Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

[crabapple]

A few years back I "rediscovered" the Creature from the Black Lagoon films. I had forgotten how much fun they were and even the one I liked the least, the third film (The Creature Walks Among Us), I began to like. Now I think all three films are pretty good. And the creature suits created for the films stand up incredibly well today, even with all the tremendous advances we've seen in creature effects. It's just a great monster design, and beautifully realized.

[newb]

Was always one of my favorite "Universal Monster".
I even have the model

http://wesclark.com/am/creature.jpg

[alkytrio666]

Yeah, it was a fun franchise, and it really stood out from the rest of the horror/sci-fi that was being released throughout the decade. It did a damnably great job at being atmospherically frightening, and The Creature was horrifying.

[Mictlantechutli]

Fantastic films, excellent mood, music, lighting and underwater cinematography... and the swim suits! So hot! I'm shocked they haven't yet remade this franchise - although I've heard Universal has tried several times to get this one off the ground.

I was fascinated by the creature design and had the rubber mask as a kid. Used to scare the shit out of my mom with it on a regular basis.:D

[phantomstranger]

A great film series. True classics

[Geddy]

I got the legacy set,I like them all alot to,I heard they're remaking it,I hope not.

[ManchestrMorgue]

This is a truly great film, and the sequels are also very enjoyable. There is a very upbeat and positive feel to this film (I wonder if this is not due to the positive post-war atmosphere in the USA at the time, as opposed to the more gloomy atmosphere of many of the horror films of the late 30's and 40's)

[madlove]

Ah, the great Whit Bissell.:) PS, nice model newb

[crabapple]

If you ever have a chance to see this in 3D, run right out and see it, it is really beautiful. I wish they screened this in 3D every week, or once a year, or something a little more often than never. And even flat, it looks great (the 2D and 3D versions were actually separate takes, photographed with different cameras, so in essence there are 2 different versions of this film! But I haven't seen the 3D version in so long, I couldn't say what subtle differences there are between the two).

[ManchestrMorgue]

I would love to see this in 3D - a DVD release would be brilliant.

It is amazing the amount of effort put into some of these films - eg 2 different takes for 2D vs 3D, and 2 different takes of Doctor X (2 strip technicolor vs black and white). Knowing such bits of trivia makes me appreciate these films (and their makers) even more.

[Doc Faustus]

Jack Arnold is an institution. The last few years have made Creature, Incredible Shrinking Man and Tarantula all available and I appreciate these movies even more than I did as a kid. Not only the suit is incredible, but the story as well. This is one of the movies that made Saturday Matinee monster films possible. Contrary to a lot of opinions, fifties drive-in horror had a lot going on intellectually and ethically. In fact, Jack Arnold's movies said things that mainstream cinema wouldn't dare.

[ManchestrMorgue]

A quick question on this film - the Universal DVD is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. However IMDB lists the aspect ratio as 1.66:1

Is the 1.33:1 presentation on the DVD an unmatted print, or pan and scan?