Horror History: KING KONG (1933) Is Now 88 Years Old
Mike Sprague
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On this day in horror history, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack unleashed King Kong back in 1933. Fay Wray stars in the monster movie adventure with Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot. James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose penned the screenplay which they developed from an idea by Cooper and Edgar Wallace.
Check out the trailer below.
King Kong tells the story of Actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong). They travel into the middle of the ocean to shoot his epic new jungle picture. Along the way, the actress falls for rugged John Driscoll (Bruce Cabot).
Upon arriving at a mysterious Skull Island, natives take Darrow hostage. They prepare her as a sacrifice to the enormous ape Kong who rules over their jungle. Then Driscoll and Denham rescue Darrow and also capture Kong. Now the real trouble begins.
Ironically, King Kong premiered in New York City on March 2, 1933. The flick then roared into theaters 88 years ago today. Since its release, Rotten Tomatoes has ranked the film as the fourth greatest horror film of all time. And also the forty-sixth greatest film of all time. In 1991, the Library of Congress deemed it “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant” and preserved it in the National Film Registry.
RELATED: Broadway’s KING KONG: THE MUSICAL Casts First Humans
Son of Kong also hit theaters in 1933. Several more King Kong films have been made in the following decades. This includes both John Guillermin and Peter Jackson’s remakes. And also Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ 2017 reboot Kong: Skull Island.
The original masterpiece sports a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Critics Consensus reads: King Kong explores the soul of a monster — making audiences scream and cry throughout the film — in large part due to Kong’s breakthrough special effects.
Recently Kong roared back onto the big screen in a big way in director Adam Wingard’s epic monster mash Godzilla vs Kong with Alexander Skarsgård.
Here’s the synopsis: Legends collide as mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages. And the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Kong undertakes a perilous journey to find his true home. But he unexpectedly finds himself in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans—instigated by unseen forces—is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth.
What’s your favorite King Kong flick?
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