The Woman and the Monster (1954), also known as Creature from the Black Lagoon, has been a revolutionary and a classic flick for horror and Sci-fi lovers since time stamped. Directed by Jack Arnold, the film completes 70 years since its release yet it’s still regarded as an influential work that has inspired filmmakers for years to come.
The storyline depicts geologists on the Amazon expedition where they find a fossil of a hand which is an intermediate between the land and the sea. However, unbeknownst to them, the creature once inhabited in the depths of the water resides there still and is willing to fight for its territory. The film combines elements of mystery, science fiction, and horror as it presents to the audience an extremely powerful, emotionally complex story about an amphibious creature, beautifully executed in terms of overall performance and visuals, particularly, Julie Adams, as the female protagonist.
This film has had its impact long after its release especially motivating filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro who reinstated it as a source of reference for The Shape of Water. Some remaking attempts were inmade, years later by John Carpenter or James Gunn but nothing materialized. Its legacy can partly be attributed to the persevering existence of the beast and the longing sentimentality yet the tragedy of the interrelationships of the beast and the human.
With the film’s intriguing plot still appealing to its audience, its costumes, the setting of the film, and even its photography are some of the other charms of the aesthetics of the film. This can be said of The Woman and the Monster which is often referred to as a masterpiece because it revolutionizes the way stories are told in later ranging of genre films. You can watch it now on SkyShowtime or Filmin.