10 Horror Movies That Made It Up As They Went Along (But Were Awesome Anyway)

In the early stages of Godzilla, no one knew what the titular creature was going to look like. In fact, Godzilla was initially planned to be an octopus or a mushroom-shaped monster.

Even when the filmmakers finalised the King of the Monsters' design, they intended him to be a stop-motion creation, much like King Kong. But when special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya realised this technique was too time-consuming, he encouraged the director to have an actor portray Godzilla.

But things only got more complicated. Haruo Nakajima's Godzilla costume weighed 230lbs, forcing the actor to call upon all his strength to take a single step. Also, the suit's interior of the suit was 60 degrees Celsius, causing Nakajima to pass out from heat exhaustion regularly. Nakajima had to wear this suit while walking underwater, being buried in rubble, and while being blasted and electrocuted by pyrotechnics. And since Godzilla's head had no eyeholes, Nakajima had to perform all these scenes blind!

Another key element of the franchise that was concocted at the last minute was Godzilla's iconic roar. Since Godzilla is a unique monster, composer Akira Ifukube wanted to give him a distinctive sound.

After a LOT of experimentation, Ifukube created Godzilla's roar by dragging a resin-coated leather glove across a double bass. He then slowed down the sound, and added in the echo of an empty toilet tank. As crazy as that sounds, it paid off since Godzilla probably has the most distinctive roar in cinema.

Even though the filmmakers started production on Godzilla, having no idea what the creature would look like, how it moved, or how it sounded, they created one of the most influential monsters in film history.