Although the entrance is surrounded by the bones of 'full fifty men', Arthur and his knights no longer take Tim seriously when they see a rabbit emerge from the cave. Tim paints verbal picture of a terrible monster that has killed everyone who has tried to enter the cave, and warns them, '.for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth!' As the knights approach the cave, their 'horses' become nervous, forcing the knights to dismount. Tim the Enchanter ( John Cleese) leads King Arthur ( Graham Chapman) and his knights to the cave and they find that they must face its guardian beast. The Cave of Caerbannog, home of the Legendary Black Beast of Arrrghhh, is guarded by a monster, whose nature is initially unknown.
The iconic status of this scene was important in establishing the viability of the musical.
The rabbit is the antagonist in a major set piece battle, and makes a similar appearance in Spamalot, a musical inspired by the movie. The scene in Holy Grail was written by Graham Chapman and John Cleese. The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog is a fictional character in the Monty Python film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
