10 Best Horror Movie Crossovers

This meeting of the titans came about after King Kong special effects legend Willis O’Brien was inspired by the success of Frankenstein meets The Wolf Man and pitched an idea for King Kong to fight Frankenstein’s Monster to producer John Beck.

Beck decided to approach Toho studios with the idea of replacing Frankenstein’s monster with Godzilla. Toho were keen as Godzilla had not had a film for seven years, so it was seen as an opportunity to reinvigorate the franchise and bring Godzilla to a global audience. The film was released in Japan in 1962, with a heavily edited version in the US a year later.

Godzilla is released from an iceberg (where he had been frozen since Godzilla Raids Again in 1955) when an American submarine crashes into it. He escapes and heads to Japan where he goes on the rampage.

The Kong story is slightly more involved, with the entertaining CEO of Pacific Pharmaceuticals Mr Taco heading an expedition to Faro Island as he has heard they have amazing miracle cure berries growing there which he wants to sell. He also hears that the natives worship Kong, who has grown to his massive size due to eating the berries and wants to capture him to use as their mascot. Unsurprisingly, Kong also escapes and starts smashing up Japan.

The film has some low budget but very entertaining special effects, including Kong’s fight with a giant octopus on the island. When the army realise that the only way they can defeat both creatures is to get them to destroy each other, they capture Kong and tie him to lots of yellow balloons to float him to Godzilla in a very bizarre scene.

Ironically, given its satirical critique of capitalism, commercialism and advertising, the film was a great financial success, and there is an American remake due in 2021.