After all the famous creatures of the 30s and 40s to make it to the big screen, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON was probably a refreshing bit of horror for audiences back in the day. The 50s was filled with space monsters and flying saucers, but Harry Essex and Arthur A. Ross wrote a screenplay that brought horror back to earth with Man being the intruder on untainted nature. Also I think this film created a new classic creature, something that’s not easy to do.
Scientists, among them David Reed played by Richard Carlson, follow a clue in the form of a skeletal webbed hand to the Amazon where they find an amphibious creature. Their goal is to capture him and take him back to civilization. But Mr. Gill-Man has other plans when he gets a glance of Julie Adams as Kay Lawrence, Reed’s girlfriend. The story hits home with the overall message that Man isn’t really ready to live with nature, nor can nature be totally controlled, especially if it’s after your hot girlfriend in a swimsuit.
The thing that I really appreciated about this movie, after watching it many times, was that the suit had a built-in air tank for the actor. The underwater photography and special effects were great at the time, and the general quality of the movie was exceptional. This is another great classic Scream-A-Day horror movie for a family fun day of scary movies.
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