Universal Pictures released some of the most classic monster movies of all time. Through Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolfman, and The Phantom of the Opera, audiences saw terrors which were previously only imagined on the pages of a book. One of their most successful monster flicks after the heyday of their 1930s era was Creature From the Black Lagoon, released in 1954. The film was directed by Jack Arnold and stars Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, and Richard Denning. One might look at a film like this many decades later and see it as a cheesy B-Movie. However, its roots and inspirations make it so much more.
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The story follows a group of scientists on an expedition to dig up fossils of an unknown animal, or so they thought. They travel by water to the Black Lagoon, where a creature lurks under the waters and hunts them down, one by one. There are many elements of this film that should be appreciated almost 70 years after its release. For a film with a budget of just $500 thousand, it still looks great (even its clever use of classic 3D); it’s clear that they used every dollar wisely. Everything from the cinematography, sound design, and production value was broadcasted with immense effort and style.
The Technical Feats
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Possibly the most famous sequence in the film is when explorer Kay Lawrence (played by Julie Adams) makes unknown contact with the creature. She swims in the lagoon as the creature observes her from underneath. He slightly glides his scaly fingers along her feet and the audience aches in suspense as she unknowingly is in the grasp of the Gill-Man.
The sequence (and most of the film) has beautiful underwater aquatic shots. It should be noted that this sequence and the film itself inspired Steven Spielberg when he made his classic blockbuster Jaws. Nevertheless, the shots are photographed with such precision underwater. The sequences of characters (and the creature) swimming are elongated and intricate in the actors’ blocking positions.
The creature was portrayed by two actors. On land, the Gill-Man was portrayed by Ben Chapman. A famous story surrounding the film was noted during the sequence where the creature carries Julie Adams’ character Kay Lawrence through the cave at the climax of the picture. Due to the limited visibility of his mask, he accidentally hit her head on the wall which caused her to bleed. Photos were taken, and the story became widespread and one of the more infamous anecdotes of the production.
The underwater Gill-Man was portrayed by Ricou Browning. His suit was more movable since he was obligated to swim underwater for minutes at a time. Browning appeared as the creature in all subsequent Black Lagoon installments.
The Creature’s Suspenseful and Subtle Introduction
The film takes its time to set up the creature as a menacing and intimidating presence. We start by seeing his scaly and demonic looking hands before he murders two people in the first act, and it’s there that we get a taste of his strength and agility.
Hitchcock famously defined good suspense as having the audience be aware of something unbeknownst to the character(s). That type of suspense is prevalent in Creature from the Black Lagoon. The Gill-Man lurks behind characters, rises from the waters while minor exposition sequences are being given, and always feels present. This execution of the characters makes it highly effective to the suspense which is accompanied by a thrilling horror score from the great Henry Mancini. But a monster movie is only as good as its monster, and this one sure does have quite a history.
The Gill-Man Creature
The creature also has inspirations from Cipactli, an ancient Aztec legend. The story tells of a sea demon who was responsible for the creation of the world. Cipactli had more crocodile-like features and had an abundant appetite, and was connected to the cosmos. Its insatiable hunger became dangerous for the universe, and he was defeated by the Gods after a brutal fight.
The inspirations from aforementioned mythology shows the amount of thought put into the Gill-Man’s tale. In the film, he is referred to as a demon and is practically unstoppable. Bullets, spears, and poison are no match for the creature. In this film alone, his final moments are shown after many bullet wounds. He sinks to the bottom of the sea where the film fades out to its conclusion. However, according to the Aztec legend, Cipactli was connected to the cosmos and was reinvigorated by devouring anything in its path. The cosmos is what made him stronger, and this could be mirrored by the Gill-Man.
The Gill-Man is a part of the waters, which is still being explored (we have explored more of the moon than the oceans). In the film, the explorers talk about how we are just starting to touch the world above our own, but the waters below us are home to millions of undiscovered creatures. A theory is that the Gill-Man is connected to the water like Cipactli is to the cosmos. He needs the water to survive, which could explain his resurrection and brutal strength. But a creature this strong and intimidating on film must be brought to life by many talented individuals. In the case of Creature from the Black Lagoon, the creature’s character design and its effectiveness is due to one talented woman who was robbed by patriarchal Hollywood in the 1950s.
The Story of the Lady from the Black Lagoon
Initial and well deserved credit for the creature design should be given to a former animator on the classic Disney film Fantasia, Milicent Patrick. Being the first female to work in special effects in Hollywood, she reimagined a new type of animation style at Disney and was hired to design the Gill-Man creature for Universal.
However, according to the book entitled The Lady from the Black Lagoon, head of Universal’s make-up department Bud Westmore became jealous of the success and attention Patrick was receiving for her work. She was brought along on a tour to promote the science fiction horror film and her work on it. However, at the conclusion of the tour, Westmore fired Patrick and stole all the credit for the creature design.
The film has remained a cult classic and a staple of Universal’s slate of monster movies. It should be noted that its success and the popularity of the Gill-Man creature is due to the hard work Milicent Patrick put into the design of the creature which initially took many forms. However, according to the book, she understood the creature’s humanity.
Creature from the Black Lagoon: A Lasting Legacy
At its roots, the creature resembles a science fiction interpretation of Beauty and the Beast, where a horrid creature falls in love with a human. This is what makes a character like the Gill-Man more human, and gives him a soul. This has been seen in films later inspired by this concept, including Guillermo del Toro’s Best Picture-winning film The Shape of Water.
Creature from the Black Lagoon was followed by two horror sequels. The first, in 1955, was titled Revenge of the Creature, where the Gill-Man is captured and used as a tourist attraction. His escape from an aquarium causes havoc upon the public. The second, in 1956, The Creature Walks Among Us, sees scientists try to turn the creature into an air breathing land walker, but this does not go according to plan. While these films have a cult-like following, none surpass the impact of the first and most prominent installment to the Black Lagoon franchise. Only time will tell if we will potentially see the creature walk among us in rebooted and remade glory.
