The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

 


The Universal horror films dominated the 1930s and a good portion of the 1940s.  However, as time went on, they became a bit of a joke.  Not only were they rehashed for Abbott and Costello films, but the actual monsters became mere shadows of what they were in their prime.  The movies quickly slipped into self-parody.

Thus, it is a surprise that one of the most recognizable monsters from that studio, the "Gill Man", didn't come about until the 1950s.  The Creature from the Black Lagoon was a b-movie, hopping on the trend of rubber-suited monsters terrorizing scantily clad women.  There is really nothing to connect it to the earlier films except for the studio, but still the monster itself earned its way into Universal's macabre menagerie. 

Dr. Carl Maria (Antonio Moreno) is on an expedition in the Amazon when he finds the fossilized hand, remarkably humanoid, from a creature that existed in the Devonian Era.  He informs his friend, Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson), who agrees to visit the site, bringing along his colleague and girlfriend Kay Lawrence (Julia Adams) and her boss Dr. Mark Williams (Richard Denning).  Mark also has a thing for Kay and a long-standing rivalry with David. 

On a boat manned by Captain Lucas (Nestor Paiva) they set sail for the Black Lagoon, where the hand was found, to take samples to verify its age.  What they don't count on is that one of the creatures (Ricou Browning, Ben Chapman) is still alive.  It is not too happy to have visitors, especially after Mark shoots it with a speargun.  The one person it is happy to see is Kay, becoming enamored with her and attempting to take her to its lair, where the men follow in pursuit.

When looked at closely the Gill Man costume has several flaws, but these are obscured by the frequent underwater shots and by taking advantage of shadows and such.  Then again, for the time, the suit is rather well done.  It is based on legends of sea creatures and in itself has become a universal appearance for humanoid amphibians or fish people.

The reason two people play the creature is Ricou Browning was an expert swimmer and diver, able to properly portray the creature in its natural habitat and hold his breath for long periods of time to avoid bubbles coming out of the suit.  It's less successful stumbling around on land like a mummy and doing the usual job of strangling people, although a couple of the kill scenes do go a bit further.  What is revolutionary about this movie, however, was the amount of underwater scenes.  There is a good portion of the film, for better or worse, that involves scenes of the characters swimming around in the lagoon even when the Gill Man doesn't appear.  Director Jack Arnold had the equipment to film underwater and he wasn't going to let a bit go to waste.

When it comes down to it this is also a popular movie because it is a quick-moving and entertaining adventure movie with a horror twist.  Julie Adams stands out even if the male leads are on the bland side.  Still, it is the Gill Man people come for, and one gets plenty of it throughout the movie. 

The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Time: 79 minutes
Starring: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Ricou Browning, Ben Chapman
Director: Jack Arnold                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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