I still recall with fright the scene where the "beautiful girl" (names never mattered back then) swam in the black lagoon. The camera panned to a shot of her swimming atop the water and the creature swimming just beneath her. I just rented this movie again and I am convinced the movie can still fright someone of any age. I was grinding my teeth all these years later, while watching the underwater scenes. It still gives me goosebumps! Most people who collect movies like this are die-hard fans of these old classics. I think they hold a certain charm, innocently being the 'fathers' of special effects that would lead future movie-makers in their own frightening success. Nothing compares to this genre of movie making-pretty girls carried of by bad entities with a little romance thrown in. It can hold it's own bravely in a sometimes forgotten genre. If you can try hard to look past the old, ridiculous stereotypes, you'll quickly become a fan of these wonderful "creepies". They are special reminders to me of days long past and I hope they become special to newcomers as well.
A classic of the horror/sci-fi genre, Creature From the Black Lagoon was the last great monster from Universal Studios. Reminiscent of the Deep Ones from the tales of horror scribe H.P. Lovecraft, FX man Bud Westmore's Gill Man suit turned actor Chapman into a truly scary presence. The rest of the cast handles each of their respective roles impressively, and the script not only makes the most of the archtypical plot (isolated researchers menaced by prehistoric beast), but tightens the suspense by building conflict between Denning's obsessive character and leading man Richard Carlson. The two's rivalry for both Kay (Carlson loves her; Denning needs her) and the creature (Carlson wants to study it; Denning wants to kill it) adds a realistic human element to the fantastic story. The film's setting, deep in the Amazon jungle, is eerie and evocative--anything could be lurking out there. Likewise, the movie's score is legendary among classic monster fans, the perfect complement to the mysterious locale.
Creature From the Black Lagoon is my favorite of all the classic Universal monster movies. From the opening "creation prologue" to the Creature's first merciless attack, to the hypnotic dual water ballet as the delectable Kay strokes back and forth through the Lagoon's black waters, oblivious to the monster floating along with her, to the climax deep in the Gill Man's underground home, Creature From the Black Lagoon is a flawless masterpiece from sci-fi's golden age.
The script is a bit dated by modern standards, but the cast (particularly Julie Adams) is effective, and the creature is easily one of Universal Studio's most memorable creations. And seen today in standard black and white, the film is quite enjoyable. But it doesn't hold a candle to the original 3-D format, which I was fortunate to see not once but twice during the 1970s and 1980s. Simply stated, BLACK LAGOON's cinematography was probably the best of all 3-D movies to date. As with most 3-D films, there is plenty of "coming at you" cinematography, and many viewers will be able to pick out such moments when seeing the film in standard black and white--but in addition to these, the film used 3-D in a remarkably subtle way; virtually every scene in the film is designed for 3-D, and the effect is exceptionally memorable in the underwater sequences.
I remain disappointed that the 3-D version of BLACK LAGOON--not to mention such other 3-D films as HOUSE OF WAX, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, and DIAL "M" FOR MURDER--has never been released in 3-D format on video or disk; instead, we must make do with such bottom-budget 3-D ficks as THE MASK, CAT WOMEN ON THE MOON, and the like. Admittedly, the impact of the format is lessened by the small screen and demands some careful color adjusting, and the effect requires the use of 3-D glasses--but it is a shame that we must settle for ghosts of the originals when we could easily have the originals instead. In 3-D format, BLACK LAGOON would easily be a five-star film.
On a dig in the Amazon, Antonio Moreno discovers the fossilized skeletal remains of a hand that has webbed fingers. He takes it back to a biological institute, where hunky guys Richard Carlson and Richard Denning await. Carlson is the good guy, Denning runs the institute and is just out for fame and fortune, Mother Earth be darned. Accompanied by Carlson's girlfriend, Julie Adams, the group return to the site in a rust bucket of a boat. Someone (or something) has killed the natives left to guard the site.
The group puts a strange theory together that the rest of the fossil must have been washed down to a local lagoon, called the Black Lagoon. Adams thinks it should be called "the Beautiful Lagoon" when they arrive there (thanks, Julie, go lie down). As Carlson and Denning put on aqua lungs and bicker, we see a strange creature in the water, a half man and half fish.
The creature from the black lagoon starts offing some of the boat's native crew, and is captured. Then it escapes, only this time hurts a white scientist guy. NOW we are mad. A couple of natives is one thing, but when you hurt anglos, you are in for it. The film then falls into an unfortunate routine: the burly men come up with a plan, gill man outsmarts them and kills or maims somebody, burly men come up with new plan. Toss in Carlson and Denning fighting worse than George Jefferson and Flo, and you have a cult horror sci-fi flick.
Some of the stuff here is silly. Adams' only role seems to be to look cute in a one piece and scream every time the stealth like gill man gets on the boat, which is often. Denning and Carlson's arguing grates. At one point, to flush out the gill man, they poison the entire lagoon with a drug that renders aquatic life paralyzed for an hour or two! The gill man is shot twice with a harpoon yet still manages to live through it all.
On the positive, the gill man's makeup is awesome. The suit is totally believable, and the effect is creepy. The suit seems pliable enough that the actor encased inside can still move around, and he gets involved in the action. James C. Havens directed the underwater sequences and did a great job. The shots are crystal clear, and even a silt filled fight between the creature and Denning comes off well. Director Arnold does well on dry land, turning the lagoon into a claustrophobic trap when the creature blocks the exit with a dead tree. Arnold seamlessly blends studio shots with location filming.
All things considered, this is not a bad film. It is scarier and more entertaining than ninety percent of the horror and science fiction films that have come out since the mid 1950's. For nostalgia, you cannot beat it. I do recommend it.
This is unrated, and contains physical violence, mild gun violence, and mild gore.
