''Destroy All Monsters'' American poster

[MaxRebo320]

Upon watching my brand new ''Destroy All Monsters'' DVD ordered from Wal-Mart's site, I decided to look at it's poster gallery. I viewed the American poster for the film, which is an awesome poster, but I must wonder who some of the monsters on it are.

http://www.wrongsideoftheart.com/wp-con ... er_004.jpg

I know for a fact King Ghidorah, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Rodan, and Manda are featured, even if they have some slight changes. But who is that bug on the far right? I'm assuming it's Mothra, even if she never looked a bit like that in the film. I suppose the monster next to Gorosaurus is Godzilla, considering he's the film's star, but it does not look a lot like him. It's POSSIBLY Baragon, but A. It looks even less like him and B. Baragon is barely in the film. Then there is that strange humanoid looking beast. Who is he? Minilla? If so, he looks far too menacing, but that's really all who I can think it is, him and MAYBE Varan.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Rody]

I think you're correct in assuming those are Mothra, Godzilla and Minilla.

Americans took way too much creative license with Godzilla in the 50's and 60's.

[Tamura]

^ I don't mind it one bit. This is an artifact of American film exploitation from an era where hardly anything seen or mentioned in the film lived up to/matched the advertising for the film in question. It wasn't just limited to Godzilla.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

Better than Germany, where they just splashed "King Kong" or "Frankenstein" all over the posters with no rhyme or reason.

[Sydney Aradi]

Better than Germany, where they just splashed "King Kong" or "Frankenstein" all over the posters with no rhyme or reason.

Agreed, I bet the Germans were on drugs when they did their versions of Toho films by naming the posters King Kong something or Frankenstein something

[Gyaos]

Actually according to Godzilla On My Mind, the people who released the films in Germany wanted people to think that all the kaiju Godzilla fought where creations of Frankenstein.

To be honest, that makes it sound like the kaiju come off of some kind of assembly line in his lab =p

[TheSecondComing]

Frankenstein was extremely popular in Germany, so marketing them as such was a no brainer.

In America, monsters are monsters. Accuracy wasn't that important. With Mothra vs. Godzilla, they decided it was a better idea to keep Mothra's identity a secret because "a moth? Really?"

[Space Hunter M]

This poster really gets one excited for the film. I absolutely love that version of King Ghidorah. Those "horns" on Godzilla's eyebrows give him a rather demonic quality.

[DoctorMafune]

I love this poster, and the 14 x 36" version is even cooler. Space Hunter is right... It drove kids nuts and got them to beg their parents for tickets to the movie.

The somewhat bovine-looking monster facing off against Ghidorah almost has to be that artist's version of Godzilla. The U.S. ad art is very loosely based on the original Japanese poster, moving some of the monsters around, putting Baragon's horn on Gorosaurus (how ironic is that?!?) and omitting Varan entirely, but it's hard to imagine the artist leaving Godzilla—who has the largest image in the original Japanese art—off it entirely: though it looks so little like him I used to wonder if it was supposed to be Varan.

Interestingly enough, it seems likely that comics artist Dave Cockrum used this ad art as one (not all) of his reference materials when he designed Aurora's "Ghidrah" kit back in the early 70s: hence the spurs and heavy veins on Aurora's Ghidrah's wings, the lack of scales on the necks, and the center neck being in front rather than in the rear. Too bad he (or the sculptor) left off the crescent shaped center horns from the heads.

[Tyler]

The Japanese and American posters with all the monsters would look great side-by-side on a wall.

[RedZillaKing]

In America, monsters are monsters. Accuracy wasn't that important. With Mothra vs. Godzilla, they decided it was a better idea to keep Mothra's identity a secret because "a moth? Really?"

I still say that. Except it sounds more like: A butterfly? Are you skreeonk kidding me?

[kpa]

Better than Germany, where they just splashed "King Kong" or "Frankenstein" all over the posters with no rhyme or reason.

Agreed, I bet the Germans were on drugs when they did their versions of Toho films by naming the posters King Kong something or Frankenstein something

Ralf Lorenz, a German filmmaker and historian-- he organizers the Vintage Monster Festivals in Hamburg and is producing the kaiju inspired radio drama GUALAGON-- explained to me that German distributors began adding "Frankenstein" to the titles of Japanese monster movies after the releases of FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD (as FRANKENSTEIN, THE HORROR WITH AN APE FACE) and THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (as FRANKENSTEIN: DUEL OF THE GIANTS). These two movies were so successful at the box office in Germany that afterwards distributors thought the other daikaiju films would sell better if "Frankenstein" was named in the title. In most cases the word "Frankenstein" was simply added during the dubbing process and was usually only mentioned once.

It may seem odd to us, but German distributors were simply trying to market the films in the most successful way to German audiences.

[hammysammy59]

Better than Germany, where they just splashed "King Kong" or "Frankenstein" all over the posters with no rhyme or reason.

Agreed, I bet the Germans were on drugs when they did their versions of Toho films by naming the posters King Kong something or Frankenstein something

Ralf Lorenz, a German filmmaker and historian-- he organizers the Vintage Monster Festivals in Hamburg and is producing the kaiju inspired radio drama GUALAGON-- explained to me that German distributors began adding "Frankenstein" to the titles of Japanese monster movies after the releases of FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD (as FRANKENSTEIN, THE HORROR WITH AN APE FACE) and THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (as FRANKENSTEIN: DUEL OF THE GIANTS). These two movies were so successful at the box office in Germany that afterwards distributors thought the other daikaiju films would sell better if "Frankenstein" was named in the title.

Ha, nice to finally get an explanation as to why "Frankenstein" was randomly getting slapped into kaiju movie titles. I can't blame 'em for wanting to make the movies more marketable. It's also cool to see fans abroad also love FCTW and Gargantuas.

[Goji]

Ironically, a lot of the German releases of the Gamera films used Godzilla's name in the title.

[Hellspawn28]

I believe in Italy that Kong Kong was used for a few Gamera films and Godzilla films also?

[edgaguirus]

The artist had Baragon confused with Barugon. Still, it's an effective poster.

[attilagodzilla]

I have a german box set of godzilla movies and terror of mechagodzilla is called,
konga-godzilla-king kong godzilla die brut des teufels.

[Goji]

Are you located in Germany, attliagodzilla?

[Tyler]

The artist had Baragon confused with Barugon. Still, it's an effective poster.

I think that's supposed to be Gorosaurus.

[attilagodzilla]

Are you located in Germany, attliagodzilla?

No in Holland, but my grandparent live at the border of Germany and sometimes they find godzilla stuff and they buy them for me.