A giant prehistoric monster is unleashed from the Earth’s crust when volcanic eruptions tear apart the seabed off the coast of Ireland. The creature is captured and put on display in London. Dubbed ‘Gorgo’, the monster quickly becomes a national sensation. Soon however, the creature’s mother, exponentially larger and far more terrifying, emerges from the depths to avenge the capture of her offspring, wreaking death and destruction across the city.

As one of the few giant monster films to take place on the shores of Britain and Ireland, Gorgo is something of an anomaly in the wider kaiju canon. Director Eugène Lourié’s earlier feature The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is widely considered a key milestone in the kaiju genre, its Japanese title Genshikaijūarawaru translates to The Atomic Kaiju (or Beast) Appears, and its production was a major influence on the original Godzilla film.

Lourié had previously brought his titan terrors to our own shores with 1959’s The Giant Behemoth but it is with 1961’s Gorgo that Britain and Ireland's specific brand of folk horror and sci-fi is able to truly emerge. This Kaijuly we are expanding beyond the shores of Japan to explore the haunts of giant monsters across the world!

Kaijuly: Planet - Meltdown

For Kaijuly’s third year at the Showroom, we’re going bigger and better, with a weekend-long concentrated dose of seven kaiju classics.

Explore Kaijuly: Planet - Meltdown

Director Eugène Lourié
Year 1961
Duration 1h 18m
Language English
Cast Bill Travers, William Sylvester, Vincent Winter