The Creature Walks Among Us

MORD39 RATING: *** out of ****

Why Oh Why do so many fans never let go of an original film and denounce any improvement that might be made? While the original film is a classic of the fifties, I think that was purely because it was the first (a distinct advantage most first films in a series have!)

The second film was only "okay," and was a rehash of the first one. But why I like #3 so much is due to the daring change made to the Creature himself. He looks truly menacing and powerful when he becomes a land being, but more importantly he becomes much more human-like. We get to see how docile he truly is, and how it turns out to be that destructive animal known as Man who really makes him wild.

When the Creature DOES get wild in this one, he's a REAL killing machine! The rampage he goes on in this movie still packs a jolt for me.

THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US has another group of scientists trying to capture the gill man in his storied lagoon. This time, they're led by demented zillionaire, Dr. William Barton (Jeff Morrow) who has big plans for the scaly monster. Among others, Barton has enlisted Dr. Thomas Morgan (Rex Reason) to help in his endeavor. Along for the ride is Barton's beautiful, bored wife, Marcia (Leigh Snowden), who gets her turn at an obligatory "swim scene".

As in the first two films, the humans can't leave well enough alone. After drugging and burning the poor creature, they have to save his life, making an astonishing discovery in the process. Back at Barton's estate -after what feels like a century- the beast must adjust to his new life as a landlubber! An electrified prison is his new "home".

In reality, this installment has more depth than the first two movies. The creature becomes a sympathetic being, a true "fish out of water". Barton, who's neglected wife has been cavorting with Morgan, is driven mad with jealousy and rage. Who is the true "monster"? A great movie with a terrific, totally berserk ending.

P.S.- It's cool to see Morrow and Reason reunited after having starred together in THIS ISLAND EARTH...

The wealthy Dr. William Barton (Jeff Morrow) organizes an expedition to the Florida Everglades with the scientists Dr. Thomas Morgan (Rex Reason), Dr. Borg (Maurice Manson) and Dr. Johnson (James Rawley) to capture the Creature. They navigate in the ship of Capt. Stanley (David McMahon) with Jed Grant (Gregg Palmer) and Dr. Barton's wife Marcia Barton (Leigh Snowden) joins the team. Dr. Barton is paranoid with the jealousy of Marcia and Jed is harassing her in the trip.

They chase and capture the Creature that is totally burnt. Without breathing through the gills, the Creature is turned into an air breather through his hidden lungs and brought to the ranch of Dr. Barton in California. Dr. Morgan defends the thesis that the Creature responds to the way that he is treated and asks people to be not violent with him. But Dr. Barton is near a breakdown with his jealousy of Marcia.

"The Creature Walks Among Us" is a pleasant B-movie of the 50's and the conclusion of the Black Lagoon trilogy. This is a film that belongs to my childhood and today I have just seen it again. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Caça do Monstro" ("The Hunting of the Monster")

Like a few other posters, I consider THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US the best in the Gill Man series. Granted that's not saying a whole lot because I never cared for the Creature films anyway. The concept of an amphibious monster lurking underwater was just way too limited and never really held my interest. Still, in CREATURE WALKS AMONG US he becomes a much more intriguing character due to the plight his human costars impose on him, and Don Megowen's (uncredited) performance as the Creature is very good. Like Christopher Lee in Hammer's THE MUMMY he manages to convey emotion without the benefit of dialog or even facial expressions. And his final rampage through the house is terrific for such a low budget film. There's a real sense of brute power as he smashes everything in his path in his attempt to reach his human tormentor. And like almost everyone else, I find the ending surprisingly poignant.

After seeming to have been killed at the end of each prior installment (with no explanation in this or the prior sequel how he survived), the Gill Man is now residing in the Everglades of Florida. Wealthy scientist Jeff Morrow has gathered a team of medical and scientific types to help him catch the Gill Man and study him. The creature is caught, but seriously burned in the process. Rushing him back to the boat, they wrap him up in bandages, and try to save his life. As he recuperates, his gills fall off, and a humanistic skin if found underneath. Okay, a little far fetched, but, the Gill Man is in between man and fish, so this plotline works. What got me was that the new human Gill Man is gigantic and lumbering in size, where the original was trim and athletic. That never made sense to me. Don Megowan (the new Gill Man) was a big fellow, and his size made him more menacing, but, I have always had a problem with that size and weight difference.

Again, we're treated to some excellent underwater photography. And, the action is on par. Jeff Morrow is nicely evil, and Rex Reason is ruggedly masculine as the hero. Leigh Snowden as Morrow's wife, lends the added touch of beauty to the story, and Greg Palmer's rather slimey character is played perfectly.

Almost any movie could have been improved upon (well maybe not an Orson Welles or Frank Capra film), and yes, there could have been some changes that would have made this better, but, I still like today as I did in 1956 when I first saw it. It's a proud member of my classic library. For most, this would be a fair at best movie, but, you gotta give 'em credit for trying to be original with the Gill Man, and not just rehashing parts one and two. Also, the team of Morrow and Reason always made for good viewing.