WOW! Talk about an under-appreciated film! I'd seen the movie once before, on TCM maybe five or six years ago, but that was late at night and I was only half-awake - this time I finally opened up my DVD copy and really watched it. The writing and acting are surprisingly good, the characters likable and the story itself manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. And that finale! THAT is how you end a giant monster movie! My only complaint is that the puppet they used for closeups looked goofy, and they did a pretty terrible job matting in the scorpions into the live action shots. But, IMO, that balances out with the superb stop motion effects by Willis O'Brien, which may be some of the best I've ever seen.
Coming off re-watching The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms only a couple days ago, I'm amazed how much more I liked The Black Scorpion. Sure, Beast is a good movie too, but after watching the two back-to-back it seems unfair that Beast gets so much praise while The Black Scorpion rarely gets a mention (at least around here).
So how about it? Who else loves The Black Scorpion?
