The International Monster Movie Database section includes all International monster movies and joint U.S./International produced films. All U.S. monster movies are in the U.S. Monster Movie Database. Each is listed with year of release, to the right of the title is the rating of each film via IMDB. Each listing here on this page is a small piece of the full article, the link at the bottom of each post goes to the full article that is also here within the site (safe, no external links). Information in this section comes from Wikipedia, IMDB, and other sources.
The Black Scorpion (1957) |
* 5.2/10 |
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The Black Scorpion is a 1957 black-and-white Mexican-American giant insect horror film from Warner Bros., produced by Jack Dietz and Frank Melford, directed by Edward Ludwig, that stars Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas and Mario Navarro.
The film's stop motion animation special effects were created by Willis O'Brien. Plot An earthquake strikes Mexico, resulting in the overnight birth of a new volcano. Geologists Dr. Hank Scott and Dr. Arturo Ramos are dispatched to study this crisis. En route to the village of San Lorenzo, the two men witness a destroyed house and a totaled police car. They find a dead policeman nearby, as well as an abandoned and seemingly orphaned infant. They take the infant to San Lorenzo and give it to friends of the child's now missing parents; they are welcomed by the village's priest, Father Delgado. In addition to the disappearances of locals and the destruction of their homes, there have been wholesale slaughter of livestock and strange roaring noises in the night. The villagers believe that the culprit to be a demon bull and have been pestering Delgado for divine assistance. Undaunted, Hank and Arturo begin their geological survey as members of the Mexican army, led by Major Cosio, arrive in San Lorenzo to begin disaster relief efforts. Hank meets and falls in love with local rancher Teresa Alvarez, and makes friends with a young boy named Juanito. The volcano erupts again, with the true culprits behind the disappearances and deaths are revealed as giant prehistoric scorpions. After killing a crew of telephone repairmen, the scorpions turn their attention to San Lorenzo itself, with the guns of Major Cosio's troops having no effect on them. |
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Behemoth The Sea Monster (1959)/The Giant Behemoth (1959) |
* 5.8/10 |
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The Giant Behemoth (a.k.a. Behemoth, the Sea Monster and The Behemoth) is a 1959 American-British black-and-white science fiction giant monster film distributed by Allied Artists Pictures. The film was produced by Ted Lloyd, directed by Eugène Lourié, and stars Gene Evans and André Morell. The screenplay was written by blacklisted author Daniel James (under the name "Daniel Hyatt") with director Lourié.
Originally a story about an amorphous blob of radiation, the script was changed at the distributor's insistence to a pastiche of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), though elements of the original concept remain in the early parts of the film and in the "nuclear-breathing" power of the titular monster. Plot American scientist Steve Karnes (Evans) delivers a speech to a British scientific society, headed by Professor James Bickford (Morell), about the dangers to marine life posed by nuclear testing. Before Karnes can return to the U.S., a real-life example of his concern materializes when Tom Trevethan (Henri Vidon), an old fisherman, receives a lethal dose of radiation; his dying word is "behemoth". Later, thousands of dead fish are washed ashore. Karnes and Bickford investigate the beach where the old man died, collecting samples which prove that radiation was the cause. Karnes begins to suspect that the "behemoth" that the old man described is some kind of large marine mammal that has been infected with radiation. A man, his son and their dog are the next victims of the creature. A photo of the area reveals a huge footprint of some prehistoric animal. Dr. Sampson (Jack MacGowran), a paleontologist, identifies the creature as a "Paleosaurus", an aquatic dinosaur that emits an electric pulse, like an eel. Karnes believes that the dinosaur is saturated by radiation, which is transmitted by the electric pulse, resulting in the burns that killed the fishermen and other victims. |
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Gorgo (1961)/(1961)
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* 5.6/10 |
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Gorgo is a 1961 British-American science fiction monster film directed by Eugène Lourié. The film focuses on Gorgo, an ancient large sea monster brought back to London for exploitation, and Ogra, his even larger mother, who rampages across London to search for him. The film was featured in an episode of the cult movie-mocking television show Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Plot Captain Joe Ryan is salvaging for treasure off the coast of Ireland, when a volcano erupts, nearly sinking his ship. Ryan and his first officer, Sam Slade, take the ship to Nara Island for repairs. As they enter harbour, they discover the floating carcasses of marine animals, the first hint that something dangerous was awoken by the volcano eruption. Ryan and Slade consult the harbour master, who also has archaeological pretensions: he has been salvaging in the harbour. Some of his men have disappeared mysteriously; it turns out that one has died of fear. After dark, a monstrous creature surfaces, attacks a group of fishermen, then comes ashore to wreak havoc on the island. This dinosaur-like creature is supposedly 65 feet tall. The people of the island finally drive it off. Ryan and his crew manage to capture the monster and haul it aboard their ship, tying it to the deck. Soon, university scientists arrive on Nara, hoping to collect the monster for study, but Ryan has been offered a better deal by the owner of a circus in London. When the ship arrives in London, the circus owner names it "Gorgo", after the iconic snake-haired woman, Medusa. It is exhibited to the public in Battersea Park. The scientists examine Gorgo, and conclude that he is not yet an adult, and that his mother must be at least 200 feet tall. On that note of foreboding, we cut to Nara Island as Ogra, the mother of Gorgo, attacks. |
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Reptilicus (1961)/(1963)
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* 3.6/10 |
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Reptilicus is a 1961 Danish-American giant monster film about a prehistoric reptile. The film was produced by American International Pictures and Saga Studio, and separate versions were released in Denmark and in the United States.
The original Danish-language version was directed by Danish director Poul Bang and released in Denmark on February 25, 1961. The American version, which was in English with a nearly identical cast, was directed by the film's American producer-director Sidney W. Pink; this version was initially deemed virtually unreleasable by American International Pictures and had to be extensively reworked by the film's Danish-American screenwriter, Ib Melchior, before being finally released in America in 1962. Pink was angry at the changes and wound up in a legal dispute with AIP. After Pink and others viewed the English-language version, the lawsuit was dropped. Plot Danish miners Svend Viltorft dig up a section of a giant reptile's tail from the frozen grounds in Lapland, where they are drilling. The section is flown to the Danish Aquarium in Copenhagen, where it is preserved in a cold room for scientific study. But due to careless mishandling, the room is left open and the section begins to thaw, only for scientists to find that it is starting to regenerate. Professor Otto Martens, who is in charge of the Aquarium, dubs the reptilian species "Reptilicus" (upon a reporter's suggestion) and compares its regeneration abilities to that of other animals like starfish. |
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Konga (1961)/(1961)
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*3.9/10 |
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Konga is a 1961 British/American international co-production science fiction horror film directed by John Lemont and starring Michael Gough, Margo Johns and Austin Trevor. It was shot at Merton Park Studios and in Croydon for Anglo Amalgamated, then distributed in the United States by American International Pictures (AIP) as a double feature with Master of the World. Anglo Amalgamated and AIP each provided half the funding for the US$500,000 film with each studio receiving distribution rights in their respective hemispheres.
Konga was the basis for a comic book series published by Charlton Comics and initially drawn by Steve Ditko (prior to Ditko's co-creation of Spider-Man) in the 1960s. Plot British botanist Dr. Charles Decker (Michael Gough) comes back from Africa after a year, presumed dead. During that year, he came across a way of growing plants and animals to an enormous size. He brings back a baby chimpanzee, Konga, to test out his theory. Decker goes insane after he discovers a serum that turns his chimpanzee subject into a ferocious gorilla-sized ape. To further his hideous experiments, he mesmerizes the ape and sends it to London to kill all his enemies who have more credit in the scientific community than he already has. Among his targets is Dean Foster (Austin Trevor) Professor Tagore (George Pastell) and Bob Kenton (Jess Conrad), the lover of Sandra Banks (Claire Gordon), the woman the doctor wants for himself. After Konga strangles Bob Kenton to death, Decker attempts to make Sandra his own. This does not sit well with Margaret (Margo Johns), |
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Decisive Battle of the Giant Magic Dragon (1966)/The Magic Serpent (1968) |
* 6.5/10 |
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The Magic Serpent (怪竜大決戦 Kai tatsu daikessen, Decisive Battle of the Giant Magic Dragon) is a 1966 film directed by Tetsyta Yamauchi.
Plot The Oumi Kingdom, ruled peacefully by Lord Ogata (Shinichiro Hayashi), was raided by his corrupt general Daijo Yuki (Bin Amatsu), who is assisted by an evil ninja named Orochimaru (Ryūtarō Ōtomo), who slays the lord and his wife, who in turn trust their young son Ikazuchi-Maru to their soldiers, who escape the kingdom in a small boat. Orochimaru goes after them, transforming into a giant serpent. He sinks the boat and almost succeeds in killing Ikazuchi-Maru, until a giant eagle flies along, injures Orochimaru, and saves the young boy. Years later, Ikazuchi-Maru (Matsukata Hiroki), now a young man, has mastered the art of ninjutsu and toad magic, thanks to an old hermit named Dojin Hiki (Nobuo Kaneko). When a band of ninja sent by Daijo Yuki try to attack Ikazuchi-Maru, the young ninja puts his skills to the test. Along the way, he meets a beautiful young girl named Tsunade (Tomoko Ogawa), whom he becomes friends with. Meanwhile, Hiki is confronted by Orochimaru, who turns out to be an old apprentice of his! Hiki also turned out to be the giant eagle that saved the young Ikazuchi-Maru and gave his former pupil a scar on his head (when he was in serpent form). Orochimaru then attacks the old master with ninja magic and poisons him. Ikazuchi-Maru and Tsunade return almost too late, as the dying Hiki tells him all he needs to know about Orochimaru, telling his pupil to avenge his death. And just before he dies, he reacts to Tsunade in shock, as though he realized something about her. |
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Giant Space Monster Guilala (1967)/The X From Outer Space (1968)
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* 4.9/10 |
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The X from Outer Space (宇宙大怪獣ギララ, Uchū Daikaijū Girara, Lit. Giant Space Monster Guilala) is a 1967 tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Shochiku Company Ltd. It was released to Japanese theaters on March 25, 1967, and to American television syndication via American International Television in 1968.
Plot The spaceship AAB Gamma is dispatched from Japan to land on Mars and investigate reports of UFOs in the area. When the Gamma nears the red planet, it finds a mysterious UFO that begins to coat the Gamma with unusual spores. One of these spores is taken back to Earth, but begins to develop. The spore grows into a giant lizard/chicken-like alien monster called Guilala that begins a rampage across Tokyo. It spits fireballs, feeds on nuclear fuel, turns into a giant energy ball when it wants to fly, and destroys airplanes and tanks along its rampage. The monster is finally defeated by jets dropping bombs, coating Guilala in a fictional substance known as "Guilalalium" that causes it to shrink back down to spore size. They promptly launch the spore back into space, where it will supposedly circle the sun in an endless orbit. |
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The Giant Beast Gappa (1967)/Gappa: The Triphibian Monsters (1968)
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* 3.9/10 |
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Gappa: The Triphibian Monster (大巨獣ガッパ Daikyojū Gappa) is a 1967 kaiju film directed by Haruyasu Noguchi. The film is about a group of Japanese reporters who discover an infant monster called a Gappa on Obelisk Island. The reporters cage the creature and take it to Japan where it becomes a media attraction. This angers the natives of the island and Gappa's full-grown parents, who head toward Japan to find their child. Its plot virtually duplicates that of the 1961 kaiju film Gorgo.
The film was released theatrically in Japan in 1967 but only received release on television in the United States. It received positive reviews from Variety and Phil Hardy. Certain shots of the Gappa attacking Japan were used in the 1991 Red Dwarf episode "Meltdown". Plot An expedition from Tokyo heads to Obelisk Island, which the greedy Mr. Funazu, president of "Playmate Magazine", wants to turn into a resort. The natives of Obelisk welcome the expedition, but two members, Hiroshi and Itoko, venture into a forbidden area despite the pleas of a native boy named Saki. They enter a cavern blocked by a fallen statue and find a giant egg, out of which hatches a baby monster, a "bird-lizard", referred to as a "Gappa". The natives plead with the skeptical scientists not to take the baby away, lest it anger the baby's parents. Sure enough, they take the baby away, and soon, inside the caverns, its two parents rise from the underground waters beneath the volcano, destroying everything in their path. Saki, the only survivor, is rescued by an American navy fleet and brought back to Japan. |
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Great Monster Yongary (1967)/Yongary, Monster From The Deep (1969)
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* 3.9/10 |
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Yongary: Monster from the Deep (Hangul: 대괴수 용가리; RR: Taekoesu Yongary; lit. Great Monster Yongary) is a 1967 South Korean/Japanese science fiction kaiju film featuring Yonggary, produced by Keukdong Entertainment Company and Toei. The film is directed by Kim Ki-duk, with special effects by Kenichi Nakagawa.
The film was made to rival the success of Godzilla and featured the same style and techniques of special effects filmmaking used in Godzilla films and other Kaiju films utilizing suitmation and miniature sets. The Japanese production company Toei helped co-produce the film with Keukdong Entertainment. The film was released in South Korea on September 28, 1967 and released direct to television in the United States by American International Television in 1969 as Yongary, Monster from the Deep. The film spawned a reimagining in 1999 titled Yonggary, also produced in South Korea. Plot In South Korea, a family gathers for the wedding of an astronaut, however, the astronaut is called back to duty to monitor a nuclear test in the Middle East. The test triggers an earthquake that shifts the epicenter to the heart of Korea. The authorities initially withhold this information from the public until they’re sure the quake strikes but once the earthquake reaches the Hwanghae province, the authorities impose martial law for the area. During the quake, a photographer takes pictures of the ground splitting, which reveals a giant creature moving inside. The photographer manages to get away but crashes his car due to the quake. |
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Giant Phantom Monster Agon/Agon: Atomic Dragon (1968) |
* 5.6/10 |
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Giant Phantom Monster Agon (幻の大怪獣アゴン Maboroshi no Daikaijū Agon) is a 1964 black-and-white Japanese Kaiju miniseries. Produced by Nippon Television, the miniseries aired on Fuji TV from January 2, 1968, to January 8, 1968. Internationally, the film is known as Agon: Atomic Dragon. The series was re-released in a condensed feature-length film in the mid-1990s by Toho.
Plot Episode #1 A powerful storm is raging in the dead of night, and a transport vehicle carrying uranium is forced to stop due to a landslide blocking off the road on the mountain pass they were traveling on. As the driver tried to contact the transport's headquarters, a second landslide from the heavy rain comes crashing down onto the vehicle, sending it over the edge of a cliff and into the sea below. The storm is the result of an intense typhoon striking Japan, leaving hundreds dead and several hundreds more without homes. Reports from the survivors begin to pour in to the City News Division, leaving every reporter on staff manning the phones to take down any new information regarding the storm. One reporter, Goro Ryouji, nicknamed the "Suppon", arrives late, much to the anger of his boss, but he reveals that he's following up on the transport vehicle's crash. He also lets his boss know that the news division's competitors don't know about this yet, so Goro has an exclusive scoop at the time. The next day, the National Atomic Energy Center and the police have begun to investigate the area near where the vehicle went off the edge. |
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The Mighty Peking Man (1977)/Goliathon (1980) |
* 5.3/10 |
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The Mighty Peking Man (猩猩王) (Mandarin: Xingxing Wang - which translates to "Gorilla King" in English) is a 1977 monster film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio to capitalize on the craze surrounding the 1976 remake of King Kong. The film was originally released in the US in 1980 as Goliathon.
The film was directed by Ho Meng Hua and produced by Runme Shaw; the special effects were directed by Sadamasa Arikawa, with Koichi Kawakita as assistant FX director,who would move on to the Heisei Godzilla movies, the Heisei Gamera trilogy and the Yonggary remake. It starred Danny Lee and Evelyne Kraft. Plot A party from Hong Kong headed up by Johnny (Danny Lee) are exploring the Indian side of the Himalayan mountains and discover the eponymous Peking Man, a Yeti, along with a beautiful blonde wild woman named Samantha (Evelyne Kraft) whose parents had been killed in a plane crash. Samantha was raised by Utam (the Peking Man) with nothing to wear but an animal-skin bikini. Like Tarzan, she has learned both to swing through the trees on vines and to communicate with and command the jungle animals, with the exception of a venomous snake who bites her on the inner thigh, requiring the hero Johnny to suck out the poison while Samantha's leopard friend and Utam fight the snake. Shortly thereafter, they fall in love. Johnny and his partners bring Samantha and Utam to Hong Kong, where Utam goes on display to the incredulous public. While in Hong Kong, Samantha doesn't seem to prefer women's clothing and continues to wear her animal-skin bikini. Johnny, meanwhile, reconciles with the girlfriend whose romantic betrayal with his brother had been the impetus behind his sudden decision to explore the Himalayas. |
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Pulgasari (1985)/(2015) |
* 5.3/10 |
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Pulgasari (Chosŏn'gŭl: 불가사리; RR: Bulgasari) is a 1985 North Korean dark fantasy-action monster film directed by Shin Sang-ok and Chong Gon Jo. The film starred Chang Son Hui and Pak Sung Ho and featured special effects by Duk Ho Kim, supervised by Teruyoshi Nakano. The film was loosely based on the legend of the Bulgasari. Director Shin had been kidnapped in 1978 by North Korean intelligence on the orders of Kim Jong-il, son of the then-ruling Kim Il-sung.
Plot In feudal Korea, during the Goryeo Dynasty, a king controls the land with an iron fist, subjecting the peasantry to misery and starvation. An old blacksmith who was sent to prison for defending his people creates a tiny figurine of a monster by making a doll of rice, and before dying asks the gods of earth and sky to make his creation a living creature that protects the rebels and the oppressed. When the figurine comes into contact with the blood of the blacksmith's daughter, the creature springs to life, becoming a giant metal-eating monster who the blacksmith's daughter names Pulgasari, which is the name of the mythical monster her father used to mention as an eater of iron and steel. After much suffering, the peasants form an army, storm the palace of the Governor and kill him. The evil King becomes aware that there is a rebellion being planned in the country, and he intends to crush it, but he runs into Pulgasari, who fights with the peasant army to overthrow the corrupt monarchy. |
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Yonggary (1999)/Yonggary 2001 (2001)/ Reptillan (2001) |
* 2.6/10 |
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Yonggary (Hangul: 용가리; RR: Yonggari) is a 1999 South Korean science fiction monster film directed by Shim Hyung-rae and is a reimagining of the character Yonggary, originating from the 1967 film Yongary: Monster from the Deep. Despite being a South Korean production, the film's principal cast consists of Western actors such as Harrison Young, Donna Phillipson, Richard B. Livingston, Briant Wells, Brad Sergi, Dan Cashman, and Bruce Cornwell.
Yonggary was released in South Korea on July 17, 1999 and was later re-released with an altered plot and updated special effects on January 20, 2001 as Yonggary: 2001 Upgrade Edition. The 2001 version was distributed in North America as Reptilian. The film was considered the most expensive South Korean film produced at the time of its release. Plot Based on the 2001 version. The 1999 version has never been released on home video on any market. In Southeast Asian, an archaeological party explore some caverns underground. Dr. Campbell and Dr. Hughes are the two leaders of the archaeological expedition, and get separated. While Dr. Hughes finds an alien corpse with a fossilized diamond, Campbell finds hieroglyphics at the cost of the party except for Hughes and himself. Two years later, an alien mothership arrives near Earth’s orbit, which destroys two American satellites that gets the attention of Parker, who reports it to General Murdock of the United National Defense Agency (UNDA). Bud Black, a cameraman, learns from a colleague about a dinosaur dig, led by Campbell along with his assistant Holly. |
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Garuda (2004) |
* 4.4/10 |
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Garuda (in Thailand known as Paksa wayu) is a 2004 Thai Kaiju film. It is considered to be Thailand's first Giant Monster/Kaiju movie by fans of the genre.
Plot The discovery of a mysterious fossil sets the stage for a terrifying confrontation between modern day man and Thai folklore. A tunnel excavation has revealed a rock so dense that it cannot be penetrated by even the strongest drill. When the workers discover a collection of unrecognizable fossils that bear no similarities to the familiar dinosaur types, they enlist the aid of archeologist Lenna Pierre and her American partner Tim in revealing the origins of the mysterious geological find. Awakened by the large scale excavation and enraged at having been trapped beneath the Bangkok concrete for hundreds of years, the ancient Garuda sets out on a bloody rampage as Leena, Tim, and the military struggle to find a means of bringing Garuda's destructive reign of terror to an end. |
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Great Planet Monster Negadon (2005)/Negadon: The Monster From Mars (2006) |
* 6.5/10 |
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Negadon: The Monster from Mars (惑星大怪獣ネガドン Wakusei Daikaijû Negadon, literally Great Planet Monster Negadon) is a 25-minute computer animated Japanese short film completed in 2005 (production started in 2003). Written and directed by Jun Awazu with his independent company Studio Magara co-produced with CoMix Wave Films, the film attempts to capture the look and feel of Showa era Japanese special effects films, mainly from the 1950s and early '60s. Negadon has been broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network, Animax. The film premiered on AZN Television in North America. The film has also played by the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States in 2008. Negadon, the Monster from Mars (2005) was released in North America on DVD on July 11, 2006 by Central Park Media.
Plot In the year 2025, Earth sends an expedition to Mars in the spaceship Izanami. A huge rock formation is discovered beneath the surface, and is transported back to earth. On the way back, the rock's temperature soars, causing the Izanami to explode and crash-land in Tokyo, leaving a large crater. The rock hatches into a colossal alien life form, which proceeds to attack Japan with bolts of energy from its many appendages and orifices. Missiles, tanks, and aircraft all attack but fail to destroy Negadon (the name of the creature, although it is never stated on screen), whose thick exoskeleton protects it from conventional weaponry. At the same time, Ryûichi Narasaki, a downcast robotics constructor, is still devastated by the incident that cost him his left eye and the life of his only child, a young daughter. The incident was caused by the malfunctioning of his masterpiece, the giant prototype super-robot MI-6 2 Miroku. |
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Reigo: The Deep-Sea Monster Vs. The Battleship Yamato/Deep Sea Monster Reigo (2008) |
* 3.8/10 |
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Reigo: The Deep-Sea Monster vs. the Battleship Yamato (深海獣レイゴー Shinkaijū Reigō) is a 2008 independent tokusatsu film by Shinpei Hayashiya. Veteran artist Keita Amemiya designed the titular monster. The film's original working title was Reigo vs. Yamato (レイゴー対大和 - Reigô tai Yamatô).
The film, set in World War II, depicts the story of the real-life Japanese battleship, the Yamato, which is confronted in the Pacific Ocean by giant monsters, including the most fearsome of them all, Reigo. Plot In September 1942, Captain Yamagami (Susumu Kurobe) is ordered to rendezvous the Yamato with the Combined Fleet that is gathering at the Truk Islands (aka Chuuk Islands) in Micronesia, a key strategic point in the South Pacific. With beautiful clear blue skies above and surrounded by coral reefs below, this South Seas paradise became a strong base for the Combined Fleet and the front lines of the naval war; a place where many fierce battles were fought. Decades later, the sea bed surrounding the Truk Islands is still littered with the remains of more than 60 warships and airplanes. Among Yamagami’s crew are the cantankerous Divisional Officer Noboru Osako (Yukijiro Hotaru) and the young Ensign Takeshi Kaido (Taiyo Sugiura). Unsure of what the future may bring, Kaido went off to war without declaring his intentions for his childhood sweetheart, Chie Kojima (Mai Nanami). He always carries her photo in his coat pocket, while Chie longs for his return to their seaside hometown. |
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The Monster X Strikes Back/Attack the G8 Summit (2008)/(2009) |
* 5.3/10 |
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The Monster X Strikes Back/Attack the G8 Summit (Japanese: ギララの逆襲／洞爺湖サミット危機一発 Girara no Gyakushū: Tōyako Samitto Kiki Ippatsu lit. Guilala Strikes Back: the Tōyako Summit Attack Crisis) is a 2008 Japanese kaiju comedy film, released by Shochiku and produced by the Guilala Production Committee.
Plot In the year 2008 all the world leaders are together at a G8 Summit meeting in Japan. A meteorite crashes into the heart of Sapporo and releases the monster Guilala. The monster rampages through Sapporo, leaving death and destruction in his wake. After leveling the city, Guilala transforms into a giant ball of fire and flies to Hokkaidō, making its way to the G8 Summit. The Prime Minister of Japan proposes cancelling the Summit for the safety of all involved, but the President of the United States convinces the other world leaders to personally stay and fight. Shortly after forming a world alliance, each leader stays to fight for their own reason:
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Death Kappa (2010) |
* 4.6/10 |
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Death Kappa (デスカッパ Desukappa) is an amphibious yokai created by Nikkatsu that first appeared in the 2010 Nikkatsu kaiju film, Death Kappa.
Plot The kappa, in Japanese folklore, are water goblins that are closely associated with a certain town in the country. Unfortunately, the area is also home to a militant splinter group of researchers dedicated to developing amphibious super soldiers based on the kappa of legends. When their experiment's result in murder by some escapees, the appearance of an actual kappa, and the triggering of an atomic bomb, the consequences are of epic proportions. After a Kappa is caught in an atomic explosion, the creature is mutated in to the giant Death Kappa just moments before another amphibious monster, Hangyolas begins to rampage through Japan. The two monsters confront one another and become locked in combat, with Death Kappa eventually reigning victorious. Appearance - Death Kappa Being based off of the mythological Kappa, Death Kappa keeps some of the trademark characteristics from the creature. Such features include its frog-like appearance, and hard turtle-like shell. Added are an avian beak, pronounced gut, and hair. Although the traditional Kappa was said to have webbed feet, Death Kappa lacks this trait. |
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Shin Ultraman (2022) |
*6.6/10 |
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Shin Ultraman is a 2022 Japanese superhero kaiju film directed by Shinji Higuchi and written, co-produced, and co-edited by Hideaki Anno. A reimagining of Ultraman, the film is a co-production between Toho Studios and Cine Bazar, and presented by Tsuburaya Productions, Toho Co., Ltd., and Khara, Inc. It is the 37th film in the Ultraman franchise, and the second reboot of a tokusatsu series to be adapted by Anno and Higuchi, after Shin Godzilla, with Shin Kamen Rider to follow in 2023. The film stars Takumi Saitoh, Masami Nagasawa, Daiki Arioka, Akari Hayami, Tetsushi Tanaka, and Hidetoshi Nishijima, with Anno and Bin Furuya as Ultraman. In the film, an extraterrestrial accidentally kills a man while battling a kaiju and takes on his appearance and place at the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol to protect Earth from further threats.
In the summer of 2017, Anno was tasked with writing a proposal for a trilogy of Ultraman productions by Takayuki Tsukagoshi, the future chairman of Tsuburaya Productions. A year after completing the plan for the trilogy on January 17, 2018, Anno wrote the first draft of Shin Ultraman's screenplay on February 5, 2019. However, his participation in the film had to be deferred until the completion of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. Tsuburaya Productions officially announced the film had begun production on August 1, 2019. Principal photography took place during fall 2019 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Hiratsuka and Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kōfu and Minobu in Yamanashi Prefecture, and Ichihara in Chiba Prefecture, and wrapped in November. Post-production was decelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in editing taking roughly two-and-a-half years. |
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Troll (2022) |
*5.8/10 |
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Troll is a 2022 Norwegian monster film directed by Roar Uthaug. Starring Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Gard B. Eidsvold, Pål Richard Lunderby, and Eric Vorenholt, it follows a ragtag group of people who must come together to stop an ancient troll that was awakened in a Norwegian mountain and prevent it from wreaking havoc.
Director Uthaug met with Motion Blur executives when his film Tomb Raider was near completion to discuss creating a film. He decided to utilize a Norwegian folklore-inspired idea that he had been pondering for over 20 years. Concept art of the titular monster attacking Oslo was released in March 2021. Principal photography began in August 2021 and wrapped in November, with location shooting taking place in Askim, Dovre, Indre Østfold, Lom, Øyer, Rena, and Ulsteinvik. Troll was released by Netflix on 1 December 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances, score, cinematography, direction, visual effects, and action sequences, but criticism towards its derivative plot. Plot As a young girl, Nora Tidemann’s father, Tobias, teaches her the mythology of Trolls and the origin of their local mountains. During one story, Nora almost “sees” the faces of trolls turned to stone in the rock face. Years later, a drilling operation tunneling through the mountains of Dovre results in an eruption and the deaths of several workers and protestors. |
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