RIDDLE OF "YONGARY, THE GREAT MONSTER"!Could Toei Possess Original Korean Elements?

韓国の怪獣映画『大怪獣ヨンガリ』東映の外海配給ポスター !


Toei's international sales poster for the South Korean monster movie.

Conceived during Japan's "Monster Boom" of the mid-'60s, the South Korean production of YONGGARY, THE GIANT MONSTER (promoted as "The Great Monster Yongary") was made by the Seoul-based Keukdong Entertainment Company and directed by Kim Ki-duk in 1967, but also employed veterans of Japan's home-grown kaiju eiga, including key members of the effects staff from Daiei Motion Picture Company's Gamera films to helm the miniature effects, as well as Masao Yagi and the staff of Equis Productions to create the monster.

American International Pictures picked up the film and released it directly to Stateside television in 1969 as YONGARY, MONSTER OF THE DEEP. While it was readily assumed that YONGARY's worldwide distribution was handled by Keukdong, several sources have listed the involvement of Tokyo-based Toei Company Ltd. in connection with the film. While Toei served as an investor and broker on YONGARY, the foreign sales poster (courtesy of Akira Takiguchi) provides some proof that Toei also handled the international distribution.

All things considered, more research should be taken up to unearth as much as possible on the Japanese involvement in this South Korean imitation of the kaiju eiga, as there may be a chance that some of the film's original language elements (woefully incomplete in the Korean Film Archive) may be sleeping deep within some Tokyo film vault... Or did Toei ship everything to American International? Sure, it's not the legendary "bloodier" Japanese version of Hammer's DRACULA (1958), but doesn't YONGARY deserve some love, too?

Postscript: While the film was issued last July on R2 DVD in Japan, it was the English-dubbed version, licensed by Run Corporation through MGM as "Daikaiju Yongari." MGM contacted Toei in 2002, and were told that they had no extant materials for YONGARY. Unless Toei turned all of their materials over to AIP, perhaps they are elsewhere (such as the National Film Archive), if not discarded...

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 28 Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959)

See! Poor Paul Blaisdell foiled by those darn, meddling kids!

On the twenty-eighth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, twenty-eight Haunted Houses, twenty-seven Poison Potions, twenty-six Pinewood Coffins, twenty-five Rattling Bones, twenty-four Creepy Crawlers, twenty-three Gypsy Curses, twenty-two Hissing Reptiles, twenty-one Tana Leaves, twenty Trembling Tendrils, nineteen Creepy Uncles, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 25 The Undead (1957)

Originally inspired by the book, "The Search for Bridey Murphy".

On the twenty-fifth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, twenty-five Rattling Bones, twenty-four Creepy Crawlers, twenty-three Gypsy Curses, twenty-two Hissing Reptiles, twenty-one Tana Leaves, twenty Trembling Tendrils, nineteen Creepy Uncles, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 16 The Spider (1958)

Retitled EARTH VS. THE SPIDER to capitalize on a popular UFO flick.

On the sixteenth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 15 Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960)!

Barbara Steel as the vampiric witch, Princess Asa Vajda!

"On the fifteenth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!"

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 11 The Screaming Skull (1958)

Original 1-Sheet art by Albert Kallis.

"On the eleventh day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!"

CELEBRATE VINNIE VIDI VICI! International Vincent Price Day!

Vincent Price as Roderick Usher in HOUSE OF USHER (1960)

Classic Movie Art: ATRAGON American International 3-Sheet Poster, 1965

アメリカ版『海底軍艦』の大きな３シートポスター!


Artist, Reynold Brown. Poster size, 41" X 81". Atragon ©1963 Toho