And this week's Friday night movie has been....The Creature From the Black Lagoon!
My first encounter with The Creature of the Black Lagoon happened during my pre-teen years. I would go to my local arcade parlour and see, among others, a pinball game dedicated to it. I didn't play it but I do recall being put off by the artwork: There was something seeing a monster carrying a (potentially comatose) blonde in a white one-piece that unsettled me. Of course that doesn't sound ridiculous in a post-MeToo world - and it should be noted that the game was more to do with seeing the movie in a drive-in theater than the actual movie itself - but in a roundabout way, my curiosity was piqued.
Further interest was generated with the movie being the inspiration for the Shape of Water (the movie not the book).
That being said, this is a 1950's monster movie through and through. So there's lot's of screaming, rubber monster costume, loud dramatic music and damsel-in-distress-ness. Still, the real highlights for me are the use of suspense, the gradual build up before the reveal of the creature and the underwater footage/movement. And the monster itself still looks impressive. And, in some instances, scary.
Looks like this movie still has merit sixty-odd years later
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