Monster from Green Hell (1957)

[bunniefuu]

This is the age of the

rocket, the jet, atomic power.

When man prepares to

reach for the stars,

but before he dares to

launch himself into space,

there is one great

question to be answered.

What happens to life

in the airless void

above Earth's atmosphere?

Will life remain untouched,

unharmed by its

flight through space,

or will it change into, what?

There was only one

way to find out,

and we were working on it.

All yours, Mr. Morgan.

Thank you, Dr. Brady.

Eh, let's see, monkey, wasps,

crabs, spiders,

and a guinea pig.

Mac, Dr. Brady's being

very generous this morning.

Let's load the passengers, huh?

It's 10:14, 10:15, we

set the Roman rockets.

40-second flight plan, Jim.

Let's hope they land

inside the county.

Yeah!

10:15 minus five,

four,

three,

two,

one.

Off they go in the

wild, blue yonder.

Above the atmosphere,

the yonder is not blue.

It's black.

Well, thank you, Dr. Brady.

I bet you read that in a book.

No, thank you.

208 miles straight up.

Nothing up there

but airless space

and a flock of cosmic radiation.

You ever have the

itch to get up there yourself?

Not me, I'll wait and see

what happens to

the test animals.

Mm-hmm, you and me both!

Mr. Morgan, the second rocket!

She's

not coming down.

Defective vane maybe.

I'm losing contact.

She's out

of radar range.

She was way over

normal velocity.

Yeah, I know.

Friction coefficient?

Well, Quent, let's go ask the

computer a few questions, huh?

Better sit down, Quent,

this'll take some time.

- Yeah.

Have a seat there.

Thanks.

Trajectory, 319, speed

of flight, 427,364.

Fuel weight, 119,

burn efficiency 5.32.

Friction coefficient, 0.79.

Don't know if we'll

get an answer.

I hope so.

Well how 'bout it?

I hope it's a good one.

So do I.

Data's insufficient

for a positive answer,

only an approximation.

Well, I'll tell ya one thing.

If that rocket comes

down in a populated area,

it won't be good.

Yeah.

Well, the rocket went into

almost escape velocity,

it just, let's take

a look at the globe.

It'll orbit halfway

around the world

and come down-

Come down where?

If the

computer is correct,

just off the coast of Africa.

What happened, Arobi?

It's Macongo, Doctor.

He gave up his

breath and his soul

at the last going

down of the sun.

How did he come

to be this way?

He followed a trail

into Green Hell.

You were his blood

brother, Arobi.

Where we you when he died?

No farther than a

small stone's throw,

but he was hidden from me

by a turn in the trail.

I heard him scream.

I ran to him.

You saw what had attacked him?

I saw nothing.

Tell me, what did you see?

Give him a hand,

we'll take him inside.

We'll find out what k*lled him.

That will put an end

to all this superstitious

prattling about monsters.

He died of paralysis

of nerve centers.

Was it snake venom?

There is a resemblance,

but the dose was too massive.

No poisonous snake

known to science

could inject the quantity

of poison present.

Besides, the nature of

the material injected

completely different, couldn't

possibly be from a snake.

Then you do not know

what k*lled Macongo.

Not yet.

The men know!

Arobi, that's superstition.

They were prepared to see

monsters in Green Hell,

so naturally, they did.

Doctor, the animals

flee from Green Hell.

This, I have seen!

The small monkeys and

the large elephants,

all flee, all run madly away!

Even the birds in the

air do not remain!

Since when?

Week, uh, two.

Doctor, it may be we

are superstitious,

but is a monkey frightened

by a superstition?

Does an elephant run

from superstition?

Will a bird not alight in a

tree because of superstition?

Then there is something,

some thing strange,

perhaps even monstrous,

but a thing of nature,

not of evil spirits!

Hey, what's so

interesting in the news?

Take a look at that.

Yeah, things are

rough all over!

But these riots

reported monsters.

What's that got to do with us?

According to the computer,

the rockets we lost six

months ago landed in Africa.

Do you think

there's a connection?

I could be wrong,

I hope I am.

But Quent, we've sent up

hundreds of test animals,

exposed them to

cosmic radiation.

None of 'em ever turned out

to be monsters or giants.

But none of them were exposed

for more than 40 seconds either.

See these guinea pigs?

Yeah.

They were sent up

day before yesterday.

40 seconds exposure

at 206 miles altitude.

They look fine.

Sure, but their fur's white.

What's the

matter with that?

It was brown when

they were sent up.

These two were

sent up last week.

Mm-hmm.

They've been in a

trance ever since.

Any injuries?

Well, none that our

instruments can detect,

but maybe we don't have

the right instruments.

Is this one all right?

She hasn't been sent up yet.

Now here, there's

mama, spider crab.

On the left, we have baby.

Oh, baby's

a whole lot bigger!

Yeah.

Mama was exposed to cosmic

rays before she had baby.

Result, in one generation,

mutation of the genes,

resulting in practically doubling

the size of the offspring.

Well, Quent, I see

what you're driving at,

but there's a lot of difference

between a crab that develops

to be twice as big as normal

and a gigantic monster.

Sure, there's a big difference

in 40 seconds exposure

and 40 hours, too, Dan.

40 hours exposure is what the

wasp in the lost rocket got.

So?

Look, you've seen pictures

of the survivors at

Hiroshima, haven't you?

Well, sure.

Radiation did that, Dan.

Quent, what you're thinking

about sounds like a nightmare.

Yeah.

Nobody was anxious to believe

in my theory, not even Dan.

On the other hand, nobody

could afford to ignore it.

I had written a report and sent

it to project headquarters.

They didn't like it much there

and promptly passed

it on to Washington.

Finally, my request

for leave of absence

for Dan and myself to

investigate was granted.

They gave us a letter

for the territorial agent

in Libreville and

wished us luck.

If there was anything in my

hunch, we were going to need it.

We booked passage on TWA

for immediate departure,

destination, Africa.

I shall, of course, give

you all the assistance I can,

Dr. Brady, Mr. Morgan,

but there are problems.

Such as?

The situation in the

interior is highly disturbed,

possibly dangerous.

We'll chance that.

Do you really

believe your theory

of mutated wasps

is true, Dr. Brady?

I believe it may be so.

I thought the reports at

first merely mass hysteria.

Now?

The monsters are said

to be concentrated

in the Mount Virunga area.

The natives call

that area Green Hell.

Now this is where we are now.

Your first objective should

be the village of Mongwe.

That's out of our way!

You'll find Dr. Lorentz

and his daughter at Mongwe.

He's established a

hospital and mission there.

Well, that's fine.

Well, the man's a saint.

He spent 40 years of his

life among the natives,

curing their bodily ills,

trying to free their minds

of fear and superstition.

He'll be of more help to you

than anybody else could be.

We'll stop at Mongwe.

Good.

Of course it'll take some

time organizing a safari,

particularly in view of the

trouble in the interior.

However, we'll be

as quick as we can.

Thank you very much.

We are still here in Libreville.

The territorial agent

was cooperative,

but not too quick in

arranging for our departure.

As we sit around the hotel

waiting, I find myself wondering

just what is happening

in the interior

and to the natives

and to Dr. Lorentz.

What's wrong, Arobi?

Listen!

Strange sound, I've

never heard it before.

I did, the day

Maconga disappeared.

We must keep going.

Wait!

They were

frightened, in panic!

I've never seen them like that

except when there was a fire.

There was no fire,

it was that sound

and we come close to Green Hell.

Doctor, look!

Footmarks of a monster!

Denba's good luck charm!

Mount Virunga, a very peaceful

volcano at the moment.

The sound, it's much louder.

Must be getting closer

to whatever's responsible

for it, Arobi.

I'm going down alone.

Please, Doctor, let me go.

I'm much younger than you.

You better stay up here.

If I get in trouble,

you'll be able to help.

We should turn back.

But we've got to know!

I'm afraid for you.

So am I, but all

my life, Arobi,

I've believed that

knowledge drives out fear.

I must go on in that belief.

We've already been here

a week and three days.

Eh, you don't organize

a safari overnight,

particularly when you're

buying beads, brass wire,

mirrors for the hostile natives.

Heh, personally, I would

prefer a General Sherman tank.

Well, we've got the

next best thing, Dan.

Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Careful of that baby

b*mb!

U.S. Army's newest development.

Potent, portable, pulverizing.

Do you expect to use a

weapon as deadly as this

against a flock of insects?

Well, I don't know, Dan,

but if we do, we've got 'em.

Yes.

Well, sometimes, I'd sell

all I know about science

for a nickel when I would have

to pay any attention

to your nightmares.

The wasps were real.

Yeah, but wasps

are only about that big.

You're forgetting mutation.

Nah, I'm remembering mutation.

Now, suppose your mutated

wasps are twice as big,

three times it, well, all right,

let's be generous and say

they're 10 times as big.

You're still a long ways

from having yourself

a gigantic monster.

Sure, sure, if mutation

always worked the same.

Small steps, one at a time,

but sometimes, it just jumps.

Yeah.

I don't know, Dan.

I may be way off

base on this thing.

But you don't think you are.

That's the important thing.

Any event, we take off

early in the morning,

now how 'bout

gettin' some sleep?

You go ahead, I'll

be along in a minute.

Okay, goodnight, Quent.

Goodnight, Dan.

That was the night of the 24th.

On the morning of the 25th,

our safari got underway.

The agent had hired us the

best guide in Central Africa,

an Arab named Mahri.

Dan and I with Mahri's

help worked out a schedule.

In order to reach Dr.

Lorentz's hospital

in the village of Mongwe,

we had to walk a

little over 400 miles.

Our schedule called for

15 miles per day average.

All things being equal,

we figured to reach Dr.

Lorentz in about 27 days.

I found out soon enough

that being on a safari

meant putting one foot

in front of the other

and then repeating the process.

The first few days were m*rder,

and it was obvious that

working over test tubes

was not the right way to train

for a hike across

the plains of Africa.

A week went by and then another.

We were maintaining

our schedule,

and I should have been

pleased, but I wasn't.

Something was eating at me.

It started like a

simple itch in my brain,

and as the days passed,

it grew into a feeling.

I tried to put my finger

on it but couldn't.

Instinctively, I knew

something was going to happen.

The only trouble was,

I didn't know what.

Do you hear anything?

Yeah, it sounds like drums.

Yeah.

Mahri!

Drums?

w*r drums, Yanangas.

I hope they haven't seen us.

There wasn't anything we could

do but keep moving forward

and hope we hadn't been spotted,

or that if we had, the

natives would permit us

to pass through without

causing trouble.

It didn't take long

before we learned

we were wrong on all counts.

Dan, Mahri, hurry it up!

Now that's done it, Quent.

Yeah, let's get outta here!

To avoid any more native

tribes, we changed our course,

which added another

75 miles of hot,

wide open, waterless country.

The sun beat down as

though it hated us,

and then we began to run

out of drinking water.

In Africa, that means

running out of time.

Hold it up, Mahri!

Sorry, Quent, I

never realized

how much the human

animal depended on water.

Nah, it's empty.

I've got a little left here.

- No, no.

- Drink it

or I'll pour it in the grass.

That's enough for now.

Feel better?

Yeah.

Let's get out of here.

I don't like the neighborhood.

All right, Mahri, let's go!

Stop, no, no!

No, don't drink!

What's the deal, Mahri?

Vultures, they only

come when death is near.

Nobody drink till I return!

Water, water

poisoned, no drink!

They were not mistaken.

The vultures are never mistaken.

What'd you find?

On the other side of the rise,

a lion died a few

minutes ago, poisoned.

The water hole?

Poisoned.

Try chewing on these, Dan.

There's a little

moisture in 'em.

Go on, try it, Dan.

Hold tight, Dan, hold

tight and I'll drown ya.

That's it.

Like the taste?

Not bad, it's not bad at all.

Oh, man, listen to it,

will you, listen to it!

Nice,

wet, welcome water.

Hey, Quent, don't let

'em turn it off.

Don't let 'em turn it off.

The rain kept coming,

more than we needed.

Africa is a crazy place.

It either tries to

dehydrate you or drown you.

We sat it out for two days.

Dan recovered nicely, but

I was getting restless.

How much longer, Mahri?

Skies are persistent, Doctor.

Perhaps the rain will continue

a few more days, a few weeks.

In that case, we

won't wait any longer.

Rain or shine, tell the

bearers to get ready to go on.

Yes, sir.

You all right, Quent?

Yeah, yeah, I think so.

Here, let me get you your hat.

Hey, you don't look

so good, fella!

Yeah.

Mahri, get a stretcher!

Okay,.

The branch that

fall in the storm.

Yeah, it's a

pretty bad bruise.

All right, now easy with him!

He's conscious!

He may be conscious,

but I think he's still a

little light in the head.

He has no fever anymore.

If nobody minds,

I'd like to interrupt

this conversation

about me and ask you

a couple of questions.

Like where am I?

You're in Dr. Lorentz's mission.

You passed out

from pain, fatigue.

You were unconscious the

day it took us to get here,

and a half-day since.

And who are you?

This is Lorna, Dr.

Lorentz's daughter.

Lorna, Dr. Brady.

Hello.

Lorna.

How do you feel, fella?

I feel fine now.

Where's Dr. Lorentz?

He's out in the jungle.

Been gone some time now.

Why?

Same reason we're here.

After a shave and

an outdoor shower,

I began to feel like myself.

I watched Lorna as she

played and replayed

a few lonely notes on the organ.

I wondered how long

we would have to wait

before Dr. Lorentz returned

from his expedition.

I wanted to hear his

findings before Dan and I

again started out on the job

that had brought us to Africa.

Miss Lorentz!

Arobi!

Where's my father?

He's with his God.

How did he die, Arobi?

He went down into the

path of the volcano.

Weren't you with him?

He ordered me to stay behind,

but when I heard him

cry out, I ran to him.

He lay in the dust,

his life fled away.

I buried him there.

How do you know it was

a monster that k*lled him?

This was buried

in his shoulder.

Well?

I injected some of that stuff

we got out of the stinger.

The results were positive,

the animal died like that.

Venom?

No question about it.

I've got the clincher.

Cross-section of the stingers

under the microscope.

Take a look.

Living tissue inside

the horny outer ring.

Mm-hmm.

Insect tissue.

Wasp tissue.

Quent, do you realize

if what we've got here

is only part of the stinger,

can you guess how big the

creature itself must be?

Yeah, well, we won't

have to guess at it, Dan.

We'll see for ourselves.

Mahri, you take personal

charge of those grenades.

Yes, sir.

Help me with this other box.

Yes, sir.

Feeling better?

I'm all right.

I have no tears left.

Are you going on?

Yes.

I knew that.

This science, these

experiments that drive you.

I'm beginning to wonder

what good they are.

Look, Lorna,

the very work your

father did here,

the work you helped him with,

curing the sick and fighting

disease, infection, death.

It wouldn't have been

possible without science,

without experiments.

Experiments sometimes fail,

they fail many times,

but they have to be done.

I only know that

there's no science

that can make my

father live again.

Arobi?

Yes?

You're very brave

to go with them.

They go to finish the

work your father began.

And maybe to die the

way my father died?

Miss Lorentz, until now,

the monsters remain

in Green Hell.

It is easy to run away from

a small section of Africa,

but if the monsters

breed and multiply,

as all living things do,

and if soon there is not prey

enough for them in Green Hell,

shall we leave all

of Africa for them?

Dr. Brady, Mr. Morgan,

they'll go and they'll die!

All men die.

If a man-eating lion

is near the village,

shall we not go out to k*ll it

even if in the k*lling

there are other deaths?

What's the matter, Mahri?

In the night, the

men of the safari

spoke with the men

of the village.

Nothing wrong with that.

Except that this morning,

the men of the safari are

all gone except Yugondera.

Gone where?

Back to the coast.

Why didn't

you wake us up?

They left while all slept

in the early light of dawn.

All right, we'll use

men from the village.

If they will go.

Mahri, will you help me

with the packing please?

Yes.

- Dr. Brady?

- Mm-hmm?

Nothing'll stop your going?

No.

Well, they'll be

men from the village,

as many as you need,

to go with you.

Lorna, you're an angel.

I've decided to

go with you, too.

But it isn't kind

of a thing for a girl!

Look, I know the jungle

better than you do.

Besides, the men

wouldn't go without me.

Why not?

Well, they're

afraid of Green Hell.

When I said I was

going, a woman,

I shamed them.

You see, they couldn't

admit that their fear

was greater than

a woman's, so...

So we're glad to

have you with us.

We'll leave tomorrow, Quent?

In the morning.

Good.

The bearers have seen

the destroyed village.

They're extremely

frightened and restless.

Will you please come, sir?

Sure, sure.

Lorna, maybe if

you talk to 'em.

A stampeding

herd of water buffalo

is not stopped by

an arrow or a word.

We got not choice,

Quent, we've got to go on.

All right, let's go.

Dan, Mahri, Arobi!

Typical wasp markings,

but the size of them!

It's incredible!

They lead there,

to Green Hell.

We march in the right direction.

Virunga's restless,

she's angry today.

Oh, Quent, I'm afraid!

We must go back or go on.

We go on, go ahead, Arobi.

Cigarette, Dan?

No, thanks.

Got a match?

Yeah.

Thank you.

I'm sure all of

you are well aware

of the many problems

that lie ahead of us.

Even before Dan and

I left our country,

we were concerned

about one thing.

Wasps are insects.

They form a colony with

the queen at the head.

The queen mates, lays

eggs, and multiplies,

even more rapidly than

any other form of life.

The creatures we

pursue are wasps.

No matter how

changed their shapes,

no matter how large

they've grown.

They will multiply as

rapidly as the tiny insects

from which they sprang.

They will overrun all of Africa

unless we quickly

destroy their colony,

and, more important,

their queen.

But if the r*fles are

powerless against them-

We've brought weapons

from our country, Mahri.

These.

They're filled with an

expl*sive called gelignite.

Have you seen weapons

like these before?

You, Arobi?

No, but I've

seen rocks blown up

when they built a

road near Libreville.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, this is

a little different.

Much more powerful.

Who is it?

It's Quent.

I'm sorry if I frightened you.

I'm always frightened now.

I wish you were

safely out of here.

I wish we all were.

No one will be safe

until we destroy the

queen and her colony.

You come from a

country so far from here.

Why should you be concerned

about what happens to us?

Oh, a feeling of

responsibility, I guess.

Now, after you pull the pin,

you've got to get

rid of it in a hurry.

These are kind of heavy,

so the best thing to use

is a sort of a stiff-arm

motion like that.

You understand?

Well, Quent?

Nothing we can do until the

sun comes up so we can see.

Better try to get some sleep.

I'll stay up for

a couple of hours,

then wake up one of you.

All right, wanna

put this back?

Yeah, get some rest, Lorna.

Dan!

What is it?

Listen!

Arobi, we couldn't

be mistaken.

I've heard that sound before!

They're all around us, but

they didn't come right at us.

Maybe they don't like fire.

Let's find out, here.

Dan, where's the kerosene?

All right, get back!

I could see no signs of

the beast or creatures

that had surrounded our

camp the night before.

Luckily, I was right.

Whatever it was

didn't like fire,

and we kept ours

brightly burning

until the night faded into dawn.

As I looked out over the plain,

I could taste the fear I felt,

fear not only for myself,

but for everyone

else in the group.

I felt certain we were going

to discover what it was

that had k*lled Dr. Lorentz,

and I wondered when we found it,

would we be able to stop it.

As we broke camp, I told

Arobi and the others

to check their ammunition

and I kept asking myself

the same question.

If we found it, would we

be able to destroy it?

I didn't know the answer,

so I did the one thing

everybody else does when

they face the unknown,

I quietly prayed.

We stand at her feet.

The old girl's

really smoking this morning.

Yeah, all right,

let's keep moving.

There it is again.

Yeah.

Wonder where it's coming from.

I don't know.

Wait here.

All right, let's go!

Hold that a sec,

would you, Quent?

How you doin', Lorna?

Fine.

Leave your packs here

and bring your a*mo.

Dan, I'd like to

see you a minute.

You all stay here.

Dan?

- Yeah?

Check your a*mo.

Be sure Lorna's got hers.

Right.

Sounds like the whole

colony's close by.

You stay with them,

I wanna take a look

up ahead, okay, fine.

Watch yourself.

Take care of this

for me, will ya?

There's the queen!

I'd never have believed it!

Probably our only

chance to get at them,

while they're together.

Yeah, come on.

Mahri, go up that

hill and dig in.

Arobi, you flank

Mahri on the left.

Lorna, get over against the

mountainside and stay there.

Dan, you stay with me.

Right.

When I give this signal,

toss your first and second

grenades into the bowl

and get away as

quick as you can,

then come back here

and await instructions.

Let's pray it works,

let's get the grenades.

All right, let's go.

It didn't work!

Go!

Quent?

Yeah,

yeah, where are ya?

Right over here.

Boy, are we glad to see you.

I was afraid you

wouldn't make it.

How are you?

Where's Lorna, is she all right?

Yeah, she's right

next to me here.

The rest?

Eh, kind of shaken

up, but we're all right.

Arobi?

Yes?

Light the torches, will you?

Thanks.

We gotta find a way

out of here now.

It's a pretty

good size cavern.

Well, this way is as

good as any, I guess.

Suppose you lead the way, huh?

Stick close to the wall.

Pretty narrow right in here.

Yeah.

I don't know, Dan.

I don't see any daylight.

Ow, I think we better

keep going, though.

Well, let's rest a minute.

Dan, the cavern splits here.

Huh?

Dan, you and Mahri explore

that end of the cave.

I'll take this end.

Lorna, you and Arobi stay here.

Lorna, we think we

found a way out!

Has Quent come back?

Not yet.

Quent!

Quent! Quent!

Quent!

- You okay?

- Are you?

Oh, I just feel fine.

Take the lead, Dan.

All right, now,

stay close together.

Well, it took a volcano

to do what we failed to do.

Nature has a way of

correcting its own mistakes.

My father must be pleased.

The death of the creatures

will bring about the

deliverance of my people.

The gods have been kind.

They've taught us as Dr. Lorentz

taught us, to have faith.