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Putting B-movie monsters to the test

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"The Incredible Shrinking Man" should use thrust weapons, like a spear, rather than weapons that use momentum, like a hammer. Universal/Getty Images

    Putting B-movie monsters to the test

    Mothra, without a new set of tracheal tubes, would have suffocated before getting off the ground, says University of Chicago professor Michael LaBarbera.

    Mothra, without a new set of tracheal tubes, would have suffocated before getting off the ground, says University of Chicago professor Michael LaBarbera.
    Hulton Archive/Getty Images |
    The 50-Foot Woman would break a leg if she took a single step, said LaBarbera, the author of

    The 50-Foot Woman would break a leg if she took a single step, said LaBarbera, the author of "The Biology of B-Movie Monsters."
    File Photo |
    Before destroying the Golden Gate Bridge in “It Came From Beneath the Sea,” the giant octopus in the film would have suffered debilitating blood pressure problems.

    Before destroying the Golden Gate Bridge in “It Came From Beneath the Sea,” the giant octopus in the film would have suffered debilitating blood pressure problems.
    Colombia Pictures/Getty Images |

    "The Incredible Shrinking Man" should use thrust weapons, like a spear, rather than weapons that use momentum, like a hammer.
    Universal/Getty Images |
    King Kong, in the absence of a refigured skeletal system, would have crumpled into a heap before having a chance to crush a single human.

    King Kong, in the absence of a refigured skeletal system, would have crumpled into a heap before having a chance to crush a single human.
    File Photo |
    LaBarbera has difficulty deciding what his favorite monster movie is, but thinks the shoddiest example of the genre is

    LaBarbera has difficulty deciding what his favorite monster movie is, but thinks the shoddiest example of the genre is "The Giant Claw,"
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