History Main / Slurpasaur

Technically, dressing a horse up as a {{Unicorn}} ''should'' be this trope, although the lack of ''actual'' unicorns to compare them to means that it's usually given a pass. To a lesser extent, dressing dogs up as wolves or canine monsters like [[{{Hellhound}} Hellhounds]] is also accepted since dogs are a domesticated subspecies of the latter, and many dog breeds resemble their ancestors enough. Really, examples where mammals are dressed up do fare a bit better in believability then the reptilian kind.

* ''Film/Alien3'' attempted to put an alien suit on a small dog for a brief scene when the xenomorph is still at small size, but when they looked at the result, [[EpicFail it looked exactly like a small dog wearing an alien suit]].

* ''Film/TheGiantGilaMonster'' more traditionally has a reptile play a reptile. The title monster looks okay -- except for the fact that it isn't a Gila monster, it's a Mexican beaded lizard. Seeing the little guy wander around the miniature sets and push matchbox cars around is the high point of the movie.

Technically, dressing a horse up as a {{Unicorn}} ''should'' be this trope, although the lack of ''actual'' unicorns to compare them to means that it's usually given a pass.

* The {{Trope Namer|s}} example (albeit by fans of the film), and the one where most of this footage comes from, is ''One Million BC'' with Victor Mature and Carole Landis. This film had a plethora of animals in makeup and/or visually enlarged to make them look monstrous. The image above is from this movie. Other examples from this film include an elephant in fur as a woolly mammoth,[[note]]which is actually quite convincing when you realize woolly mammoths basically were furry elephants,[[/note]] a pig with glued-on horns and a tail as a ''Triceratops'', alligator with a glued-on fin (enlarged), various enlarged lizards (monitors, iguana, skinks) as dinosaurs, a snake and an enlarged coati which eats the snake on screen, and an (enlarged) armadillo with rubber horns. It also featured a [[PeopleInRubberSuits rubbersuit]] ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex'' which was ''not'' enlarged in any way. Yeah, it's SoBadItsGood.

* In ''Film/KingDinosaur'' (from 1955) an iguana plays a ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex'' (which, for some reason, lives on another planet). Hilariously, the ''biologist'' identifies the obvious iguana as a tyrannosaur! There's also plenty of requisite ''One Million BC'' Stock Footage, and some woolly mammoths which are just elephants clothed in shaggy fur, though that doesn't seem very far-fetched considering woolly mammoths are indeed just elephants covered in long fur. All of these, of course, get pointed out in the ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' episode featuring the film.

* ''Film/TheDevilRidesOut'' has a scene where the protagonists are terrorised by a powerful warlock. He summons a GiantSpider to frighten them, and of course it's a tarantula enlarged on screen.

* ''Film/BrotherhoodOfTheWolf'' is a kind of meta-example. The mysterious "Beast of Gévaudan", which the locals initially thought was either a particularly large wolf or some outright supernatural monster, turns out to be something else entirely: [[spoiler: A lion wearing a set of leather-and-iron barding with some SpikesOfVillany, trained as an AttackAnimal by the antagonist.]]

** The ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Resolutions" used a spider monkey that had been trained to walk on its hind legs. Unfortunately the first time we see it is in a tree, so the effect is ruined. And even when it's standing, it's still recognizable as a monkey.

* ''{{Series/Goosebumps}}'''s adaptation of "Deep Trouble" dealt with animals being enlarged thanks to AppliedPhlebotinum. They of course use normal-sized iguanas, ants, spiders zoomed in and enlarged with CGI.

** All the characters are puppets, so when they need the characters to get attacked by panthers, they use regular black cats with {{Mighty Roar}}s dubbed over them. PlayedForLaughs, of course.

* Inverted with the very first named dinosaur. ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalosaurus Megalosaurus]]'' means "big lizard", because that's what it was believed to have been back in 1824. Keep in mind that it was known only from a fraction of the lower jaw, which resembled a scaled-up version of the jaw of a carnivorous monitor lizard, so this wasn't a bad guess.

** ''Film/OneMillionYearsBC'', the 1966 remake, generally avoided this (favoring stop-motion instead), although a real lizard and spider were thrown in around the beginning to liven things up (and as an homage to the original film). The ''Archelon'' (a giant prehistoric turtle) that attacks Loana's tribe is sometimes mistaken for a slurpasaur effect, which is probably a testament to the quality of Creator/RayHarryhausen's animation.

* Creator/IrwinAllen's 1960 adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's ''Literature/TheLostWorld1912'' is notorious for this. Particularly when Creator/ClaudeRains identifies an iguana with plastic fins as a ''brontosaurus''. The most definitely not-fake alligator vs. monitor lizard battle shows one of the main reasons why this trope isn't used anymore. This is the last real use of this trope in the classic sense.

* In the 1959 film ''Film/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth'', optically enlarged lizards with fins glued to their backs play dimetrodons, a synapsid that actually looks... ''sort of'' like a lizard with a fin on its back (though the ones in the film are somewhat larger than their real-life counterparts). They don't actually look too bad. Although, this is later played again with an even bigger monitor lizard in the ruins of Atlantis which they didn't even try to pass off as anything unique. Technically also applicable for Gertrude, who was originally slated to be an Icelandic eider duck, but was played by a white domestic duck in makeup because the trainer couldn't get a real eider through customs in the time available.

* In ''Film/QuestForFire'', the sabre-toothed cats are played by trained lions with prosthetic teeth.

*** The same plot point was used in the later story "Vengeance on Varos", only with a hologram (stock footage) of a fly instead of an iguana. '

*** Subverted (in a way) in the story "Colony in Space". A robot with claws plus a hologram simulates a giant lizard attack.
*** The same plot point was used in the later story "Vengeance on Varos", only with a hologram (stock footage) of a fly instead of an iguana. ''Series/DoctorWho'' also played the trope straight at least once.

* ''Film/TheNeanderthalMan'': Aside from a rather moth-eaten looking prop head used in closeups, the saber-tooth cat is played by a regular non-saber-tooth tiger, making all the skepticism over whether such a beast could actually exist seem very silly. In a few shots you can even see the chain around its neck. You could even call this an aversion since they don't even bother to give it plastic fangs.

** All the characters are puppets, so when they need the characters to get attacked by panthers, they use regular black kittens with {{Mighty Roar}}s dubbed over them. PlayedForLaughs, of course.
** And the SharkPool is full of little dogfish -- you can't say they aren't sharks!

* Proving that it's possible to dress up an animal and make it work, the banthas from ''Film/ANewHope'' were played by an elephant named Mardji draped with thick furs and a puppet head, and since they could only afford one elephant several scenes with more than one bantha were achieved through optical composing. In a few scenes the elephant's trunk can be barely seen through the furs but it's otherwise a convincing illusion, though she apparently attempted to remove her costume several times during filming and caused a few outtakes. Averted with Yoda, who was initially conceived as being portrayed by a costumed monkey rather than a puppet.

* In a rare modern (and ''[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools convincing]]'') example, the Corellian hounds in ''Film/{{Solo}}'' were played by actual dogs in full-body costumes, as an homage to the Death Dogs from the earlier Ron Howard/George Lucas production ''Film/{{Willow}}''.

* 2016 Webby Award: ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQte2nz80Is Tiny Hamster Is a Giant Monster!!]]'' Making part of the miniature scenery out of hamster treats sure helps.

* ''Film/OneMillionYearsBC'', the 1966 remake, generally avoided this (favoring stop-motion instead), although a real lizard and spider were thrown in around the beginning to liven things up (and as an homage to the original film). The ''Archelon'' that attacks Loana's tribe is sometimes mistaken for a slurpasaur effect, which is probably a testament to the quality of Harryhausen's animation.

* ''Film/TheGiantGilaMonster'' more traditionally has a reptile play a reptile. The title monster looks okay -- except for the fact that it isn't a Gila monster, it's a Mexican beaded lizard.
* The 1960 adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's ''Literature/TheLostWorld1912'' is notorious for this. Particularly when Creator/ClaudeRains identifies an iguana with plastic fins as a ''brontosaurus''. The most definitely not-fake alligator vs. monitor lizard battle shows one of the main reasons why this trope isn't used anymore. This is the last real use of this trope in the classic sense.

* Also parodied in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', "The Startling" story arc, which really needs to be seen to be believed.

Making movies about [[RentAZilla giant monsters]] (often dinosaurs) is [[RuleOfCool downright awesome]]. However, sometimes, the filmmakers just don't have the budget to make a [[PeopleInRubberSuits somewhat convincing monster suit]], or an animatronic puppet, or stop-motion, or even a crappily animated CGI monster.

* Both ''Film/EarthVsTheSpider'' and ''Film/{{Tarantula}}'' used real spiders on miniature sets or with rear projection to represent their respective GiantSpider antagonists.

Of course, having an [[AdventurerArchaeologist Adventurer Palaeontologist]] pointing to an [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever oversized iguana]] with horns glued to its head and calling it a "''Brontosaurus''" [[SpecialEffectsFailure is just as convincing as it sounds]], not to mention a [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology complete and utter mockery of palaeontology]]. After all, if a five-year-old kid can tell the difference between a ''TyrannosaurusRex'' and an iguana, it's highly unlikely ''anyone'' is going to be convinced that your cardboard-taped-to-his-back monitor lizard is supposed to be a dinosaur. Especially if they have any understanding of the SquareCubeLaw.

* The {{Trope Namer|s}} example (albeit by fans of the film), and the one where most of this footage comes from, is ''One Million BC'' with Victor Mature and Carole Landis. This film had a plethora of animals in makeup and/or visually enlarged to make them look monstrous. The image above is from this movie. Other examples from this film include an elephant in fur as a woolly mammoth,[[note]]which is actually quite convincing when you realize woolly mammoths basically were furry elephants,[[/note]] a pig with glued-on horns and a tail as a ''Triceratops'', alligator with a glued-on fin (enlarged), various enlarged lizards (monitors, iguana, skinks) as dinosaurs, a snake and an enlarged coati which eats the snake on screen, and an (enlarged) armadillo with rubber horns. It also featured a [[PeopleInRubberSuits rubbersuit]] ''TyrannosaurusRex'' which was ''not'' enlarged in any way. Yeah, it's SoBadItsGood.

* In ''Film/KingDinosaur'' (from 1955) an iguana plays a ''TyrannosaurusRex'' (which, for some reason, lives on another planet). Hilariously, the ''biologist'' identifies the obvious iguana as a tyrannosaur! There's also plenty of requisite ''One Million BC'' Stock Footage, and some woolly mammoths which are just elephants clothed in shaggy fur, though that doesn't seem very far-fetched considering woolly mammoths are indeed just elephants covered in long fur. All of these, of course, get pointed out in the ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' episode featuring the film.

* There's one on the middle of the playfield for Creator/{{Atari}}'s ''Pinball/MiddleEarth'' pinball, right next to the ''TyrannosaurusRex''.

* Creator/BruceCoville's ''Literature/CampHauntedHills'' trilogy is set at a camp where the attendees learn how to make movies. Harry Housen (ironically, named for [[Creator/RayHarryhausen an effects artist who specialized in averting this trope]]), who teaches special effects, specializes in holographic projection and is always painting his pet iguana Myron different colors, or pasting wings, fins or other things on the lizard, even figuring out how to make smoke come out of Myron's nostrils at one point, and then uses the altered iguana as a model for said holograms. Fortunately, the lizard is very patient about all this. The resulting holograms are more effective than one would think -- they terrify both humans AND, in the finale, a family of Bigfoot holding the heroes captive.

Given growing mainstream awareness that many dinosaurs had feathers (t rex included), and that dinosaurs in general would be better described as big proto-birds than as big lizards (to the point where modern biologists actually differentiate between "avian dinosaurs" and "non-avian dinosaurs" rather than between birds and dinosaurs), it would be interesting to see a reconstruction/parody of this trope in the form of a {{Retraux}} or GenreThrowback work using a pigeon in a toothy mask in place of a ''T. rex''.

* ''Film/OneMillionYearsBC'', the 1966 remake, generally avoided this (favoring stop-motion instead), although a real lizard and spider were thrown in around the beginning to liven things up (and as an homage to the original film). A few critics complained that the ''Archelon'' scene used a real turtle, but it didn't; Creator/RayHarryhausen made really good StopMotion.

* Creator/BruceCoville's ''Camp Haunted Hills'' trilogy is set at a camp where the attendees learn how to make movies. Harry Housen (ironically, named for [[Creator/RayHarryhausen an effects artist who specialized in averting this trope]]), who teaches special effects, specializes in holographic projection and is always painting his pet iguana Myron different colors, or pasting wings, fins or other things on the lizard, even figuring out how to make smoke come out of Myron's nostrils at one point, and then uses the altered iguana as a model for said holograms. Fortunately, the lizard is very patient about all this. The resulting holograms are more effective than one would think -- they terrify both humans AND, in the finale, a family of Bigfoot holding the heroes captive.

Still, [[SoBadItsGood that's what makes these movies]] such [[NarmCharm cheesy fun]]. A good source of NightmareRetardant, many fans suspect that these films' animal stars are the film-makers' pets. This has been a DiscreditedTrope since the 1960s. A normal-sized but similarly nonthreatening movie animal is the TerrifyingPetStoreRat. A similar trope in which human actors are dressed as humanoid aliens is the RubberForeheadAlien, although it tends to be more convincing.

Given growing mainstream awareness that many dinosaurs had feathers (t rex included), and that dinosaurs in general would be better described as big proto-birds than as big lizards (to the point where modern biologists actually differentiate between "avian dinosaurs" and "non-avian dinosaurs" rather than between birds and dinosaurs), it would be interesting to see a reconstruction/parody of this trope in the form of a {{Retraux}} or GenreThrowback work using a pidgeon in a toothy mask in place of a t rex.

* The {{Trope Namer|s}} example (albeit by fans of the film), and the one where most of this footage comes from, is ''One Million BC'' with Victor Mature and Carole Landis. This film had a plethora of animals in makeup and/or visually enlarged to make them look monstrous. The image above is from this movie. Other examples from this film include an elephant in fur as a woolly mammoth,[[note]]which is actually quite convincing when you realize woolly mammoths basically were furry elephants,[[/note]] a pig with glued-on horns and a tail as a ''Triceratops'', alligator with a glued-on fin (enlarged), various enlarged lizards (monitors, iguana, skinks) as dinosaurs, a snake and an enlarged coati which eats the snake on screen, and an (enlarged) armadillo with rubber horns. It also featured a [[PeopleInRubberSuits rubbersuit T-rex]] which was ''not'' enlarged in any way. Yeah, it's SoBadItsGood.

* ''Film/TheGiantGilaMonster'' more traditionally has a reptile play a reptile. The title monster looks okay -- except for the fact that it isn't a gila lizard, it's a Mexican beaded lizard.

* Parodied by Olive Jar Animation's ''WesternAnimation/GilaMonster!'' Each episode of this stop-motion animation series ended with the director letting his pet iguana (obviously not gila monster) wander through the dollhouse-sized sets, and one episode even ended with the iguana "tasting" part of the scenery.

* In Microscopic Milton, the inch-tall Milton uses the dog Douglas to play an alien monster for a video in "The Dog That Ate New York"

* The De Loys Ape was a mangled spider-monkey corpse propped up in a picture to hide its tail, with ForcedPerspective used to make it look larger than it was.