Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) on Netflix
Approved19541h 19mAdventureHorrorSci-Fi
A webbed fossil hand found in the Amazon draws Dr. Carl Maia back to the river with his former student, David Reed. They sail the steamer Rita toward the Black Lagoon.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb6.9/1038,872 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes79%
Trailer
Plot summary
A geology expedition in the Amazon uncovers a fossilized webbed hand from the Devonian period, evidence linking land and sea animals. Its leader, Dr. Carl Maia, travels to the marine biology institute, where he reunites with his friend and former student, David Reed, who persuades his employer, Dr. Mark Williams, to finance a second trip to look for the rest of the skeleton. The party includes Kay Lawrence, David's girlfriend and colleague, and Dr. Edwin Thompson, and it sets out on the Rita, the steamer that Lucas captains. A further dig where the fossil was found turns up nothing, so David argues the missing bones were washed downriver. Carl says the tributary drains into a lagoon, and Lucas warns that no one who goes there comes back. The party decides to head for the Black Lagoon.
Cast
- Henry A. Escalanteas Chico (as Henry Escalante)
- Sydney Masonas Dr. Matos (uncredited)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Producer William Alland was at a 1941 dinner party during the filming of Citizen Kane, in which he played the reporter Thompson, when Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa told him the mythical stories of the Yacuruna, a race of half-fish, half-human creatures said to live in the Amazon River.
- Milicent Patrick, formerly an animator for Disney, was the primary designer of the head and face of the Gill-man costume, but make-up artist Bud Westmore downplayed her importance and for half a century received sole credit for the creature's conception.
- Guillermo del Toro, a fan of the original, was attached in August 2002 to direct a remake told more from the Creature's viewpoint, with a successful romantic liaison for him; Universal rejected the concept, and del Toro turned the idea into his 2017 film The Shape of Water.
- Ricou Browning played the Gill-man in the underwater shots, filmed at Wakulla Springs, Florida, and held his breath for up to four minutes at a time; he later explained that swimming fast or fighting uses up a lot of oxygen and cuts that to two minutes at most.
- Ben Chapman, who portrayed the Gill-man for the majority of the scenes shot at Universal City, California, could not sit down in the costume during the 14 hours of each day he wore it, and the suit overheated so easily that he often stayed in the studio's back-lot lake asking to be hosed down.
- A real fossil species, Eucritta melanolimnetes, is named after the film; its scientific name translates as "true creature" plus "from the black lagoon".
