MONSTER ATCH
On hearing that Peter Jackson was remaking KING KONG, Paul Dale dug out his old Top
Trumps Monster Cards””, and was surprised
by what he found. Here, we reproduce these hidden gems for you to cut out and keep.
THE BLOB
fllUfllUHl bPOOK SHOW DAUGHTER 'i HORROR " BELA LUGOSl
Physical strength 76 That can't be right. it's a ball of mucus. Fear factor 66
Most of this is for Steve McQueen's acting in the 1958 version of the film.
Killing power 71 Death by mucoid suffocation no less.
Survival rating Larry ‘JR' Hagman tried to revive this ailing franchise in 197? with his directorial opus Beware! The Blob. There is allegedly another remake about to come Out. The trouble is that the 50s film was so tied in to the US' 1950s obsession With space and bad aliens that in this post F T world it really fails to take shape.
Survi al rating A seriOusty underrated supermonster who is really only ever seen in the film
adaptations of the work of Melville and Verne. which is a shame. Mark our words. this suckers day will come.
30 THE LIST 1-45 Dec 2005
THE MUMMY
Physical strength 86 You would think the muscles would be a little sinewy after all those years.
Fear factor 76 Let’s face it - dead Egyptians are frightening.
Killing power 81 Ever heard of mummification?
Survival rating OK. Greatly marred by its association to Scooby 000. the mummy has made a strong comeback in the last few years. mainly due to a revival in interest in Egyptian history. The mummy also offers racist Republican filmmakers a way of depicting the Middle Eastern infidel.
Fear factor 71 It‘s frozen log. for God's sake!
Survival rating Big Foot and the Hendersons almost killed our chilly friend off for good but at this very moment they are shooting a new Abominable Snowman film in some snowy corner of the US. It's due to come out next year.
TRIFFID
Fear factor 46 We're mildly scared.
Survival rating lhe black lagoon creature was a product of America's isolationist tendencies between WW1 and WWII a ii‘ietaphor for burgeoning immigration fear and economic paranoia. so clearly this big ball of spirogyra has many more years in him yet.
’ \' ‘ "-.':."‘-.-w“- 88
Fear factor Those Japanese can't get enough of thew (Scam.
Survival rating [Excellent With the release of the beautiful new print of the brilliant original 19:34 film it is very clear {perhaps fer the first time to Western audiences) that Godzilla is a creation of the bad nuclear age and all he wants to do is destroy his makers. Come on. you masters of war.
Physical strength 77 Now we're talking plants that kill.
Fear factor 67 John Wyndham was a genius.
Killing power 62 They are no longer interested in your carbon dioxide - they want your oxygen (no not the Jean Michel Jarre album).
Survival rating Plants that kill -~ it's the ultimate allegory for nature's inevitable revenge. Bring on the fertiliser.