator (1980)

Dir: LEWIS TEAGUE
Country: USA

By accident rather than design I seem to be watching quite a few ‘Revolt of Nature’ horror films of late, and this production from 1980 is easily one of the most enjoyable. The 1970’s was without doubt the pinnacle of this durable subgenre thanks in part to the commercial success of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975), but also to a wider social consciousness about the ecological and environmental impact of industrial capitalist endeavour. These worries fed into a general culture beset by paranoia and the film industry was swift in capitalising on this trend. A number of animals and insects stepped up to the plate to challenge human supremacy - from bears in Grizzly (1976) and Prophecy (1979) to worms in Squirm (1976) to wasps in The Swarm (1978) and bees in…wait for it - The Bees (1978) mankind was not safe from a natural world hell bent on avenging a variety of abuses and claiming dominion of the earth. By the end of the decade the commercial steam was slowly running out of this subgenre due in no small part to the cheap rip offs produced in Italy that masqueraded as American productions. Alligator appeared at a time of diminishing returns but still possesses an energy and wit which is refreshing to this day.

Tentacles (1977)

Dir: OVIDIO G. ASSONITIS
Country: ITALY/USA

aka:
Tenatacoli

The inhabitants of the pretty summer resort of Ocean Beach are in for an unforgettable summer in this totally forgettable creature feature. This was one of numerous attempts by witless and unimaginative Italian producers to imitate Steven Spielberg’s summer blockbuster Jaws (1975). In the words of horror nerd Kim Newman writing in his book of lists Nightmare Movies “Since the end of the romance between art house and the Italian cinema, Rome has become the Taiwan of the international film industry.” Although things have changed somewhat in the last twenty years, the observation certainly held water when Newman made it. But despite the atrocious dubbing, poor acting, and laughable special effects Italian ‘revolt of nature’ rip offs differ slightly from their American brethren. A greater concentration is placed on the set piece sequence, in contrast to a reckless disregard for characterisation and depth. Although Jaws was a monster movie the most memorable aspect of the narrative is the interaction between the three male leads and the exploration of their myriad vulnerabilities and insecurities. Tentacles isn’t interested in that kind of thing at all. It is also only interested in the ecological and environmental concerns that underpin much American ‘revolt of nature’ narratives in passing.

Rogue (2007)

Dir: GREG MCLEAN
Country: AUSTRALIA/USA

Of all of the beasts and creatures to feature in the durable sub-genre of the revolt of nature horror film the crocodile by far is the most common. This is because the crocodile is not really revolting against mankind, but instead continuing its centuries old struggle against its human oppressor. Therefore these types of films immediately have a resonance and realism that killer insects, spiders, and sundry household pets lack. Despite having this primal advantage over other creatures in this cycle, the killer crocodile has still consistently failed as a cinematic proposition. Lacklustre and shallow efforts such has Lake Placid (1999), Crocodile (2000), and Blood Surf (2000) showed the limitations of digital effects, a technology that should have helped to realise the potential of this form. The more notable precursor for Greg Mclean’s entry Rogue is the little seen Black Water (2007), which was inspired by true events. A film that is less concerned with close ups of gory death in the marauding mouth of a croc and instead more interested in character. Unfortunately Rogue isn’t interested in either character or gory death.