rock monster of the week

it wasn't a rock.. it was a rock snake!  sure, this feature has been missing for a few weeks, but I've been busy.

preparing to fire at the Zero-X crew!

our monster today is an indigenous life form from Mars.  shown in the fine fun film Thunderbirds are Go! (1966) these monsters wake up after being mistaken for lumps of rocks dotting the planet.  they can shoot deadly projectiles out of their mouths at their enemies. 

in the movie they come across as pretty hostile, but then the astronauts did blast a sleeping one into pieces, so one can understand why they might be a bit cranky at the crew.

the design is very cool, and the marionettes are well manipulated in the movie.  the scene is one of the highlights of the film, and the editing is done for maximum excitement and viewing pleasure.  besides, all movies need Martian rock snakes in them!

another plus in the movie is the appearance of Cliff Richard, Jr and the Shadows. one can only imagine the impact it had on kids of the day (including the People's Poet!).