The Black Scorpion, Mexico Under Attack

Remember those yucky insect creatures in the pit in 1933's "King Kong"? Well, they're back.  Many of the scenes in which they appeared were edited out of that classic ape film as they were deemed too scary for audiences. Almost a quarter of a century later they emerge...in Mexico. Yep 1957's "The Black Scorpion" effectively uses that lost footage for some unsettling insect horror. Giant worms and spiders will take a backseat in this one though as an army of gargantuan scorpions decide to cause havoc just south of the border.

A huge volcanic eruption unearths a deadly horror. Unbeknownst to two geologists, Hank (Richard Denning) and Arturo (Carlos Rivas), an underground cave now has opened up near a rural Mexican town. The two scientists travel to San Lorenzo to assess damage and study the eruption. They find almost total destruction, but the good people of the village begin rebuilding. This won't go well as huge scorpions appear out of this long hidden cavern and eat the cattle and townspeople. Fortunately there is one, and only one, babe in town and Hank takes the opportunity to fall in love with the nubile and wealthy rancher, Teresa (Mara Corday).

The monsters hit at night and return to their nest before sun up, so Hank and Arturo decide to descend into the cavern during the day.  This plan will fail miserably, largely due to incompetence. Inside the cavern our duo witness giant insect wars as the monsters feast on each other and turn their appetites to the human intruders. Hank and Arturo are lucky to escape but the plan to kill all the beasts is a stupid one and won't work. As Hank and Teresa suck a lot of face, figuring the monsters are no more, the scorpion horde returns and kills everyone in sight and sets its sight on Mexico City. The scorpions are ruled by a king black scorpion which drools venom.

Will the horde reach Mexico City? Will Hank and Teresa stop sucking face long enough to figure out a semi intelligent plan to defeat the fiends? Are the scorpions a thinly veiled metaphor for the Guatemalan illegal immigrants that infiltrate Mexico every year and drain its social welfare system? The monsters are scary, slimy, and will give you the heebie-jeebies. Fans of the original "King Kong" will recognize some of the beasts, but the special creature effects here are superb. For a terrific monster movie with many scares, and unsettling insect scenes, see "The Black Scorpion," directed by Edward Ludwig.