Monster from Green Hell (1957) Movie Script
1
This is the age of the
rocket, the jet, atomic power.
When man prepares to
reach for the stars,
but before he dares to
launch himself into space,
there is one great
question to be answered.
What happens to life
in the airless void
above Earth's atmosphere?
Will life remain untouched,
unharmed by its
flight through space,
or will it change into, what?
There was only one
way to find out,
and we were working on it.
All yours, Mr. Morgan.
Thank you, Dr. Brady.
Eh, let's see, monkey, wasps,
crabs, spiders,
and a guinea pig.
Mac, Dr. Brady's being
very generous this morning.
Let's load the passengers, huh?
It's 10:14, 10:15, we
set the Roman rockets.
40-second flight plan, Jim.
Let's hope they land
inside the county.
Yeah!
10:15 minus five,
four,
three,
two,
one.
Off they go in the
wild, blue yonder.
Above the atmosphere,
the yonder is not blue.
It's black.
Well, thank you, Dr. Brady.
I bet you read that in a book.
No, thank you.
208 miles straight up.
Nothing up there
but airless space
and a flock of cosmic radiation.
You ever have the
itch to get up there yourself?
Not me, I'll wait and see
what happens to
the test animals.
Mm-hmm, you and me both!
Mr. Morgan, the second rocket!
She's
not coming down.
Defective vane maybe.
I'm losing contact.
She's out
of radar range.
She was way over
normal velocity.
Yeah, I know.
Friction coefficient?
Well, Quent, let's go ask the
computer a few questions, huh?
Better sit down, Quent,
- this'll take some time.
- Yeah.
Have a seat there.
Thanks.
Trajectory, 319, speed
of flight, 427, 364.
Fuel weight, 119,
burn efficiency 5.32.
Friction coefficient, 0.79.
Don't know if we'll
get an answer.
I hope so.
Well how 'bout it?
I hope it's a good one.
So do I.
Data's insufficient
for a positive answer,
only an approximation.
Well, I'll tell ya one thing.
If that rocket comes
down in a populated area,
it won't be good.
Yeah.
Well, the rocket went into
almost escape velocity,
it just, let's take
a look at the globe.
It'll orbit halfway
around the world
and come down-
- Come down where?
If the
computer is correct,
just off the coast of Africa.
What happened, Arobi?
It's Macongo, Doctor.
He gave up his
breath and his soul
at the last going
down of the sun.
How did he come
to be this way?
He followed a trail
into Green Hell.
You were his blood
brother, Arobi.
Where we you when he died?
No farther than a
small stone's throw,
but he was hidden from me
by a turn in the trail.
I heard him scream.
I ran to him.
You saw what had attacked him?
I saw nothing.
Tell me, what did you see?
Give him a hand,
we'll take him inside.
We'll find out what killed him.
That will put an end
to all this superstitious
prattling about monsters.
He died of paralysis
of nerve centers.
Was it snake venom?
There is a resemblance,
but the dose was too massive.
No poisonous snake
known to science
could inject the quantity
of poison present.
Besides, the nature of
the material injected
completely different, couldn't
possibly be from a snake.
Then you do not know
what killed Macongo.
Not yet.
The men know!
Arobi, that's superstition.
They were prepared to see
monsters in Green Hell,
so naturally, they did.
Doctor, the animals
flee from Green Hell.
This, I have seen!
The small monkeys and
the large elephants,
all flee, all run madly away!
Even the birds in the
air do not remain!
Since when?
Week, uh, two.
Doctor, it may be we
are superstitious,
but is a monkey frightened
by a superstition?
Does an elephant run
from superstition?
Will a bird not alight in a
tree because of superstition?
Then there is something,
some thing strange,
perhaps even monstrous,
but a thing of nature,
not of evil spirits!
Hey, what's so
interesting in the news?
Take a look at that.
Yeah, things are
rough all over!
But these riots
reported monsters.
What's that got to do with us?
According to the computer,
the rockets we lost six
months ago landed in Africa.
Do you think
there's a connection?
I could be wrong,
I hope I am.
But Quent, we've sent up
hundreds of test animals,
exposed them to
cosmic radiation.
None of 'em ever turned out
to be monsters or giants.
But none of them were exposed
for more than 40 seconds either.
See these guinea pigs?
Yeah.
They were sent up
day before yesterday.
40 seconds exposure
at 206 miles altitude.
They look fine.
Sure, but their fur's white.
What's the
matter with that?
It was brown when
they were sent up.
These two were
sent up last week.
They've been in a
trance ever since.
Any injuries?
Well, none that our
instruments can detect,
but maybe we don't have
the right instruments.
Is this one all right?
She hasn't been sent up yet.
Now here, there's
mama, spider crab.
On the left, we have baby.
Oh, baby's
a whole lot bigger!
Yeah.
Mama was exposed to cosmic
rays before she had baby.
Result, in one generation,
mutation of the genes,
resulting in practically
doubling the size of the offspring.
Well, Quent, I see
what you're driving at,
but there's a lot of difference
between a crab that develops
to be twice as big as normal
and a gigantic monster.
Sure, there's a big difference
in 40 seconds exposure
and 40 hours, too, Dan.
40 hours exposure is what the
wasp in the lost rocket got.
So?
Look, you've seen pictures
of the survivors at
Hiroshima, haven't you?
Well, sure.
Radiation did that, Dan.
Quent, what you're thinking
about sounds like a nightmare.
Yeah.
Nobody was anxious to believe
in my theory, not even Dan.
On the other hand, nobody
could afford to ignore it.
I had written a report and sent
it to project headquarters.
They didn't like it much there
and promptly passed
it on to Washington.
Finally, my request
for leave of absence
for Dan and myself to
investigate was granted.
They gave us a letter
for the territorial agent
in Libreville and
wished us luck.
If there was anything in my
hunch, we were going to need it.
We booked passage on TWA
for immediate departure,
destination, Africa.
I shall, of course, give
you all the assistance I can,
Dr. Brady, Mr. Morgan,
but there are problems.
Such as?
The situation in the
interior is highly disturbed,
possibly dangerous.
We'll chance that.
Do you really
believe your theory
of mutated wasps
is true, Dr. Brady?
I believe it may be so.
I thought the reports at
first merely mass hysteria.
Now?
The monsters are said
to be concentrated
in the Mount Virunga area.
The natives call
that area Green Hell.
Now this is where we are now.
Your first objective should
be the village of Mongwe.
That's out of our way!
You'll find Dr. Lorentz
and his daughter at Mongwe.
He's established a
hospital and mission there.
Well, that's fine.
Well, the man's a saint.
He spent 40 years of his
life among the natives,
curing their bodily ills,
trying to free their minds
of fear and superstition.
He'll be of more help to you
than anybody else could be.
We'll stop at Mongwe.
Good.
Of course it'll take some
time organizing a safari,
particularly in view of the
trouble in the interior.
However, we'll be
as quick as we can.
Thank you very much.
We are still here in Libreville.
The territorial agent
was cooperative,
but not too quick in
arranging for our departure.
As we sit around the hotel
waiting, I find myself wondering
just what is happening
in the interior
and to the natives
and to Dr. Lorentz.
What's wrong, Arobi?
Listen!
Strange sound, I've
never heard it before.
I did, the day
Maconga disappeared.
We must keep going.
Wait!
They were
frightened, in panic!
I've never seen them like that
except when there was a fire.
There was no fire,
it was that sound
and we come close to Green Hell.
Doctor, look!
Footmarks of a monster!
Denba's good luck charm!
Mount Virunga, a very peaceful
volcano at the moment.
The sound, it's much louder.
Must be getting closer
to whatever's responsible
for it, Arobi.
I'm going down alone.
Please, Doctor, let me go.
I'm much younger than you.
You better stay up here.
If I get in trouble,
you'll be able to help.
We should turn back.
But we've got to know!
I'm afraid for you.
So am I, but all
my life, Arobi,
I've believed that
knowledge drives out fear.
I must go on in that belief.
We've already been here
a week and three days.
Eh, you don't organize
a safari overnight,
particularly when you're
buying beads, brass wire,
mirrors for the hostile natives.
Heh, personally, I would
prefer a General Sherman tank.
Well, we've got the
next best thing, Dan.
Hey, hey, hey, hey!
Careful of that baby
bomb!
U.S. Army's newest development.
Potent, portable, pulverizing.
Do you expect to use a
weapon as deadly as this
against a flock of insects?
Well, I don't know, Dan,
but if we do, we've got 'em.
Yes.
Well, sometimes, I'd sell
all I know about science
for a nickel when I would have
to pay any attention
to your nightmares.
The wasps were real.
Yeah, but wasps
are only about that big.
You're forgetting mutation.
Nah, I'm remembering mutation.
Now, suppose your mutated
wasps are twice as big,
three times it, well, all right,
let's be generous and say
they're 10 times as big.
You're still a long ways
from having yourself
a gigantic monster.
Sure, sure, if mutation
always worked the same.
Small steps, one at a time,
but sometimes, it just jumps.
Yeah.
I don't know, Dan.
I may be way off
base on this thing.
But you don't think you are.
That's the important thing.
Any event, we take off
early in the morning,
now how 'bout
gettin' some sleep?
You go ahead, I'll
be along in a minute.
Okay, goodnight, Quent.
Goodnight, Dan.
That was the night of the 24th.
On the morning of the 25th,
our safari got underway.
The agent had hired us the
best guide in Central Africa,
an Arab named Mahri.
Dan and I with Mahri's
help worked out a schedule.
In order to reach Dr.
Lorentz's hospital
in the village of Mongwe,
we had to walk a
little over 400 miles.
Our schedule called for
15 miles per day average.
All things being equal,
we figured to reach Dr.
Lorentz in about 27 days.
{
I found out soon enough
that being on a safari
meant putting one foot
in front of the other
and then repeating the process.
The first few days were murder,
and it was obvious that
working over test tubes
was not the right way to train
for a hike across
the plains of Africa.
A week went by and then another.
We were maintaining
our schedule,
and I should have been
pleased, but I wasn't.
Something was eating at me.
It started like a
simple itch in my brain,
and as the days passed,
it grew into a feeling.
I tried to put my finger
on it but couldn't.
Instinctively, I knew
something was going to happen.
The only trouble was,
I didn't know what.
{
Do you hear anything?
Yeah, it sounds like drums.
Yeah.
Mahri!
Drums?
War drums, Yanangas.
I hope they haven't seen us.
There wasn't anything we could
do but keep moving forward
and hope we hadn't been spotted,
or that if we had, the
natives would permit us
to pass through without
causing trouble.
It didn't take long
before we learned
we were wrong on all counts.
Dan, Mahri, hurry it up!
Now that's done it, Quent.
Yeah, let's get outta here!
To avoid any more native
tribes, we changed our course,
which added another
75 miles of hot,
wide open, waterless country.
The sun beat down as
though it hated us,
and then we began to run
out of drinking water.
In Africa, that means
running out of time.
Hold it up, Mahri!
Sorry, Quent, I
never realized
how much the human
animal depended on water.
Nah, it's empty.
I've got a little left here.
- No, no.
- Drink it
or I'll pour it in the grass.
That's enough for now.
Feel better?
Yeah.
Let's get out of here.
I don't like the neighborhood.
All right, Mahri, let's go!
{
Stop, no, no!
No, don't drink!
What's the deal, Mahri?
Vultures, they only
come when death is near.
Nobody drink till I return!
Water, water
poisoned, no drink!
They were not mistaken.
The vultures are never mistaken.
What'd you find?
On the other side of the rise,
a lion died a few
minutes ago, poisoned.
The water hole?
Poisoned.
{
Try chewing on these, Dan.
There's a little
moisture in 'em.
Go on, try it, Dan.
Hold tight, Dan, hold
tight and I'll drown ya.
That's it.
Like the taste?
Not bad, it's not bad at all.
Oh, man, listen to it,
will you, listen to it!
Nice,
wet, welcome water.
Hey, Quent, don't let
'em turn it off.
Don't let 'em turn it off.
The rain kept coming,
more than we needed.
Africa is a crazy place.
It either tries to
dehydrate you or drown you.
We sat it out for two days.
Dan recovered nicely, but
I was getting restless.
How much longer, Mahri?
Skies are persistent, Doctor.
Perhaps the rain will continue
a few more days, a few weeks.
In that case, we
won't wait any longer.
Rain or shine, tell the
bearers to get ready to go on.
Yes, sir.
You all right, Quent?
Yeah, yeah, I think so.
Here, let me get you your hat.
Hey, you don't look
so good, fella!
Yeah.
Mahri, get a stretcher!
Okay.
The branch that
fall in the storm.
Yeah, it's a
pretty bad bruise.
All right, now easy with him!
He's conscious!
He may be conscious,
but I think he's still a
little light in the head.
He has no fever anymore.
If nobody minds,
I'd like to interrupt
this conversation
about me and ask you
a couple of questions.
Like where am I?
You're in Dr. Lorentz's mission.
You passed out
from pain, fatigue.
You were unconscious the
day it took us to get here,
and a half-day since.
And who are you?
- This is Lorna, Dr.
- Lorentz's daughter.
Lorna, Dr. Brady.
Hello.
Lorna.
How do you feel, fella?
I feel fine now.
Where's Dr. Lorentz?
He's out in the jungle.
Been gone some time now.
Why?
Same reason we're here.
After a shave and
an outdoor shower,
I began to feel like myself.
I watched Lorna as she
played and replayed
a few lonely notes on the organ.
I wondered how long
we would have to wait
before Dr. Lorentz returned
from his expedition.
I wanted to hear his
findings before Dan and I
again started out on the job
that had brought us to Africa.
Miss Lorentz!
Miss Lorentz!
Arobi!
Where's my father?
He's with his God.
How did he die, Arobi?
He went down into the
path of the volcano.
Weren't you with him?
He ordered me to stay behind,
but when I heard him
cry out, I ran to him.
He lay in the dust,
his life fled away.
I buried him there.
How do you know it was
a monster that killed him?
This was buried
in his shoulder.
Well?
I injected some of that stuff
we got out of the stinger.
The results were positive,
the animal died like that.
Venom?
No question about it.
I've got the clincher.
Cross-section of the stingers
under the microscope.
Take a look.
Living tissue inside
the horny outer ring.
Insect tissue.
Wasp tissue.
Quent, do you realize
if what we've got here
is only part of the stinger,
can you guess how big the
creature itself must be?
Yeah, well, we won't
have to guess at it, Dan.
We'll see for ourselves.
Mahri, you take personal
charge of those grenades.
Yes, sir.
Help me with this other box.
Yes, sir.
Feeling better?
I'm all right.
I have no tears left.
Are you going on?
Yes.
I knew that.
This science, these
experiments that drive you.
I'm beginning to wonder
what good they are.
Look, Lorna,
the very work your
father did here,
the work you helped him with,
curing the sick and fighting
disease, infection, death.
It wouldn't have been
possible without science,
without experiments.
Experiments sometimes fail,
they fail many times,
but they have to be done.
I only know that
there's no science
that can make my
father live again.
Arobi?
Yes?
You're very brave
to go with them.
They go to finish the
work your father began.
And maybe to die the
way my father died?
Miss Lorentz, until now,
the monsters remain
in Green Hell.
It is easy to run away from
a small section of Africa,
but if the monsters
breed and multiply,
as all living things do,
and if soon there is not prey
enough for them in Green Hell,
shall we leave all
of Africa for them?
Dr. Brady, Mr. Morgan,
they'll go and they'll die!
All men die.
If a man-eating lion
is near the village,
shall we not go out to kill it
even if in the killing
there are other deaths?
What's the matter, Mahri?
In the night, the
men of the safari
spoke with the men
of the village.
Nothing wrong with that.
Except that this morning,
the men of the safari are
all gone except Yugondera.
Gone where?
Back to the coast.
Why didn't
you wake us up?
They left while all slept
in the early light of dawn.
All right, we'll use
men from the village.
If they will go.
Mahri, will you help me
with the packing please?
Yes.
- Dr. Brady?
- Mm-hmm?
Nothing'll stop your going?
No.
Well, they'll be
men from the village,
as many as you need,
to go with you.
Lorna, you're an angel.
I've decided to
go with you, too.
But it isn't kind
of a thing for a girl!
Look, I know the jungle
better than you do.
Besides, the men
wouldn't go without me.
Why not?
Well, they're
afraid of Green Hell.
When I said I was
going, a woman,
I shamed them.
You see, they couldn't
admit that their fear
was greater than
a woman's, so...
So we're glad to
have you with us.
We'll leave tomorrow, Quent?
In the morning.
Good.
{
The bearers have seen
the destroyed village.
They're extremely
frightened and restless.
Will you please come, sir?
Sure, sure.
Lorna, maybe if
you talk to 'em.
A stampeding
herd of water buffalo
is not stopped by
an arrow or a word.
We got not choice,
Quent, we've got to go on.
All right, let's go.
{
Dan, Mahri, Arobi!
Typical wasp markings,
but the size of them!
It's incredible!
They lead there,
to Green Hell.
We march in the right direction.
Virunga's restless,
she's angry today.
Oh, Quent, I'm afraid!
We must go back or go on.
We go on, go ahead, Arobi.
Cigarette, Dan?
No, thanks.
Got a match?
Yeah.
Thank you.
I'm sure all of
you are well aware
of the many problems
that lie ahead of us.
Even before Dan and
I left our country,
we were concerned
about one thing.
Wasps are insects.
They form a colony with
the queen at the head.
The queen mates, lays
eggs, and multiplies,
even more rapidly than
any other form of life.
The creatures we
pursue are wasps.
No matter how
changed their shapes,
no matter how large
they've grown.
They will multiply as
rapidly as the tiny insects
from which they sprang.
They will overrun all of Africa
unless we quickly
destroy their colony,
and, more important,
their queen.
But if the rifles are
powerless against them-
- We've brought weapons
from our country, Mahri.
These.
They're filled with an
explosive called gelignite.
Have you seen weapons
like these before?
You, Arobi?
No, but I've
seen rocks blown up
when they built a
road near Libreville.
Yeah, this is
a little different.
Much more powerful.
Who is it?
It's Quent.
I'm sorry if I frightened you.
I'm always frightened now.
I wish you were
safely out of here.
I wish we all were.
No one will be safe
until we destroy the
queen and her colony.
You come from a
country so far from here.
Why should you be concerned
about what happens to us?
Oh, a feeling of
responsibility, I guess.
Now, after you pull the pin,
you've got to get
rid of it in a hurry.
These are kind of heavy,
so the best thing to use
is a sort of a stiff-arm
motion like that.
You understand?
Well, Quent?
Nothing we can do until the
sun comes up so we can see.
Better try to get some sleep.
I'll stay up for
a couple of hours,
then wake up one of you.
All right, wanna
put this back?
Yeah, get some rest, Lorna.
Dan!
What is it?
Listen!
Arobi, we couldn't
be mistaken.
I've heard that sound before!
They're all around us, but
they didn't come right at us.
Maybe they don't like fire.
Let's find out, here.
Dan, where's the kerosene?
All right, get back!
{
I could see no signs of
the beast or creatures
that had surrounded our
camp the night before.
Luckily, I was right.
Whatever it was
didn't like fire,
and we kept ours
brightly burning
until the night faded into dawn.
As I looked out over the plain,
I could taste the fear I felt,
fear not only for myself,
but for everyone
else in the group.
I felt certain we were going
to discover what it was
that had killed Dr. Lorentz,
and I wondered when we found it,
would we be able to stop it.
As we broke camp, I told
Arobi and the others
to check their ammunition
and I kept asking myself
the same question.
If we found it, would we
be able to destroy it?
I didn't know the answer,
so I did the one thing
everybody else does when
they face the unknown,
I quietly prayed.
We stand at her feet.
The old girl's
really smoking this morning.
Yeah, all right,
let's keep moving.
There it is again.
Yeah.
Wonder where it's coming from.
I don't know.
Wait here.
All right, let's go!
Hold that a sec,
would you, Quent?
How you doin', Lorna?
Fine.
Leave your packs here
and bring your ammo.
Dan, I'd like to
see you a minute.
You all stay here.
- Dan?
- Yeah?
Check your ammo.
Be sure Lorna's got hers.
Right.
Sounds like the whole
colony's close by.
You stay with them,
I wanna take a look
up ahead, okay, fine.
Watch yourself.
Take care of this
for me, will ya?
There's the queen!
I'd never have believed it!
Probably our only
chance to get at them,
while they're together.
Yeah, come on.
Mahri, go up that
hill and dig in.
Arobi, you flank
Mahri on the left.
Lorna, get over against the
mountainside and stay there.
Dan, you stay with me.
Right.
When I give this signal,
toss your first and second
grenades into the bowl
and get away as
quick as you can,
then come back here
and await instructions.
Let's pray it works,
let's get the grenades.
All right, let's go.
It didn't work!
Go!
Quent?
Yeah,
yeah, where are ya?
Right over here.
Boy, are we glad to see you.
I was afraid you
wouldn't make it.
How are you?
Where's Lorna, is she all right?
Yeah, she's right
next to me here.
The rest?
Eh, kind of shaken
up, but we're all right.
Arobi?
Yes?
Light the torches, will you?
Thanks.
We gotta find a way
out of here now.
It's a pretty
good size cavern.
Well, this way is as
good as any, I guess.
Suppose you lead the way, huh?
Stick close to the wall.
Pretty narrow right in here.
Yeah.
I don't know, Dan.
I don't see any daylight.
Ow, I think we better
keep going, though.
Well, let's rest a minute.
Dan, the cavern splits here.
Dan, you and Mahri explore
that end of the cave.
I'll take this end.
Lorna, you and Arobi stay here.
Lorna, we think we
found a way out!
Has Quent come back?
Not yet.
Quent!
Quent! Quent!
Quent!
- You okay?
- Are you?
Oh, I just feel fine.
Take the lead, Dan.
All right, now,
stay close together.
Well, it took a volcano
to do what we failed to do.
Nature has a way of
correcting its own mistakes.
My father must be pleased.
The death of the creatures
will bring about the
deliverance of my people.
The gods have been kind.
They've taught us as Dr. Lorentz
taught us, to have faith.
This is the age of the
rocket, the jet, atomic power.
When man prepares to
reach for the stars,
but before he dares to
launch himself into space,
there is one great
question to be answered.
What happens to life
in the airless void
above Earth's atmosphere?
Will life remain untouched,
unharmed by its
flight through space,
or will it change into, what?
There was only one
way to find out,
and we were working on it.
All yours, Mr. Morgan.
Thank you, Dr. Brady.
Eh, let's see, monkey, wasps,
crabs, spiders,
and a guinea pig.
Mac, Dr. Brady's being
very generous this morning.
Let's load the passengers, huh?
It's 10:14, 10:15, we
set the Roman rockets.
40-second flight plan, Jim.
Let's hope they land
inside the county.
Yeah!
10:15 minus five,
four,
three,
two,
one.
Off they go in the
wild, blue yonder.
Above the atmosphere,
the yonder is not blue.
It's black.
Well, thank you, Dr. Brady.
I bet you read that in a book.
No, thank you.
208 miles straight up.
Nothing up there
but airless space
and a flock of cosmic radiation.
You ever have the
itch to get up there yourself?
Not me, I'll wait and see
what happens to
the test animals.
Mm-hmm, you and me both!
Mr. Morgan, the second rocket!
She's
not coming down.
Defective vane maybe.
I'm losing contact.
She's out
of radar range.
She was way over
normal velocity.
Yeah, I know.
Friction coefficient?
Well, Quent, let's go ask the
computer a few questions, huh?
Better sit down, Quent,
- this'll take some time.
- Yeah.
Have a seat there.
Thanks.
Trajectory, 319, speed
of flight, 427, 364.
Fuel weight, 119,
burn efficiency 5.32.
Friction coefficient, 0.79.
Don't know if we'll
get an answer.
I hope so.
Well how 'bout it?
I hope it's a good one.
So do I.
Data's insufficient
for a positive answer,
only an approximation.
Well, I'll tell ya one thing.
If that rocket comes
down in a populated area,
it won't be good.
Yeah.
Well, the rocket went into
almost escape velocity,
it just, let's take
a look at the globe.
It'll orbit halfway
around the world
and come down-
- Come down where?
If the
computer is correct,
just off the coast of Africa.
What happened, Arobi?
It's Macongo, Doctor.
He gave up his
breath and his soul
at the last going
down of the sun.
How did he come
to be this way?
He followed a trail
into Green Hell.
You were his blood
brother, Arobi.
Where we you when he died?
No farther than a
small stone's throw,
but he was hidden from me
by a turn in the trail.
I heard him scream.
I ran to him.
You saw what had attacked him?
I saw nothing.
Tell me, what did you see?
Give him a hand,
we'll take him inside.
We'll find out what killed him.
That will put an end
to all this superstitious
prattling about monsters.
He died of paralysis
of nerve centers.
Was it snake venom?
There is a resemblance,
but the dose was too massive.
No poisonous snake
known to science
could inject the quantity
of poison present.
Besides, the nature of
the material injected
completely different, couldn't
possibly be from a snake.
Then you do not know
what killed Macongo.
Not yet.
The men know!
Arobi, that's superstition.
They were prepared to see
monsters in Green Hell,
so naturally, they did.
Doctor, the animals
flee from Green Hell.
This, I have seen!
The small monkeys and
the large elephants,
all flee, all run madly away!
Even the birds in the
air do not remain!
Since when?
Week, uh, two.
Doctor, it may be we
are superstitious,
but is a monkey frightened
by a superstition?
Does an elephant run
from superstition?
Will a bird not alight in a
tree because of superstition?
Then there is something,
some thing strange,
perhaps even monstrous,
but a thing of nature,
not of evil spirits!
Hey, what's so
interesting in the news?
Take a look at that.
Yeah, things are
rough all over!
But these riots
reported monsters.
What's that got to do with us?
According to the computer,
the rockets we lost six
months ago landed in Africa.
Do you think
there's a connection?
I could be wrong,
I hope I am.
But Quent, we've sent up
hundreds of test animals,
exposed them to
cosmic radiation.
None of 'em ever turned out
to be monsters or giants.
But none of them were exposed
for more than 40 seconds either.
See these guinea pigs?
Yeah.
They were sent up
day before yesterday.
40 seconds exposure
at 206 miles altitude.
They look fine.
Sure, but their fur's white.
What's the
matter with that?
It was brown when
they were sent up.
These two were
sent up last week.
They've been in a
trance ever since.
Any injuries?
Well, none that our
instruments can detect,
but maybe we don't have
the right instruments.
Is this one all right?
She hasn't been sent up yet.
Now here, there's
mama, spider crab.
On the left, we have baby.
Oh, baby's
a whole lot bigger!
Yeah.
Mama was exposed to cosmic
rays before she had baby.
Result, in one generation,
mutation of the genes,
resulting in practically
doubling the size of the offspring.
Well, Quent, I see
what you're driving at,
but there's a lot of difference
between a crab that develops
to be twice as big as normal
and a gigantic monster.
Sure, there's a big difference
in 40 seconds exposure
and 40 hours, too, Dan.
40 hours exposure is what the
wasp in the lost rocket got.
So?
Look, you've seen pictures
of the survivors at
Hiroshima, haven't you?
Well, sure.
Radiation did that, Dan.
Quent, what you're thinking
about sounds like a nightmare.
Yeah.
Nobody was anxious to believe
in my theory, not even Dan.
On the other hand, nobody
could afford to ignore it.
I had written a report and sent
it to project headquarters.
They didn't like it much there
and promptly passed
it on to Washington.
Finally, my request
for leave of absence
for Dan and myself to
investigate was granted.
They gave us a letter
for the territorial agent
in Libreville and
wished us luck.
If there was anything in my
hunch, we were going to need it.
We booked passage on TWA
for immediate departure,
destination, Africa.
I shall, of course, give
you all the assistance I can,
Dr. Brady, Mr. Morgan,
but there are problems.
Such as?
The situation in the
interior is highly disturbed,
possibly dangerous.
We'll chance that.
Do you really
believe your theory
of mutated wasps
is true, Dr. Brady?
I believe it may be so.
I thought the reports at
first merely mass hysteria.
Now?
The monsters are said
to be concentrated
in the Mount Virunga area.
The natives call
that area Green Hell.
Now this is where we are now.
Your first objective should
be the village of Mongwe.
That's out of our way!
You'll find Dr. Lorentz
and his daughter at Mongwe.
He's established a
hospital and mission there.
Well, that's fine.
Well, the man's a saint.
He spent 40 years of his
life among the natives,
curing their bodily ills,
trying to free their minds
of fear and superstition.
He'll be of more help to you
than anybody else could be.
We'll stop at Mongwe.
Good.
Of course it'll take some
time organizing a safari,
particularly in view of the
trouble in the interior.
However, we'll be
as quick as we can.
Thank you very much.
We are still here in Libreville.
The territorial agent
was cooperative,
but not too quick in
arranging for our departure.
As we sit around the hotel
waiting, I find myself wondering
just what is happening
in the interior
and to the natives
and to Dr. Lorentz.
What's wrong, Arobi?
Listen!
Strange sound, I've
never heard it before.
I did, the day
Maconga disappeared.
We must keep going.
Wait!
They were
frightened, in panic!
I've never seen them like that
except when there was a fire.
There was no fire,
it was that sound
and we come close to Green Hell.
Doctor, look!
Footmarks of a monster!
Denba's good luck charm!
Mount Virunga, a very peaceful
volcano at the moment.
The sound, it's much louder.
Must be getting closer
to whatever's responsible
for it, Arobi.
I'm going down alone.
Please, Doctor, let me go.
I'm much younger than you.
You better stay up here.
If I get in trouble,
you'll be able to help.
We should turn back.
But we've got to know!
I'm afraid for you.
So am I, but all
my life, Arobi,
I've believed that
knowledge drives out fear.
I must go on in that belief.
We've already been here
a week and three days.
Eh, you don't organize
a safari overnight,
particularly when you're
buying beads, brass wire,
mirrors for the hostile natives.
Heh, personally, I would
prefer a General Sherman tank.
Well, we've got the
next best thing, Dan.
Hey, hey, hey, hey!
Careful of that baby
bomb!
U.S. Army's newest development.
Potent, portable, pulverizing.
Do you expect to use a
weapon as deadly as this
against a flock of insects?
Well, I don't know, Dan,
but if we do, we've got 'em.
Yes.
Well, sometimes, I'd sell
all I know about science
for a nickel when I would have
to pay any attention
to your nightmares.
The wasps were real.
Yeah, but wasps
are only about that big.
You're forgetting mutation.
Nah, I'm remembering mutation.
Now, suppose your mutated
wasps are twice as big,
three times it, well, all right,
let's be generous and say
they're 10 times as big.
You're still a long ways
from having yourself
a gigantic monster.
Sure, sure, if mutation
always worked the same.
Small steps, one at a time,
but sometimes, it just jumps.
Yeah.
I don't know, Dan.
I may be way off
base on this thing.
But you don't think you are.
That's the important thing.
Any event, we take off
early in the morning,
now how 'bout
gettin' some sleep?
You go ahead, I'll
be along in a minute.
Okay, goodnight, Quent.
Goodnight, Dan.
That was the night of the 24th.
On the morning of the 25th,
our safari got underway.
The agent had hired us the
best guide in Central Africa,
an Arab named Mahri.
Dan and I with Mahri's
help worked out a schedule.
In order to reach Dr.
Lorentz's hospital
in the village of Mongwe,
we had to walk a
little over 400 miles.
Our schedule called for
15 miles per day average.
All things being equal,
we figured to reach Dr.
Lorentz in about 27 days.
{
I found out soon enough
that being on a safari
meant putting one foot
in front of the other
and then repeating the process.
The first few days were murder,
and it was obvious that
working over test tubes
was not the right way to train
for a hike across
the plains of Africa.
A week went by and then another.
We were maintaining
our schedule,
and I should have been
pleased, but I wasn't.
Something was eating at me.
It started like a
simple itch in my brain,
and as the days passed,
it grew into a feeling.
I tried to put my finger
on it but couldn't.
Instinctively, I knew
something was going to happen.
The only trouble was,
I didn't know what.
{
Do you hear anything?
Yeah, it sounds like drums.
Yeah.
Mahri!
Drums?
War drums, Yanangas.
I hope they haven't seen us.
There wasn't anything we could
do but keep moving forward
and hope we hadn't been spotted,
or that if we had, the
natives would permit us
to pass through without
causing trouble.
It didn't take long
before we learned
we were wrong on all counts.
Dan, Mahri, hurry it up!
Now that's done it, Quent.
Yeah, let's get outta here!
To avoid any more native
tribes, we changed our course,
which added another
75 miles of hot,
wide open, waterless country.
The sun beat down as
though it hated us,
and then we began to run
out of drinking water.
In Africa, that means
running out of time.
Hold it up, Mahri!
Sorry, Quent, I
never realized
how much the human
animal depended on water.
Nah, it's empty.
I've got a little left here.
- No, no.
- Drink it
or I'll pour it in the grass.
That's enough for now.
Feel better?
Yeah.
Let's get out of here.
I don't like the neighborhood.
All right, Mahri, let's go!
{
Stop, no, no!
No, don't drink!
What's the deal, Mahri?
Vultures, they only
come when death is near.
Nobody drink till I return!
Water, water
poisoned, no drink!
They were not mistaken.
The vultures are never mistaken.
What'd you find?
On the other side of the rise,
a lion died a few
minutes ago, poisoned.
The water hole?
Poisoned.
{
Try chewing on these, Dan.
There's a little
moisture in 'em.
Go on, try it, Dan.
Hold tight, Dan, hold
tight and I'll drown ya.
That's it.
Like the taste?
Not bad, it's not bad at all.
Oh, man, listen to it,
will you, listen to it!
Nice,
wet, welcome water.
Hey, Quent, don't let
'em turn it off.
Don't let 'em turn it off.
The rain kept coming,
more than we needed.
Africa is a crazy place.
It either tries to
dehydrate you or drown you.
We sat it out for two days.
Dan recovered nicely, but
I was getting restless.
How much longer, Mahri?
Skies are persistent, Doctor.
Perhaps the rain will continue
a few more days, a few weeks.
In that case, we
won't wait any longer.
Rain or shine, tell the
bearers to get ready to go on.
Yes, sir.
You all right, Quent?
Yeah, yeah, I think so.
Here, let me get you your hat.
Hey, you don't look
so good, fella!
Yeah.
Mahri, get a stretcher!
Okay.
The branch that
fall in the storm.
Yeah, it's a
pretty bad bruise.
All right, now easy with him!
He's conscious!
He may be conscious,
but I think he's still a
little light in the head.
He has no fever anymore.
If nobody minds,
I'd like to interrupt
this conversation
about me and ask you
a couple of questions.
Like where am I?
You're in Dr. Lorentz's mission.
You passed out
from pain, fatigue.
You were unconscious the
day it took us to get here,
and a half-day since.
And who are you?
- This is Lorna, Dr.
- Lorentz's daughter.
Lorna, Dr. Brady.
Hello.
Lorna.
How do you feel, fella?
I feel fine now.
Where's Dr. Lorentz?
He's out in the jungle.
Been gone some time now.
Why?
Same reason we're here.
After a shave and
an outdoor shower,
I began to feel like myself.
I watched Lorna as she
played and replayed
a few lonely notes on the organ.
I wondered how long
we would have to wait
before Dr. Lorentz returned
from his expedition.
I wanted to hear his
findings before Dan and I
again started out on the job
that had brought us to Africa.
Miss Lorentz!
Miss Lorentz!
Arobi!
Where's my father?
He's with his God.
How did he die, Arobi?
He went down into the
path of the volcano.
Weren't you with him?
He ordered me to stay behind,
but when I heard him
cry out, I ran to him.
He lay in the dust,
his life fled away.
I buried him there.
How do you know it was
a monster that killed him?
This was buried
in his shoulder.
Well?
I injected some of that stuff
we got out of the stinger.
The results were positive,
the animal died like that.
Venom?
No question about it.
I've got the clincher.
Cross-section of the stingers
under the microscope.
Take a look.
Living tissue inside
the horny outer ring.
Insect tissue.
Wasp tissue.
Quent, do you realize
if what we've got here
is only part of the stinger,
can you guess how big the
creature itself must be?
Yeah, well, we won't
have to guess at it, Dan.
We'll see for ourselves.
Mahri, you take personal
charge of those grenades.
Yes, sir.
Help me with this other box.
Yes, sir.
Feeling better?
I'm all right.
I have no tears left.
Are you going on?
Yes.
I knew that.
This science, these
experiments that drive you.
I'm beginning to wonder
what good they are.
Look, Lorna,
the very work your
father did here,
the work you helped him with,
curing the sick and fighting
disease, infection, death.
It wouldn't have been
possible without science,
without experiments.
Experiments sometimes fail,
they fail many times,
but they have to be done.
I only know that
there's no science
that can make my
father live again.
Arobi?
Yes?
You're very brave
to go with them.
They go to finish the
work your father began.
And maybe to die the
way my father died?
Miss Lorentz, until now,
the monsters remain
in Green Hell.
It is easy to run away from
a small section of Africa,
but if the monsters
breed and multiply,
as all living things do,
and if soon there is not prey
enough for them in Green Hell,
shall we leave all
of Africa for them?
Dr. Brady, Mr. Morgan,
they'll go and they'll die!
All men die.
If a man-eating lion
is near the village,
shall we not go out to kill it
even if in the killing
there are other deaths?
What's the matter, Mahri?
In the night, the
men of the safari
spoke with the men
of the village.
Nothing wrong with that.
Except that this morning,
the men of the safari are
all gone except Yugondera.
Gone where?
Back to the coast.
Why didn't
you wake us up?
They left while all slept
in the early light of dawn.
All right, we'll use
men from the village.
If they will go.
Mahri, will you help me
with the packing please?
Yes.
- Dr. Brady?
- Mm-hmm?
Nothing'll stop your going?
No.
Well, they'll be
men from the village,
as many as you need,
to go with you.
Lorna, you're an angel.
I've decided to
go with you, too.
But it isn't kind
of a thing for a girl!
Look, I know the jungle
better than you do.
Besides, the men
wouldn't go without me.
Why not?
Well, they're
afraid of Green Hell.
When I said I was
going, a woman,
I shamed them.
You see, they couldn't
admit that their fear
was greater than
a woman's, so...
So we're glad to
have you with us.
We'll leave tomorrow, Quent?
In the morning.
Good.
{
The bearers have seen
the destroyed village.
They're extremely
frightened and restless.
Will you please come, sir?
Sure, sure.
Lorna, maybe if
you talk to 'em.
A stampeding
herd of water buffalo
is not stopped by
an arrow or a word.
We got not choice,
Quent, we've got to go on.
All right, let's go.
{
Dan, Mahri, Arobi!
Typical wasp markings,
but the size of them!
It's incredible!
They lead there,
to Green Hell.
We march in the right direction.
Virunga's restless,
she's angry today.
Oh, Quent, I'm afraid!
We must go back or go on.
We go on, go ahead, Arobi.
Cigarette, Dan?
No, thanks.
Got a match?
Yeah.
Thank you.
I'm sure all of
you are well aware
of the many problems
that lie ahead of us.
Even before Dan and
I left our country,
we were concerned
about one thing.
Wasps are insects.
They form a colony with
the queen at the head.
The queen mates, lays
eggs, and multiplies,
even more rapidly than
any other form of life.
The creatures we
pursue are wasps.
No matter how
changed their shapes,
no matter how large
they've grown.
They will multiply as
rapidly as the tiny insects
from which they sprang.
They will overrun all of Africa
unless we quickly
destroy their colony,
and, more important,
their queen.
But if the rifles are
powerless against them-
- We've brought weapons
from our country, Mahri.
These.
They're filled with an
explosive called gelignite.
Have you seen weapons
like these before?
You, Arobi?
No, but I've
seen rocks blown up
when they built a
road near Libreville.
Yeah, this is
a little different.
Much more powerful.
Who is it?
It's Quent.
I'm sorry if I frightened you.
I'm always frightened now.
I wish you were
safely out of here.
I wish we all were.
No one will be safe
until we destroy the
queen and her colony.
You come from a
country so far from here.
Why should you be concerned
about what happens to us?
Oh, a feeling of
responsibility, I guess.
Now, after you pull the pin,
you've got to get
rid of it in a hurry.
These are kind of heavy,
so the best thing to use
is a sort of a stiff-arm
motion like that.
You understand?
Well, Quent?
Nothing we can do until the
sun comes up so we can see.
Better try to get some sleep.
I'll stay up for
a couple of hours,
then wake up one of you.
All right, wanna
put this back?
Yeah, get some rest, Lorna.
Dan!
What is it?
Listen!
Arobi, we couldn't
be mistaken.
I've heard that sound before!
They're all around us, but
they didn't come right at us.
Maybe they don't like fire.
Let's find out, here.
Dan, where's the kerosene?
All right, get back!
{
I could see no signs of
the beast or creatures
that had surrounded our
camp the night before.
Luckily, I was right.
Whatever it was
didn't like fire,
and we kept ours
brightly burning
until the night faded into dawn.
As I looked out over the plain,
I could taste the fear I felt,
fear not only for myself,
but for everyone
else in the group.
I felt certain we were going
to discover what it was
that had killed Dr. Lorentz,
and I wondered when we found it,
would we be able to stop it.
As we broke camp, I told
Arobi and the others
to check their ammunition
and I kept asking myself
the same question.
If we found it, would we
be able to destroy it?
I didn't know the answer,
so I did the one thing
everybody else does when
they face the unknown,
I quietly prayed.
We stand at her feet.
The old girl's
really smoking this morning.
Yeah, all right,
let's keep moving.
There it is again.
Yeah.
Wonder where it's coming from.
I don't know.
Wait here.
All right, let's go!
Hold that a sec,
would you, Quent?
How you doin', Lorna?
Fine.
Leave your packs here
and bring your ammo.
Dan, I'd like to
see you a minute.
You all stay here.
- Dan?
- Yeah?
Check your ammo.
Be sure Lorna's got hers.
Right.
Sounds like the whole
colony's close by.
You stay with them,
I wanna take a look
up ahead, okay, fine.
Watch yourself.
Take care of this
for me, will ya?
There's the queen!
I'd never have believed it!
Probably our only
chance to get at them,
while they're together.
Yeah, come on.
Mahri, go up that
hill and dig in.
Arobi, you flank
Mahri on the left.
Lorna, get over against the
mountainside and stay there.
Dan, you stay with me.
Right.
When I give this signal,
toss your first and second
grenades into the bowl
and get away as
quick as you can,
then come back here
and await instructions.
Let's pray it works,
let's get the grenades.
All right, let's go.
It didn't work!
Go!
Quent?
Yeah,
yeah, where are ya?
Right over here.
Boy, are we glad to see you.
I was afraid you
wouldn't make it.
How are you?
Where's Lorna, is she all right?
Yeah, she's right
next to me here.
The rest?
Eh, kind of shaken
up, but we're all right.
Arobi?
Yes?
Light the torches, will you?
Thanks.
We gotta find a way
out of here now.
It's a pretty
good size cavern.
Well, this way is as
good as any, I guess.
Suppose you lead the way, huh?
Stick close to the wall.
Pretty narrow right in here.
Yeah.
I don't know, Dan.
I don't see any daylight.
Ow, I think we better
keep going, though.
Well, let's rest a minute.
Dan, the cavern splits here.
Dan, you and Mahri explore
that end of the cave.
I'll take this end.
Lorna, you and Arobi stay here.
Lorna, we think we
found a way out!
Has Quent come back?
Not yet.
Quent!
Quent! Quent!
Quent!
- You okay?
- Are you?
Oh, I just feel fine.
Take the lead, Dan.
All right, now,
stay close together.
Well, it took a volcano
to do what we failed to do.
Nature has a way of
correcting its own mistakes.
My father must be pleased.
The death of the creatures
will bring about the
deliverance of my people.
The gods have been kind.
They've taught us as Dr. Lorentz
taught us, to have faith.