The Tuesday Top 10: Favorite Ray Harryhausen Creations

Can I admit something? There are nights I go to sleep sounder knowing that Ray Harryhausen is still out there somewhere. That such a titanic legend of the movies, and of genre entertainment in general, is still with us. The great Harryhausen turned 90 today, and to commemorate the birthday of the screen's most revered special effects man, this week I'm looking back at his greatest works.

The efforts of Ray Harryhausen brought me great joy as a child, and they still do. For example, back in the days before VCRs, I became so entranced by a showing of Jason & The Argonauts on TV that I checked the TV Guide (remember that?) to see what day and time it was, my naive six-year-old brain assuming the network would be showing it again each year, like they did with The Wizard of Oz. So that gives you an idea of how deeply I fell in love with the magic of Ray Harryhausen.

And so, this week for the Tuesday Top 10, I reached back through all my favorite Harryhausen flicks to come up with the specific stop-motion creations of his that thrilled me the most. Happy Birthday to Mr. Harryhausen, and thanks in particular for giving us the following...

10. The Kraken
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Why does the ultimate weapon of the gods rank so low? Well, between you and me, the infamous Kraken has never been at the top of my list because, as impressive as it is, the Greek mythology buff in me was always put off by how it looked nothing like the Kraken as traditionally described. In hindsight, since the Kraken is actually a giant squid, I suspect the change was made so the creature wouldn't too closely resemble the next entry in my list, one of Harryhausen's earlier triumphs...

9. Giant Octopus
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
Harryhausen famously created an octopus with only six arms for the sake of manageability, but given the finished product, I can forgive him. The monstrous cephalopod that attacks San Francisco in Robert Gordon's classic giant-monster-run-amok movie is a sight to behold, made even more foreboding by the fact that we only see a bit of it here, and a bit of it there. As a proud Italian-American and sci-fi fan, I can honestly say this movie comes to mind anytime I'm enjoying a little polpo salad...

8. Flying Saucers
Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)
At least up until Independence Day, this might have been the most iconic alien invasion ever put to celluloid, and the thanks for that is due pretty much entirely to Harryhausen. With all due respect to B-director extraordinaire Fred F. Sears and the mighty Clover Productions, it's Harryhausen's unforgettable fleet of spacecraft that everyone remembers to this day. What also makes this particular effort stand out is it's one of the only times that Harryhausen animated something other than living creatures.

7. Rhedosaurus
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
This particular monstrosity was the one that put Harryhausen on the map as the go-to man in stop-motion animation. And it's a matter of public record that there basically would've been no Godzilla without the influence of Harryhausen's work here, crafting a dinosaur that wreaks havoc in New York City. The final standoff in Coney Island is something to see--hell, every time this thing is on screen it's something to see. Quite literally the granddaddy of all movie dinos.

6. Kali
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974)
Technically it's not actually the Indian goddess of death, but rather a wooden idol come to life, but that took nothing away from how much this demonic creature freaked me out. Sinbad and his men face a few different beasties in this, my second favorite Sinbad movie, but the six-armed Kali was definitely the one that most stuck with me.

5. Ymir
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
One of Harryhausen's most creative creations, the Ymir was a Venusian alien that crash-lands in Italy and grows bigger and bigger as the movie progresses. Today the Ymir is practically synonymous with Ray Harryhausen effects, as was proven when a statuette of the creature was packaged with a recent special edition DVD box set of Harryhausen films (which, with any luck, will be mine before too long...)

4. Medusa
Clash of the Titans (1981)
As if the original Harryhausen masterpiece wasn't enough, the Medusa was made even more wondrous in comparison to the ridiculous CGI failure of the recent Clash of the Titans remake. Harryhausen's brilliance came in taking a well-known creature of myth and making it his own--the snake body and bow and arrow, for example, were his concepts. And the manner in which he pulls off her famous mane of vipers is breathtaking, proving once again that the heart and soul he put into his work could outshine anything spewed forth from a computer.

3. Cyclops
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Speaking of classic monsters of myth, here's another one brought vibrantly to life by the master. This was the first time his work would be shown off in a full color feature, and we couldn't possibly have asked for a cooler creature to show off with than this nightmarish behemoth. There have been many Harryhausen creations that impressively embodied the man's artistry, but this may very well be the one for which he's best known.

2. The Skeleton Army
Jason & The Argonauts (1963)
It was very tough not making this my number one, as the sight of this ghoulish battalion of undead warriors is something I will always cherish as a lover of film in general. In fact, talk to any died-in-the-wool Harryhausen fanatic, and it won't be very long before this incredible scene is brought up. The interaction between the human characters and stop-motion figures is particular outstanding, and there's no doubt this climatic combat was the most deftly staged of all Harryhausen effects sequences.

1. Talos
Jason & The Argonauts (1963)
Yes, Jason & The Argonauts is my favorite Harryhausen picture, and so it gets the top two spots on my list. As much as I adore the skeletons, Talos will always be the one creation that best represents the talent of Ray Harryhausen for me, personally. That initial viewing of this movie all those years ago was highlighted most of all for tiny B-Sol by the emergence of this terrifying, towering bronze killing machine. The movement, the design, the sound effects--it all added up to pure movie magic. And that's what the body of work of Ray Harryhausen is all about.

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A Peek Inside the John Cox Creature Workshop

Monster movie aficionados may recognize the endoskeleton to the left as one built by Willis O'Brien in 1945, which I believe may have possibly been used in his 1956 film The Animal World. As stunning as it was to be in the presence of this piece of movie history, it wasn't even the main attraction in the excellent exhibit I got a chance to preview tonight at the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Called "How to Make a Monster", the traveling attraction showcases the impressive work of John Cox, the animatronic wizard who won an Oscar in 1993 for his work on Babe. And thanks to my membership at the Museum, I got the opportunity to take part in the official kick-off of the exhibit, and to drag my dad along for the ride.

But my dad and I didn't show up at the Museum tonight to see cute little pigs and sheep. I am, after all, the keeper of The Vault of Horror, and I have a responsibility to my readers.

There, that's a little more like it. This charming fellow and his brethren were among the only reasons to sit through Pitch Black. And here's a cool fun fact for you: notice the blue glow inside its jaws? Well that was caused by the flash from my camera, meaning Cox was using some nifty light-sensitive paint. Nice touch.

But every effects guy worth his salt has to have some dinosaurs on his resume, and Cox is no different. Here's one of the stars of the 1998 Sci-Fi original flick Gargantua, which was supposedly an attempt to cash in on the impending release of the American remake of Godzilla. Hey, don't hold it against Cox. After all, he didn't make the movie--just the dinosaurs.

Slightly unnerving, isn't it? That's one of the animatronic endoskeletons Cox's studio built for the same movie, just without the skin. But if you think that's unnerving, wait till you get a load of this:


Yeeeesh... No, that's not the Eye of Sauron. Actually, it's an eye from the giant killer crocodile in last year's Rogue.

Speaking of which, here's an early, unpainted version of that very aforementioned killer crocodile. And just in case you need more reptilian goodness...






I ask you, what other museum exhibit has a display case labeled "Crocodile Eyeballs"? The answer, my friends, is none. Need I say more?


In all seriousness, Cox really has some amazing work to boast of, and it's a wonder he's not better known, at least here in the United States. I noticed that he has done a lot of commercial work for TV in his native Australia, so it's possible he's better known over there. This is a guy who's dedicated to his craft. For instance, he built these two monsters, not for any movie, but rather, just for the hell of it:














Tell me that Gillman on the left shouldn't have landed Cox a spot working on the Creature from the Black Lagoon remake. As for that werewolf, it's cooler than many I've seen in actual movies.

Unfortunately, there were no samples of Cox's work on the Korean monster flick The Host, which I was hoping to see. Nevertheless, my dad and I had a very fun evening (the champagne didn't hurt). I urge you to check the exhibit out if you're in the area--it'll be here until the end of January. If you're not in the area, stay calm. This is, after all, a traveling exhibit, and so it may very well be headed your way next.

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Learn How to Make a Monster

There aren't many perks to being a horror sophisticate living in Connecticut, but by gum, I've found one of 'em. Seems that the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport has kicked off a special exhibit entitled "How to Make a Monster". Specifically, it is an exhibit of the animatronics work of lesser-known special effects master John Cox, whose company Robotechnology (heh heh, cool name) is responsible for such beasties as the killer croc in Rogue, and the new age kaiju in the Korean mega-hit The Host (a.k.a. Gwoemul).

The Discovery Museum will be holding a "champagne celebration" to launch the exhibition, and as a member, I plan on dusting off my top hat, white tie and tails to attend. Expect a full report. I'm especially looking forward to inspecting the go-go gadget arms Cox created for Inspecter Gadget 2: Direct to Video.

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Stan Winston 1946-2008

One of Hollywood's all-time greatest creature creators has left us--a man whose groundbreaking and prolific special effects work has earned him a spot amongst the likes of Ray Harryhausen, Willis O'Brien and Jack Pierce. Certainly the creations he brought to the screen are just as indelible as any of theirs, chief amongst them being the Terminator and the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park.

Stan Winston came to Hollywood in 1968, and got his first experience as as assistant in the makeup department at Walt Disney Studios. He would come to be known primarily as a maker of monsters, with his first work being on the 1972 TV movie Gargoyles.

To the realm of horror, he contributed the likes of The Entity, The Monster Squad, Leviathan, Edward Scissorhands, The Ghost and the Darkness, Interview with the Vampire, The Relic, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Lake Placid, End of Days and Constantine. He also made uncredited assists on Friday the 13th Part III and The Thing. Beyond the genre, his work can be found in films as wide-ranging as The Wiz, Heartbeeps, Starman, Predator, Tank Girl, Invaders from Mars, Batman Returns, Congo, Small Soldiers, Inspector Gadget, Galaxy Quest, Pearl Harbor, AI, Big Fish and this summer's blockbuster Iron Man. His work on Aliens, Jurassic Park and Terminator 2: Judgement Day earned him Academy Awards.

Although he worked in several genres, Winston had a special love for horror films. In fact, his pet project was the underrated 1988 monster flick Pumpkinhead, which he wrote and directed. He also produced recent chillers Wrong Turn and The Deaths of Ian Stone. Here's a great quote from the man himself on the subject:

"People who are afraid to go to horror movies are generally afraid their whole lives. People say to me, 'Do you have nightmares?' I never have nightmares! And I go to movies and see the most bizarre things in the world, and go... Wow that is really sick, how fun is that! And I don't have to carry it around. I think that's very healthy."

Winston was remembered today by his greatest collaborator, James Cameron. Together, these two men brought to life one of the most iconic and influential special effects creations in movie history, the animatronic killing machine of The Terminator. Cameron sent the following message this afternoon to Ain't It Cool News:

"Stan was a great man. I'm proud to have been his friend, and his collaborator on what for both of us, was some of our best work. We met in pre-production on Terminator in 1983, and quickly sized each other up as the kind of crazy son of a bitch that you wanted for a friend. We've stayed friends for over a quarter of a century, and would have been for much longer if he had not been cut down.

"We've lost a great artist, a man who made a contribution to the cinema of the fantastic that will resound for a long long time... We all know Stan's work, the genius of his designs. But not even the fans necessarily know how great he was as a man. I mean a real man --- a man who knows that even though your artistic passion can rule your life, you still make time for your family and your friends.

"I spoke with Stan by phone Saturday morning, and apparently it was one of the last conversations he had. Incredibly, in retrospect, he was full of life, you'd never have known he was at death's door. We talked for a long time about all the fun times, and all the dragons we'd slain together. He said that once you've shown something is possible, everybody can do it. What was important was being first. Breaking new ground.

"Well that's just what he did his whole career, and today's creature and character effects business uses the techniques he developed every single day. He inspired a generation of fantasy effects geeks, and his legacy will be found in their dreams up on the screens of the future, not just in the films he worked on directly."

Not one to rest on his laurels, Winston was still very much active the field he pioneered. He was in the midst of work on the fourth Terminator film, and was all set to get started on Jurassic Park IV when he succumbed to bone cancer Sunday night at the age of 62.

I'd like to close out with one last quote that speaks to Cameron's comments on Stan Winston, the man. There's a truth to it that so many of us may often forget, to our great detriment. Yet it remains true nonetheless:

"There's nothing more important to me in my life than my family, and nothing will ever take over. I believe that's why the work shows as well as it [does], because my work is not a sacrifice. My work is a joy. I'm not sacrificing my family for my work. I go in and I love what I do. I love nothing more than my family."

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Hellboy Special FX Co. to Create New Creature from the Black Lagoon

There has been serious talk of a Creature from the Black Lagoon remake for a little while now, and although the project was put on hold thanks to the writers' strike, it is now officially back on track according to a scoop at ShockTillYouDrop.com. Director Breck Eisner even mentioned the specific designer and effects house that is working on the brand new Gill Man.

It will be Spectral Motion, the company which did creature/make-up effects for films such as Hellboy, Fantastic Four and X-Men: The Last Stand that will be bringing us the new Creature. In fact, Eisner says they've already built their first maquette, based on a design created by Mark McCreery, whose previous body of work includes designing the Penguin for Batman Returns, Davey Jones for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Ghost Rider, Ang Lee's Hulk, and the reimagined Universal monsters for Van Helsing.

Eisner reports that the authentic Amazon locations have already been scouted, he himself is polishing up the screenplay, and McCreery's design is "very faithful to the original, but updated." The director is striving to keep the remake tonally similar to the original as well, while also retooling it to scare today's audiences as much as it scared them in 1954. It's expected to be a 2009 summer flick, so expect there to be a little more action as well, although the picture will remain a horror movie, and will not be transformed into a full-tilt action vehicle the way The Mummy was a decade ago.

I can remember a new Creature from the Black Lagoon being in the works for at least 20 years now--in fact, I believe John Carpenter was originally attached to it. Much like the Wolf Man, this is a Universal reboot I'm keeping my eye on.

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