Son of Classic Horror Films (50s & 60s)

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

^Ironically, the third film is my favorite out of the trilogy. Nice review.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

"Or a short warm blonde."

Released the following year, and with a lot less going for it than the original. As a kid, I laughed at this when it was an MST3K episode, and as I got older I grasped that some of their targets were actually solid flicks (This Island Earth, House on Haunted Hill).

Sadly, I do not feel that this is one of them.

The film starts off with some recycled footage from the first, alternating between Nestor Paiva's Captain Lucas and stock footage. He traded in his nice first boat for a less impressive one with the Roman numeral II tacked onto a repeating name (not even a funny story to go along with it, unless you read way too deeply into his remark about his wife).

The pair of scientists (John Agar, playing second fiddle to John Bromfield) are there more like glory-hungry big-game hunters. You get a pretty decent scene with them having dinner with Paiva and exchanging theories on the Gill Man still being around despite the rest of the world moving forward in time, but overall I honestly can't say I felt any attachment grow to them from their introductions.

From there, the inexplicable happens: Bromfield gets into a diving suit. The heavy, ludicrous-as-shit kind. Given that these two want to catch a creature that's highly mobile in the water and has some vicious claws and has killed several people, it's mind-boggling that anybody would willingly get into something that restricts sight and movement (and oxygen, because of that damn hose) when wading into hostile territory. Maybe the filmmakers just wanted to blow a load of cash on something flashy?

Well, the obvious happens and Bromfield has his ass handed to him by the Gill Man, barely escaping alive. In retaliation (read: second attempt to capture their quarry), the scientists literally go dynamite fishing (I guess Paiva ran out of bags of flour to pass off as a native drug for catching fish in still waters, and the scientists aren't cunning enough to rig up a spray system).

Operation Bomber Man works, putting the Creature into a coma long enough that he can both be transported and his Sleeping Beauty mug shot can be sent 'round the world. It bothers me on a level that his capture was not merely easy, but also that, rather than confine him strictly to observation and scientific study (at least first), Ocean Harbor puts him in the spotlight like goddamn Shamu (which backfires badly, twice, resulting in serious injury and/or death each time). Seriously, they don't put much thought into his food source until he's chained up in an aquarium.

The training scenes I can kind of understand, testing his intelligence and all, but that comes off as both unnecessary and awkward. We already know the Gill Man is dangerously clever, so the whole thing comes off as the Ocean Harbor institute (god, that groan-worthy name!) trying to train another "educated porpoise" rather than studying the greatest paleo-biological find in history.

The acting is a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it isn't terrible (most of the time), but on the other, it's so heavily focused on playing The Dating Game between Bromfield and Lori Nelson's Helen Dobson that it made me want to see more people being brutally slain. Seriously, anything except another bad pickup line. The scene where they take a random swim after the Gill Man escapes is especially agonizing in how it just drags on when it's already clearly a needless expenditure of film reel (it apes the material from the first film so bad it hurts).

To the title character himself: he is far from what we saw the year before. His costume is clearly different (you can actually see this in-film, because they have a standee of the 1's costume at the Sea World Wannabe Institute), and that takes away a lot (his appearance should not change, it's the exact same Creature, he isn't evolving that goddamn fast). His MO is also different: he apparently eats birds, because of that brief scene towards the beginning (I guess they felt the need to show off the monster, because REVENGE AND SHIT, but this creates a dietary issue because he is eating fish later and not birds; I guess the audience is supposed to forget this or something).

Continuing on with his MO change, instead of wrecking shit when fighting in a small area, he apparently leaves it totally intact and just quietly abducts his sparring partner. Namely, the fight with the dog. I use the word "fight" very liberally, because holy shit, that motel room doesn't have a drop of water on the carpet that isn't Nelson's, and nothing is out of place. And despite a human woman's scream clearly being heard, Nelson has no idea where her dog went and isn't panicked at all, but that's okay, because the Gill Man is clearly the father of Micheal Myers and is able to slip both himself and the dog out of the room without making a mess and then hiding both in the bushes like a stalker waiting for their favorite celebrity to pop out.

I guess this amazing restraint of the Creature's was learned right after he flipped a car without much trouble? To be fair to the Gill Man, cars in the 1950s were much, much lighter than today, being made of metal, possessing long-stroke engines, and far fewer CD players.

In the film's defense, I kind of like the Lobster Shack scene. I mean, come on, Jerry Lewis is playing the drums! How can you say no to that? (Seriously, though, the drummer's face when Gill Man walks in is fucking hysterical).

But then reality sets in and the monster/human romantic competition returns in full force. It felt like the filmmakers couldn't get enough of the Gill Man quietly sneaking up to mangle people, so they just concocted some scenarios and let 'er rip. It did amuse me as a child (and kind of still does as an adult) to see that one dude get hurled into the tree.

At this point I'm really eager for the film to just end. Any possibility of enjoyment has long since fled, and I just want to see THE END pop up. The final showdown is far from exciting, and it frankly felt like salt in the wound when they reused the same clip of the Gill Man sinking into his watery grave as the last time. The exact. Same. Footage.

Overall, this film felt like an excuse to cash in on the success of the first flick without paying heed to any of its lessons. The film "does a thing" and that's about it. I'd argue it tries to be a competitor for an actual oceanic tourist trap more than a dominator of the Silver Screen.

Creature and Revenge were both directed by Jack Arnold, and William Alland came up with Creature's idea and the Revenge's story, but the lack of Maurice Zimm, Harry Essex and Arthur Ross show that Alland and Martin Berkeley (screenplay credit for Revenge) can't shoulder the burden of telling a good tale.

To be clear, I don't hate this film (I actually kind of want to find and watch the old MST3K episode of it), I am just very disappointed in it.

On to the third one now, and I hope it does more for me than Revenge.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

...On to the third one now, and I hope it does more for me than Revenge.

If you don't like #3, Jeff will chain you to his pool and make you do constant laps until you evolve.

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

If you don't like #3, Jeff will chain you to his pool and make you do constant laps until you evolve.

LOL nah. I know I'm pretty much the only person in the world who likes 3 the best. The pathos of the creature spoke volumes to me.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

I'll give it a fair shot (I don't know if it's ever been lampooned, I only ever saw it once and that was both years ago and the plain version). I doubt it can be as much of a bizarre letdown as Revenge.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

When I was a kid, I thought the design of the Creature in the third movie was actually kind of scary. I like the movie. It was different but not n a way that derailed it from the franchise.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

^Yeah, they really tried to do their own thing. Repetition of the original wouldn't have been very interesting.

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

Man, now I'm starting to sweat that he *hasn't* seen it yet.

I'm on pins and needles waiting for his review.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

Man, now I'm starting to sweat that he *hasn't* seen it yet.

I'm on pins and needles waiting for his review.

The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)

"I'm only afraid of misusing what I do know."

That right there, to me, acts as a perfect display of the studio acknowledging that it bungled the previous outing and is taking responsibility for it.

And boy do they!

The first film was an excellent combination of the post-World War II emergence of science-themed films and the escapist monster horror of the 1930s and '40s, and Walks follows its lessons very well.

The film starts off with Jeff and Suzie --- correction, Jeff Morrow and Leigh Snowden, playing Dr. William Barton and Marcia Barton, respectively --- cruising at high speed. The momentary close-up of them felt to me a little uncomfortable, especially how Morrow gives Snowden this displeased look, but we quickly learn why Snowden's Marcia is not just driving fast but is driven: she's a go-getter, with a passion for hunting and a streak of independence. Hell, it even makes sense why she has this, because Morrow's William controls her like a trophy wife, more than just being a husband protecting his spouse.

I have to say that REX REASON showing up in the opening credits made me laugh. That name just gets to me, and I swear I've never heard of him until now. Anyway, REX REASON playing Dr. Thomas Morgan was just superb casting (great voice, easily the Morgan Freeman of his time), and he really had some of the best writing from a social-philosophical standpoint. Not to accuse Arthur Ross (writing, screenplay) of playing favorites, but one could seriously argue the character of Morgan was created as deeply as possible and that everyone else was writing afterwards as counterpoints and extensions, like he's the hub of a wheel, almost.

The other two scientists, Borg (Maurice Manson) and Johnson (James Rawley) were also competently scripted and acted, nothing that truly stands out in comparison but they do a solid job as a well-handled supporting cast. I have to say: Rawley looks like he could pretend to be a paint store salesman or a hot dog cart vendor and he'd fit right in; and Manson looks like he moonlights as Alfred Hitchcock and was the direct name-inspiration for a certain Star Trek faction.

Rounding out the human cast is Gregg Palmer as Jed Grant (gah, such a crass name, nothing like REX REASON). He's the muscle Morrow hires to keep Snowden safe, but starts to assert himself onto her (bad idea, pal, she knows her way around guns). Palmer actually has an oddly fascinating role, when you think about it: he has a specific job, makes the mistake of failing it more than once and is punished each time (Snowden nearly drowning, Palmer being smashed aside by the Gill Man when attempting to force himself onto Snowden), but he changes, withdraws and makes no further errors, and then is punished to the worst degree for actually doing what he is expected to do.

On that note, Morrow. His character starts off passionate about his mission, intelligent and focused. Over the course of the film he becomes argumentative, insisting on his interpretation of events and paranoid. His demands of Snowden become darker and stronger, his thirst for success and prestige causing him to actually damage his own critical relationship with his wife. He sees threats where little or none exist, and it is this paranoia that causes him to not only exile Palmer, but outright murder him at the drop of a hat. In review, Morrow's William Barton probably goes through nearly as much of a transformation as the title character, and with just as much of the ability to draw the viewer in (hell, you might even argue Morrow is the title character!).

And then we come to the legend himself, the Gill Man. Ricou Browning once more shows his aquatic grace for the underwater, and for a short bit I was worried that the suit was that bad imposter design from Revenge, because the initial shots didn't make a proper reveal. Lo and behold, the suit is more like the original, and the tactics used to initially combat the scientists aboard the rowboat were very much like a predator that thinks along human lines, taking out the spotlight. I was actually surprised to see how he gets his grievous injuries (he picks up the gas can, accidentally dumping it on himself, and it made me wonder just how carefully that was planned, and then gets torched by REX REASON).

I gotta say, chills of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man were running through my mind as they operated and eventually unmasked the Gill Man. The film uses scientific knowledge to keep running the idea of a missing link physiology for the Gill Man, hence why he has lungs and skin beneath his scaly exterior, and for the most part it works pretty well (suspension of disbelief; after all, it's already a monster film). I suspect the audience is meant to theorize that, as the Creature was essentially "locked out of the evolutionary timeline" by being in the Black Lagoon, time has now begun to catch up to and change it, as it is now a part of the modern world.

The scene where he nearly drowns is powerful: the film is making it clear that it really is moving on in a new direction, no more Black Lagoon shenanigans.

The scenes were the reborn Gill Man are standing around seem a mixture of shocking and boring at first, until it sinks in that he probably exhibited the same kind of attitude in the Amazon: he didn't rampage constantly, just moved about as any animal would in its natural environment. Being that his life and body have now irrevocably changed, he's adapting to a whole new world, and his shifting behavior feeds into the subplot of nature-vs-nurture that Morrow and REX REASON engage in. This is strongly shown in how he defends the sheep from the cougar (a damn well-done scene, gave me shivers the whole time).

And then it happens: the murder. With Morrow killing Palmer, the Gill Man sees a threat to his environment and himself, and just like with the cougar, acts. The destruction he wreaks upon the mansion is phenomenal, a dialed-up version of what he did to the tent in the original Creature film. The hunt he engages in may as well be a classic slasher flick, it hits all the right notes.

The ending was poignant and powerful, a callback to the drowning scene while at the same time being mindful not to repeat those of the previous entries. This time we are saying goodbye, both to the cast of human characters that has come to realize just what they've gone through, and to the Gill Man, whose life has been changed so much and yet who will always be what we first saw in the Black Lagoon.

Overall, the film has a few small flaws (the broken English by Morteno, an otherwise very good character, was a little grating), but is ultimately a stellar example of holding to the values and accomplishments of what came before while treading a new path.

I kind of want to watch The Monster Squad again now, that version of the Gill Man was fucking awesome.

Anyway, very highly recommend.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

That's a great review! Very well written and thought out. Also glad you enjoyed TCWAU. It doesn't get the recognition it deserves that the first two get.

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)

"I'm only afraid of misusing what I do know."

That right there, to me, acts as a perfect display of the studio acknowledging that it bungled the previous outing and is taking responsibility for it.

And boy do they!

The first film was an excellent combination of the post-World War II emergence of science-themed films and the escapist monster horror of the 1930s and '40s, and Walks follows its lessons very well.

The film starts off with Jeff and Suzie --- correction, Jeff Morrow and Leigh Snowden, playing Dr. William Barton and Marcia Barton, respectively --- cruising at high speed. The momentary close-up of them felt to me a little uncomfortable, especially how Morrow gives Snowden this displeased look, but we quickly learn why Snowden's Marcia is not just driving fast but is driven: she's a go-getter, with a passion for hunting and a streak of independence. Hell, it even makes sense why she has this, because Morrow's William controls her like a trophy wife, more than just being a husband protecting his spouse.

I have to say that REX REASON showing up in the opening credits made me laugh. That name just gets to me, and I swear I've never heard of him until now. Anyway, REX REASON playing Dr. Thomas Morgan was just superb casting (great voice, easily the Morgan Freeman of his time), and he really had some of the best writing from a social-philosophical standpoint. Not to accuse Arthur Ross (writing, screenplay) of playing favorites, but one could seriously argue the character of Morgan was created as deeply as possible and that everyone else was writing afterwards as counterpoints and extensions, like he's the hub of a wheel, almost.

The other two scientists, Borg (Maurice Manson) and Johnson (James Rawley) were also competently scripted and acted, nothing that truly stands out in comparison but they do a solid job as a well-handled supporting cast. I have to say: Rawley looks like he could pretend to be a paint store salesman or a hot dog cart vendor and he'd fit right in; and Manson looks like he moonlights as Alfred Hitchcock and was the direct name-inspiration for a certain Star Trek faction.

Rounding out the human cast is Gregg Palmer as Jed Grant (gah, such a crass name, nothing like REX REASON). He's the muscle Morrow hires to keep Snowden safe, but starts to assert himself onto her (bad idea, pal, she knows her way around guns). Palmer actually has an oddly fascinating role, when you think about it: he has a specific job, makes the mistake of failing it more than once and is punished each time (Snowden nearly drowning, Palmer being smashed aside by the Gill Man when attempting to force himself onto Snowden), but he changes, withdraws and makes no further errors, and then is punished to the worst degree for actually doing what he is expected to do.

On that note, Morrow. His character starts off passionate about his mission, intelligent and focused. Over the course of the film he becomes argumentative, insisting on his interpretation of events and paranoid. His demands of Snowden become darker and stronger, his thirst for success and prestige causing him to actually damage his own critical relationship with his wife. He sees threats where little or none exist, and it is this paranoia that causes him to not only exile Palmer, but outright murder him at the drop of a hat. In review, Morrow's William Barton probably goes through nearly as much of a transformation as the title character, and with just as much of the ability to draw the viewer in (hell, you might even argue Morrow is the title character!).

And then we come to the legend himself, the Gill Man. Ricou Browning once more shows his aquatic grace for the underwater, and for a short bit I was worried that the suit was that bad imposter design from Revenge, because the initial shots didn't make a proper reveal. Lo and behold, the suit is more like the original, and the tactics used to initially combat the scientists aboard the rowboat were very much like a predator that thinks along human lines, taking out the spotlight. I was actually surprised to see how he gets his grievous injuries (he picks up the gas can, accidentally dumping it on himself, and it made me wonder just how carefully that was planned, and then gets torched by REX REASON).

I gotta say, chills of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man were running through my mind as they operated and eventually unmasked the Gill Man. The film uses scientific knowledge to keep running the idea of a missing link physiology for the Gill Man, hence why he has lungs and skin beneath his scaly exterior, and for the most part it works pretty well (suspension of disbelief; after all, it's already a monster film). I suspect the audience is meant to theorize that, as the Creature was essentially "locked out of the evolutionary timeline" by being in the Black Lagoon, time has now begun to catch up to and change it, as it is now a part of the modern world.

The scene where he nearly drowns is powerful: the film is making it clear that it really is moving on in a new direction, no more Black Lagoon shenanigans.

The scenes were the reborn Gill Man are standing around seem a mixture of shocking and boring at first, until it sinks in that he probably exhibited the same kind of attitude in the Amazon: he didn't rampage constantly, just moved about as any animal would in its natural environment. Being that his life and body have now irrevocably changed, he's adapting to a whole new world, and his shifting behavior feeds into the subplot of nature-vs-nurture that Morrow and REX REASON engage in. This is strongly shown in how he defends the sheep from the cougar (a damn well-done scene, gave me shivers the whole time).

And then it happens: the murder. With Morrow killing Palmer, the Gill Man sees a threat to his environment and himself, and just like with the cougar, acts. The destruction he wreaks upon the mansion is phenomenal, a dialed-up version of what he did to the tent in the original Creature film. The hunt he engages in may as well be a classic slasher flick, it hits all the right notes.

The ending was poignant and powerful, a callback to the drowning scene while at the same time being mindful not to repeat those of the previous entries. This time we are saying goodbye, both to the cast of human characters that has come to realize just what they've gone through, and to the Gill Man, whose life has been changed so much and yet who will always be what we first saw in the Black Lagoon.

Overall, the film has a few small flaws (the broken English by Morteno, an otherwise very good character, was a little grating), but is ultimately a stellar example of holding to the values and accomplishments of what came before while treading a new path.

I kind of want to watch The Monster Squad again now, that version of the Gill Man was fucking awesome.

Anyway, very highly recommend.

REX REASON's brother RHODES REASON was also a very good actor.

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

Ill tell you this - in my 42 years of watching movies, the character of Barton is easily one of my top five most vile abominations of man I have seen on the silver screen. I have more sympathy for Hannibal Lecter.

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

Btw, did you the little faux pas near the end when Gilly threw the dude over the bannister? You can see all the wiring of the life size doll they made up as he's being thrown. Kinda sad the studio let that pass, but whatever.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

Btw, did you the little faux pas near the end when Gilly threw the dude over the bannister? You can see all the wiring of the life size doll they made up as he's being thrown. Kinda sad the studio let that pass, but whatever.

Wasn't really bothered by that; in fact, I didn't even notice, I was enjoying the film so much. But those are fairly small things that can and are easily glossed over despite visibility because if the audience is drawn in to the story you are telling, they'll readily forgive technical errors.

It's much like the wires controlling bats or flying saucers: you can see them a lot of the time, even sometimes when they're painted, but you're watching the rest of the film, so you just pay it no mind.

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

Wasn't really bothered by that; in fact, I didn't even notice, I was enjoying the film so much. But those are fairly small things that can and are easily glossed over despite visibility because if the audience is drawn in to the story you are telling, they'll readily forgive technical errors.

It's much like the wires controlling bats or flying saucers: you can see them a lot of the time, even sometimes when they're painted, but you're watching the rest of the film, so you just pay it no mind.

It irritates me because VIRGO but not to the detriment of the whole film. Still love it.