ep350: Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Our JUNEiversal Monsters series appropriately concludes with a discussion of the last of the original classic Universal Monsters, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)! The timeless story of a lonely humanoid Devonian who is forced to fight back against a group of home invaders who harass and persecute him simply because he’s different. Nathan, Eric, and Dan dive into the film to discuss why the Gill-man stands out as the best-designed monster and how the film elegantly conveys so much about the creature through the physical performances of Ben Chapman and Ricou Browning. We also talk about the gorgeous underwater photography, why bodies of water are so frightening, the environmental message at the heart of the film, the portrayal of women in 50s sci-fi, Gill-man’s sweet cavernous bachelor pad, and speculate on the love life of this poor creature who is clearly just looking for companionship in a small pond like the Black Lagoon. So destroy your speargun, put away the rotenone, and next time you see a Gill-man approaching with arms outstretched, don’t be afraid. Instead, reach out and give him a big ol’ hug because what he really needs is a little love and understanding. Much like how you need to understand our love for the Gill-man by listening to our review of Jack Arnold’s CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON! If you enjoy this episode, come join the Video Monsters crew on Discord (https://discord.gg/sjyUQg8phB)!! Hangout episodes are live (and unedited!) every Tuesday night starting around 9:00pm EST. Listen and chat along with us in the Discord chat and we’ll even give you a shoutout on the episode! Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons