The Vampire Plant’s name was given to it by the characters of the original Mothra film. The “vampire” part of its name probably means that it kills people and animals and eats them, and the “plant” part of its name comes from the fact that it is a plant.
Oh, all that monkeying around with radiation! You’d think that people would learn. Sheesh! I mean, c’mon, the Japanese created GODZILLA, for crying out loud! That should’ve been enough to discourage any further experimentation with, or reckless disposal of, radiation and radioactive materials. Nope. Mankind has managed to create all sizes and sorts of unnatural creatures from radiation, and an awful lot of them tend to grow to enormous sizes, thus making them even more of a pain to deal with. Japan in particular has more than its share of beasts blown up to gigantic proportions.
One kaiju (Japanese for “giant monster”) I’d like to have seen more of is the Vampire Plant that made its cameo appearance in the original MOTHRA. Unlike most kaiju, even the minor ones, the Vampire Plant was never given a proper name. Nor has it shown up since, except in a flashback sequence decades later. In a way, though, I DID get more V.P. action. The colossal crêpe myrtle BIOLLANTE, who fought Godzilla in 1989, bears a strong resemblance to the V.P., only she’s bigger and nastier. And also she was born of—wait for it, wait for it—radiation! Betcha didn’t see THAT one coming, did ya?
