‘What Could Have Been’ is a continuing look into the reels of film history, analysing movies that could have been something special, but due to problems with script, production, budget, or any other type of issue, did not reach its full potential.
Dr. William Barton: “What are you shooting at, you fool? I want him alive!”
The third and final movie in The Creature from the Black Lagoon franchise, The Creature Walks Among Us (1956) was released just a year after the sequel and two after the original – clearly aiming to capitalize on the popularity of their horror creation. . . but sadly, it is better known as the last classic monster movie filmed by Universal.
Directed by longtime assistant director John Sherwood (for the first time in the head chair thanks to some good words from Jack Arnold who directed the previous two), the story this time straddles the line between the original feature and a nature versus nurture premise that makes for a very different monster movie.
Basically picking up after the last film, the obsessive, paranoid and utterly controlling Dr. William Barton (Jeff Morrow) leads his apathetic wife Marcia (Leigh Snowden), as well as guide Jed Grant (Gregg Palmer) and fellow brains Dr. Thomas Morgan (Rex Reason), Dr. Borg (Maurice Manson), and Dr. Johnson (James Rawley) on a quest into the Everglades – the last place The Creature has been spotted since disappearing.
With William spending just as much time domineering (and possibly abusing) his wife as worrying about the actual monster in the area, Jed tries to put the moves on the distressed woman. . . though she is in too much fear to pursue the flirting. Soon, they track down the beast. . . and for trying to capture it without actually hurting it, they do a pretty piss poor job – setting it on fire.
Feeding the fancy of Dr. Barton, after stabilizing The Creature they soon learn that its scales have been burnt off and are slowly genetically mutating into a slightly more ‘human’ half mammal/half amphibian skin. . . making some of the other medical minds wonder if he can be rehabilitated with a more caring nurture like approach rather than the violence they initially used. An exciting new discovery, will the towering Creature ever regain its strength and stability again? If so, can their new approach help it become more calm and peaceful? Or, might Dr. Barton’s wild temper interfere in the scientific experiment?
Adding an intriguing new angle to the horror franchise, they actually dress The Creature up as they are trying to make him more human. Bringing the above mentioned question of nature versus nurture into the mix, though the subject is examined to a certain extent, it never delves into the depths it needs to in its one hour and eighteen minute runtime, merely scratching the surface of things that could have been.
Also featuring those monster moments of scary horror attacks, when things do go wrong, they really go wrong, but they’re all too sporadic, with the climax feeling like a small prelude leading to the real conclusion that sadly never comes. What one might call anticlimactic, it was clearly setting up for a sequel than never got made, instead feeling like they simply ran out of budget (after all, this was the first of The Creature movies not to be shot in 3D).
The love triangle of sorts is also rather captivating, as none of it was as subtle as things often were in the 1950s, painting Morrow’s Dr. Barton in a very negative light, while Snowden’s Marcia is the attracting entrapped damsel in much distress. . . though Palmer’s Jed seems more interested in pursing her for some hanky panky than truly rescuing her. Also, instead of Dr. Barton trying a different angle that might make him a bit more affable, he instead continues to stew – getting more like the real monster the longer the adventure goes.
It is also worth noting the famed artist Reynold Brown once again, as he was in charge of creating the impressive artwork that helped sell this movie to the public. . . his colourful horror designs used on the movie posters still wowing people today. See an original US one sheet to your right.
Though still having some majestic underwater moments as well as quality glimpses of nice cinematic black and white cinematography, The Creature Walks Among Us never reaches the heights of the original or its decent sequel. Though it was still financially successful at the box office, the new Atomic Age supplanted the gothic horror themes of yesteryear, bringing a different type of Cold War/Space Age inspired horror into the fold. Nonetheless, explore this final classic Universal monster movie celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. . . and help it swim once again.