When a test rocket full of -- gasp! -- experimental wasps gets a dose of cosmic radiation then crashes in Africa, there's not only hell to pay, but green hell to pay as the mutant, irradiated insects begin killing off the native population. It's up to a small party of scientists to figure out what's going on and take care of a problem so big that even Orkin can't eradicate it.
Starring a pre-DALLAS Jim Davis, the spunky Barbara Turner and Eduardo "The Mummy's Hand" Ciannelli, MONSTER FROM GREEN HELL was released in 1957 on a double-bill with HALF-HUMAN, and later, RODAN.
Aside from the film being the usual giant bug fare of the fifties, the special effects aren't too bad thanks to the genius of Wah Chang's design and Gene Warren's stop-motion animation.
Exterior location shots were done at Griffith Park's Bronson Canyon caves in Los Angeles.
The final minutes were tinted and filmed in Technicolor.
NOTE: The wasps in this film were the inspiration for the "Horrible Hamilton" figure included with Remco's HAMILTON'S INVADERS toy set from 1964.
LOBBY CARDS:
PRODUCTION STILLS:
MONSTER FROM GREEN HELL (TRAILER):
MONSTER FROM GREEN HELL (STOP MOTION EFFECTS SCENES):
EXTRA!
Marketing/promotion materials for Hamilton's Invaders toy set 1964. Selling on eBay for--wait for it--$2,500.
Never knew of that toy set. It looks pretty keen. Monster from a Green Hell I've seen, but only remember being bored by it. Maybe it deserves another outing.
ReplyDeleteDon't expect much out of it, it's pretty tedious but the monsters are pretty cool. Have your fast-forward button ready! I posted a longer piece on Hamilton's Invaders some time ago and added a label for it here.
ReplyDeleteAs a young kid, Monster from Green Hell scared the hell out of me! Thanks for posting this; I had forgotten this flick.
ReplyDeleteI know, the pacing is terrifying!
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