Villain(s)  Giant prehistoric scorpions

Actor(s):  Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas, Mario Navarro

Brief Description  The Black Scorpion is a 1957 black-and-white science fiction horror film directed by Edward Ludwig, starring Richard Denning and Mara Corday, and featuring stop-motion effects supervised by Willis O’Brien. When a massive volcanic eruption occurs in rural Mexico, it cracks open deep underground caverns and unleashes hordes of prehistoric giant insects and arachnids—most notably massive, deadly scorpions that terrorize the countryside and eventually march on Mexico City.

Plot:
A sudden, violent volcanic eruption creates a new volcano in the Mexican countryside. Geologists Dr. Hank Scott (Richard Denning) and Dr. Arturo Ramos (Carlos Rivas) are dispatched to investigate. On their way to the village of San Lorenzo, they discover destroyed structures, a wrecked police car, and a dead officer drained of blood. The geologists, alongside local rancher Teresa Alvarez (Mara Corday), learn that the eruption opened a massive fissure leading to isolated underground caverns. This allows giant, prehistoric scorpions to emerge at night, preying on livestock and nearby villagers.

Hank and Arturo travel deep into the subterranean lair, encountering a nightmarish ecosystem of giant insects, including massive silverfish, a giant worm, and a massive trapdoor spider. They witness a brutal battle where the largest of the creatures, a colossal black scorpion, kills its rivals to become the supreme alpha. The military attempts to seal the cave using explosives, but the giant scorpions manage to break out. The alpha black scorpion kills the remaining smaller scorpions and marches onto Mexico City. It destroys a train, attacks a helicopter, and rampages through a stadium. Hank and the military finally stop the beast by luring it into the stadium and delivering a high-voltage electrical charge directly to a vulnerable throat spot using an insulated cable.