9

Wangmagwi

from Space Monster Wangmagwi
[aka Ujugoe-in Wangmagwi; Space Monster Demon King]
(South Korea-1967; dir. Kwon Hyeok-jin)

Aliens from another world seeking the conquest of Earth invade with flying saucers. They unleash a gigantic monster called Wang Ma Gwi, who destroys everything in its path with a powerful death ray. (IMDB)

Said to be the first Korean science fiction film shot entirely with a Korean cast and crew, Space Monster Wangmagwi has never appeared on VHS or DVD (that I’m aware of), though it has been shown at film festivals over the years. Images from the film and information on it are both scarce. As a result, this obscurity is the cause of much curiosity, especially given the scarcity of South Korean giant monster films; and there is also much confusion over its actual appearance. Some have claimed the creature to be ape-like (probably due to comments calling it Korea’s “King Kong”), but according to those rare few that have seen it, this is not true. From available images (see below) and the descriptions of those who have seen it, the kaiju is more akin to a giant scaly/fuzzy “Creature From The Black Lagoon” sort of monster. The few rare pics of the monster online seem to show it displaying big ears, and long fangs, and claws, and some sort of a vent like structure on its head that apparently spews a liquid that burst into flames on contact with air! Hopefully one day we’ll get to see this crazy kaiju get an official release and save it from obscurity so that we may all learn more of about it.

(Same as the previous but reversed)

(Another version of the same shot)

More information: Screenplay by Byeon Ha-yeong. Starring Nam Kung-won, Kim Hye-kyeong, Jeon Sang-cheol, Kim Hee-gap, Park Am, Han Eun-jin. Cinematography by Ham Chang-yong. Produced by Seki Production. 84 min, 35mm, b&w.

• IMDB
• Darcy’s Korean Film Page

Coming next: Kaiju Search-Robot Avery’s Top 20 Craziest Kaiju Countdown Number 8! Don’t miss it!

Top 20 Craziest Kaiju Countdown articles:

• Kaiju Search-Robot Avery’s Introduction
• Number 20: The Monolith Monsters
• Number 19: The Giant Claw
• Number 18: Dogora
• Number 17: The Trollenberg Terror
• Number 16: Rectuma
• Number 15: The Outlander
• Number 14: The Host
• Number 13: DeepStar Six
• Number 12: Gojira
• Number 11: Monster Shark
• Number 10: The Milpitas Monster