creature feature

With the Labour Day weekend and the symbolic end of summer upon us, it seemed appropriate to plan a weekend of movies that encompassed sunshine, warm temperatures, and fun in the water. In short, a Creature from the Black Lagoon movie marathon.

It puzzles me when the creature is linked with other classic horror monsters like Dracula and the Wolfman. A product of their time, these creature movies are really more sci-fi than classic horror. But why quibble?

In the first of the creature films, Creature from the Black Lagoon, our story opens with a geologist finding an interesting fossil along the Amazon. Intrigued, he gathers a team of scientists for further exploration, hires a riverboat captain and returns to the site. The riverboat captain appears to be a long-lost relative of Bogart's character in The African Queen. Or perhaps there's an unspoken rule requiring jungle riverboat captains to be scruffy, cigar-chomping men of dubious character. If so, Lucas is ideal. As for the remainder of the team, I would have attempted to recruit scientists who were not embroiled in a love triangle. But maybe that's just me.

Onward then. Their fossil search takes them to the Black Lagoon. Home of the creature. Who keeps his distance for a while. But then he spots Kay (the movie's essential screaming, fainting, female character) and the love triangle quickly becomes a rectangle.

The creature is a formidable foe despite an aversion to light and that pesky inability to remain out of water for extended periods. He displays impressive intelligence and frequently elicits sympathy. Too bad the characters in the film didn't share my opinion.

While the creature's survival is in doubt at the film's end, it's heartening to see him alive and well in Revenge of the Creature.

The creature, now referred to as the "gill-man", is still living in the Amazon, minding his own business. But he has attracted the attention of the outside world. Because along the river comes another boat-load of scientists captained once again by Lucas (on his new boat: the Rita 2).



This time, no one is looking for fossils. They're here to find the "gill-man", subdue him, capture him, and return with him to Florida where he can be studied and spend his spare time as a tourist attraction. The plan works perfectly. For a while.

Before long, however, the "gill-man" is attracted to yet another screaming, fainting female scientist. Clearly, he has learned nothing from his previous experiences. The situation deteriorates rapidly. And predictably.

But the creature proves amazingly resilient. And he returns again, alive and well, in The Creature Walks Among Us.

Another team of scientists. Another attempt to study the creature. Another love triangle. But no Captain Lucas on his boat on the Amazon this time. Seems the creature never left Florida after his last adventure.

During the capture attempt, there is an unfortunate incident involving fire, and when the smoke clears, the creature is transformed by his captors into an air-breathing animal. But he's not happy.

This sequel focuses more on theme and less on action than the previous two. Excruciatingly so. So much so that I dozed off at a couple of points. On a positive note, however, there was much less screaming and fainting. At least during the parts when I was awake. And the final scene is poignant. A fitting end to the last of the creature films.

But now, back to fog-shrouded graveyards and torch-wielding villagers.