By the fifties, Universal had established itself as the foremost movie studio to produce monster films, and just like the studios’ earlier hits, Creature from the Black Lagoon is a classic horror film, and features one of the last of the great Universal Monsters.
A group of scientists venture deep into the Amazon rainforest after fossil remains of a supposedly extinct creature are unearthed. They discover an ancient but living creature—now commonly referred to as Gill-man—lurking in a lagoon. Gill-man acts as a ‘missing link’ in human evolution, representing an ancient fish-like creature with human attributes, such as dextrous fingers and the ability to stand upright. The creature pursues the scientists, boldly climbing aboard their boat and killing many of them. They try to capture it and succeed, but the Gill-man can’t be held captive for long. It escapes and kills more crew members, before it kidnaps a woman and takes her back to its lair (an underwater cave) in a clichéd scene that we have seen a million times in films like King Kong or Beauty and the Beast; however it doesn’t come off as cliché. The creature isn’t really evil, just misunderstood, and it wants to find true love (although I doubt any woman would stop screaming long enough to hear his explanation, if he could've given one).
Creature from the Black Lagoon is as creative and original today as it was in 1954. The movie is well paced, unnerving, and visually impressive. Filmed in black and white (and originally released in 3D), the jungle appears dark and foreboding in the background, as does the deep water. There are numerous shots of Gill-man swimming underwater, which brings the audience into the creature’s world in a way that hadn’t been done up until this point in cinema. Considered by many to be the last of the classic monsters, Gill-man himself is the real highlight. Two actors portrayed the character—one for the underwater sequences and another for the dry land sequences—and the design for the suit is unlike anything that had come before. Both a frightening and sympathetic character, his combination of higher-than-average monster intelligence and animalistic nature makes him as complex as other memorable villains like The Wolf Man or Frankenstein. This was Gill-man’s first appearance, and he would go on to be featured in two sequels, Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us. If there was anything negative that could be said about this film, it could be argued that the effects look dated, but I think they still pack a punch even by today’s standards, and the filmmaking sensibilities are brilliant enough that dated effects don’t taint any of the other well-crafted aspects.
Creature from the Black Lagoon is not only a staple film every horror fan should see, it’s something of a landmark for the genre. The effects for Gill-man undoubtedly pale in comparison to some of the special effects techniques used today, but for its time, it was great. I would love to see a 3D remake of this thrilling adventure.
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