210. 31 Days of Halloween '25: CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) dir. Jack Arnold

Today, we're wrapping up the Universal Monsters with CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON! The Monsterverse jumps into the Atomic Age of the '50s as a group of scientists/archeologists venture on a fossil-finding expedition in the Amazon. What are they looking for? An evolutionary missing link between animals of the sea and land, teased by a webbed long-fingered claw found in a cliff face.But this undisturbed lagoon holds on to its ecological history much longer than expected. The Gill-Man breathes the past into modern day, a survivor of history. And he's not too pleased with a bunch of whites fucking with his home.I love this movie. We're no longer chained to the folklore of yore but rather using their examples to look forward to the promise of the future, the what-ifs of space travel and colonization. By examining the Gill-men and other sea creatures (about which we know woefully little), we can potentially grab clues as to how to adapt ourselves to strange new worlds. But lest we forget, all discovery comes with responsibility. It's only new to us. It's old hat to the Gill-man. Be a good guest.---Follow The Movies on Instagram & LetterboxdThrow a couple dollars in the tip jar!