Double Feature Movie Viewing Thread #29 (11/25)

[Henry88]

[king_ghidorah]

[metal_bryan]

[king_ghidorah]

[king_ghidorah]

Hmmm...

I already made my list...sadly there's no Godzilla films on it. As most of you know, I'm more of a Gamera/ B-lister kaiju fan so it's kind of sticking with my personality. Sides, most of my favorite G films have already been picked with 2-3 exceptions.

[Henry88]

Now time for Team Big Bug!

THEM!(1954)










Tarantula (1955)



well i cant seem to fin any proper screen caps for Tarantula so i leave you with the poster till next time.

[MekaGojira3k]

Watching Tarantula first.

[Henry88]

[metal_bryan]

[Henry88]

[MekaGojira3k]

I think Tarantula is okay. The effects are fine but I'm somehow more impressed by seeing props or puppets and the like. I did like the mad scientist solve world hunger thing as being the cause rather than just it being an accident or side effect. Still, I wonder why they tried it on a tarantula? We're not very likely to eat that are we?

The above is the creepiest moment in the film. The way it's moving makes it look like it'll catch up to the people in no time. Now to see if I can find a way to watch Them!

[Henry88]

any one notice that Tarantula like to peep

[MekaGojira3k]

Them! is pretty decent. I consider it superior to Tarantula. I've watched this a great many times, and I forgot how many people they talk to about the supposed Ant sightings. I generally think it all works, but watching both of these films just drive home the fact that I can't really ever like American monster films as much as Japanese monster films. They just lack something I can't quite describe.

[Alpha OTS]

I love that last pic of things to watch for.

[Henry88]

for a guy who was killed by the ants near the start of the movie he looked no worse foe were ,also i must bring up the little girl who scream them over and over again that was just a great moment.

[Alpha OTS]

I figure Tarantula might be on youtube as it seems alot of these 50's sci-fi movies are. So I test out the youtube app on my new tv and have it search for "Tarantula movie". Two things pop up on the list: "Tarantula 1955" and "Tarantula 1957". Being a tv search function, it doesn't default list any details to any of the results. I deduce it's probably the 1955 one, and have it load. That's when this scene pops up.



Now I'm a bit baffled. What am I looking at? He's monsterous looking, and I guess he might look a bit like a spider. I wasn't expecting this. Did I choose the wrong movie? Then the movie title displays. It's "Tarantula" alright. Maybe there were two versions, one foreign or something, I wonder. Off to google I go. I find out its the right movie, and that the beginning is about the scientist testing out his radioactive growth formula. It appears from my googling that The 1957 and 1955 Tarantula are the same thing that someone must have mislabled.



I was really expecting this movie to play out frame for frame like The Deadly Mantis, and instead the beginning had something reminscient of Food of the Gods. This was a pleasant suprise, and is probably the part of the movie I enjoyed the most. The giant Tarantula felt more secondary to the better story of the scientist and his tests gone wrong.

Of course it does eventually go into full-on 50's monster-on-the-rampage-damsel-in-distress mode later on in the flick after the more interesting parts are done. I do think its pretty convenient that with the desert terrain being so flat they don't have much trouble with the tarantula walking through the scenes.


Good thing someone replaced that Mantis head with a Spider head in time!

As I'm watching the damsel in this movie who's oddly nicknamed "Steve", I realize that I recognize her and that I've seen her in something recent. I imdb the name and guess what, she's the female lead in The Giant Claw, one of our other viewing poll winners.

Decent movie. I'm going to try to get to Them! this weekend.

[Henry88]

why do monster like to peep?

[MekaGojira3k]

It's all a misunderstanding due to their convenient height.

[klen7]

i've been putting this off since i haven't gotten screenshots.. but here goes the no image version..


Them!
I have seen this movie too many times, but when the main character dies before the end of the movie i was a little surprised. I like the ants, i like how the creatures are introduced. I liked the use of flame throwers. The scene where the girl screams when she remembers the ants stands out. Overall this a true classic. (4.5 / 5)

Tarantula
Not as much of a classic. I had read MekaG3k's comment about who would eat a tarantula, for the food test subjects before watching the movie... so while watching i couldn't help but notice the other subjects were almost as odd... monkeys, guinea pigs, mice... i would think chickens pigs and cows would be better subjects. I could do without the damsel in distress in this flick (3 / 5)

[Henry88]

[Alpha OTS]

[canofhumdingers]