Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan is beloved, but contains a truly horrifying moment.
You see, their young enter through the ears and wrap themselves around the cerebral cortex.
We were too young to have heard about the Spock must not die!
fan backlash that erupted before the sequels release in 1982.
And we most certainly werent prepared for what we can only describe asThat Ear Scene.
If youve seen the film, youll know the bit Im referring to.
Khan takes Chekov and Terrells space helmets and drops an eel into each one.
Chekov and Terrell, held down by Khans minions, can only gawp in fear.
What do you think?
We werent yet versed in the dark world of body horror.
This bit inThe Wrath Of Khan,however, was something else.
Chekov and Terrell scream.
The inspiration came from an unexpected angle: a newspaper lying outside his house one morning.
I thought, what if that slimy thing was able to go into the ear?
The effects which brought the eels to life were simple and low-tech.
The full-grown creature is simply a latex puppet, operated from below.
The larvae which crawl across Chekov and Terrells faces are pulled along with a piece of monofilament.
That substance was little more than raspberry jam.
I loved sitting in the theatres when everybody cringed, Sallin admits.
The eels gaveStar Trek IIa horror edge which set it apart from the more statelyMotion Picture.
For pure shock value, nothing can beat the first appearance of Khans hideous eels inThe Wrath Of Khan.
This article originally appeared onDen of Geek UK.
