Smells Fishy To Me!
The Creature from the Black Lagoon was the last of the Classic Monsters to hit the scene. It was released in 1954 and inspired by an unusual source. According to sources, the film producer, William Alland, was told a Mexican folk tale at a dinner party. In the story, a half fish-half human creature would creep from the Amazon River and claim a maiden from a village and take her back to his aquatic lair. The tale, most likely based on the Amazon legend of the Yacurana, struck a note with Alland and he brought his version of the tale to screen a decade later.
The “Gill Man”, as he has come to be known due to copyright issues, is the youngest of the Universal Classic Horror Monsters but has enjoyed as much infamy as his predecessors. If anything, he has become more cult than any werewolf, vampire or 'undead/reanimated' movement. There is still a massive following for the character and he is still well known in the cultural conscience, but how many cinematic revisions, spin off TV shows, cartoon strips or animated adventures can you think of? Other than the odd cameo, and the character Link in Monsters vs Aliens not many. He’s still underground (…or underwater!)
Perhaps his popularity is because he was born from myth rather than a literary source. It‘s a scarier prospect that he could possibly, perhaps, perchance, potentially, mightbe real - rather than adapted from a book. The cinematographer, Gabriel Figueroa, who told Alland the story, swore he could produce evidence and photographs of the beast he described.
If you're planning an alfresco swim later, just check for Devonian remnants before you dive. It’s the little doubt in the back of your mind……….
