Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

"We didn't come here to fight monsters, we're not equipped for it.", 12 February 2008

A group of scientists heads up an Amazonian river in search of the fossilized remains of an unknown link between man and aquatic life. But the team of researchers gets more than they bargained for when they encounter a living example of their prehistoric Gill-Man. After a member of their party is killed, the group decides it best to leave the Black Lagoon. But the creature has become enamored with Kay (Julie Addams), the only female on the expedition, and blocks the scientist's retreat. Will they escape the Creature from the Black Lagoon?

As I think back to the late 60s, Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of the very first movies I can remember seeing. Its appeal to me was immediate and long lasting. The scenes of the creature's hand reaching up on the shore of the lagoon sent chills down my spine. And the four note musical introduction to the first images of the creature very nearly knocked me off the couch. Even at a young age, I knew it was a man in a costume, but that didn't matter. The creature design was awesome – it was frightening and fascinating all at once. The underwater photography was breathtaking. The shots of the creature swimming just under Julie Addams were the stuff of nightmares. Creepy! The underwater fight scenes, the spear-gun, Nestor Paiva, and the hidden grotto – I couldn't get enough of it. To my 5 or 6 year-old mind, Creature from the Black Lagoon was the perfect movie.

I'm not 5 anymore, but my opinion hasn't changed much. The cool thing is that I still get a charge out of that hand coming out of the water, I still jump a little when the creature music blares at his first appearance, and I still love the shots of the creature swimming under Julie Addams. I don't think I'll ever get tired of any of it.

10/10