Revenge of the Creature (1955)

The Creature From the Black Lagoon was such a smash hit that it was inevitable that the studio was going to produce a sequel; this is Universal Studios, after all, who were the king of the Monster movies.  Interestingly, Revenge of the Creature was a rarity (for the time) in that it went into production before the first movie was released.  This is common practice now a days (where studios often have their movies planned out years in advance) but pretty much unheard of in the 1950s.

Revenge of the Creature maybe the most contrived and awkwardly scripted out of all the Universal Monster movies (which is saying quite a lot). For instance, it’s about the twenty minute mark where the heroine, Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson), makes her first appearance and her first lines are awkwardly scripted exposition about the Gill Man (she is being interviewed by a reporter).  Our (sort of) main character, Professor Clete Ferguson (John Agar), doesn’t first appear until about the fifteen minutes in, has a few lines of a dialogue (he learns the Gill Man has been capture and taken to Marine Land) and then doesn’t reappear until about the half hour mark. That’s a considerable chunk of screen time that is devoted to supporting characters. Indeed, a first time viewer might assume that Joe Hayes (John Bromfield) is the main character because not only does he capture the Gill Man, but also awakens the creature from its coma.  Not to mention, he is romantic linked to Helen Dobson; he waves at her while he’s trying to revive the Gill Man in a water tank.  Then Professor Ferguson enters the picture and Joe Hayes is relegated as a romantic rival to Ferguson before being killed off by the Gill Man.  I can only imagine what John Bromfield’s reaction to the script must have been, “Alright I’m the lead character.  I capture the Gill Man.  I get the girl…..wait, who the hell is Professor Ferguson. Where is my character? He just got KILLED! WHAT?!”

 

Maybe Jack Arnold and company were trying to subvert audiences’ expectations by making them believe Joe Hayes was the main character only for Professor Ferguson to take his place.  I don’t know. It’s an odd decision. It also odd how the movie  abandons  the love triangle that it sets up; Professor Ferguson, after having asked Helen out on a date,  is annoyed that Hayes is trying to cut in on his action, but other than this brief scene the two men enjoy a fairly cordial relationship.

The main problem I have with this substitution of leads is that John Bromfield has much stronger screen presence than John Agar and is far more interesting to watch. His Joe Hayes’ is a fairly arrogant character but also exhibits true bravery and compassion; this is best represented in the scene where he revives the comatose Gill Man. The Gill Man could awaken at any moment and possibly kill him, but he carries on with his job.  In the commentary for Revenge of the Creature, Lori Nelson states that she had a huge crush on John Bromfield, which might explain why there is zero chemistry between John Agar and her.  

The best word to describe John Agar is affable; he comes across as being a man who would be more comfortable running a grocery store than being a movie star. He exudes friendliness (his co-stars have nothing but good things to say about him), but is an extremely rigid leading man.  Though, in fairness to John Agar, the script really doesn’t give him much to do.  While he is kind of stiff, at least Agar is putting forth an actual effort.  If you want to see a truly dreary leading man, check out Hugh Marlowe in Earth vs. the Flying Saucers.  After watching that movie, you will appreciate Agar’s jovial performance. The most surprising aspect of Revenge of the Creature is there is no clash of ideology between Ferguson and Hayes. They are essentially the same: both of them put their moves on Helen moments after meeting her; both of them are extremely opportunistic, and neither of them seems to have any qualms about keeping the Gill Man in captivity.  Joe Hayes is, essentially, the human villain of the piece, but Ferguson doesn’t once object to his method. In fact, Ferguson inflicts far more pain on the Gill Man than Hayes ever does; Ferguson shocks the Gill Man with a cattle prod, with Helen’s assistance, in attempt at conditioning the creature to obey verbal commands.  Ferguson expresses regret at having to use the cattle prod, but he continues with the experiment any ways. 

In The Creature From the Black Lagoon, David and Mark were on opposite ends of ideological spectrum and had distinct ideas about the Gill Man. David genuinely wanted to study the Gill Man and its environment, while Mark  only wanted to exploit the creature for financial gain. There is genuine tension between the two characters and it culminates in a fist fight. When Mark shoots a spear gun in David’s direction, we initially believe his trying to kill David, but it turns out that he fired the shot to scare off the Gill Man. I also find it odd that Hayes is killed off so early; the Gill Mans offs him at the end of the second act. Normally, the human villain would get his just comeuppance in the final reel, but nope, Joe Hayes bites it in a fairly anti-climatic manner. 

The only thing that really distinguishes Ferguson from Hayes (other than physical appears) is that Hayes is much more active character. Ferguson and Helen are extremely passive characters. After the Gill Man has killed Joe Hayes and escaped from Marine Land, what do our heroes do? Do they organize a search party for the Gill Man? Do they mourn the loss of a colleague? NOPE!!!! They go on a romantic getaway.   They go for a carefree swim and then, later that night, out dancing! Have they forgotten the Gill Man is still on the loose? This leads to an extremely contrived third act where the Gill Man is magically able to find Helen.  He just happens to emerge right outside the very motel she is staying at. How? Are they telepathically linked? The movie doesn’t indicate so. Later, he breaks into a night club and abducts Helen, while everyone runs out of frame. How was he able to find her? It’s a good thing, for the Gill Man, that they didn’t stray too far from the ocean while going on their romantic getaway.  These are quite possibly the laziest protagonists in 1950s sci-fi.   It’s only after Helen has been abducted by the Gill Man that Ferguson joins in on a search party. 

This scene occurs AFTER the Gill Man has escaped and Joe Hayes has been killed!
OUR PROTAGONISTS, ladies and gentlemen!!!! 

It’s really hard to evaluate Lori Nelson’s acting, because Helen Dobson is purely an eye candy role.  She looks great in bathing suit!!! The only conflict, and characterization, given to her is whether she should continue being an ichthyologist, or if she should get married and have children. I’m sure most modern viewers will cringe at this scene.  It also doesn’t help that Ferguson seems to chide her for wanting a career.  Normally, I wouldn’t fault a movie for delving into a character development, but these characters are simply not that interesting.  In fact, it genuinely surprised me how much screen time is devoted to the Ferguson/Helen romance when the movie’s main selling point is the Gill Man. The movie really drags in the second act and really doesn’t pick up until Helen has been taken by the Gill Man. 

The Gill Man is, by far, the most interesting character in the entire movie, because it is, essentially, the protagonist of the entire series.  In the first movie, it only kills because its territory has been intruded upon by outsiders.  In the second movie, the Gill Man is taken from his naturally habitat and held in captivity (while tourists gawk at it from an observation window).  The Gill Man doesn’t have a moral compass, so it naturally lashes out at those who have wronged him (or get in his way).  Our human protagonists don’t seem to have any qualms about putting the Gill Man on exhibition, and only really view the creature as a test subject.  If Revenge of the Creature were made now a days there would undoubtedly be a subplot about cloning the Gill Man and using it for military purposes.  There would be some military hotshot barking orders at our scientist heroes, while they would insist upon more time (e.g. Jurassic World).  Thankfully, Revenge of the Creature was made in a simpler time (and on a fairly small budget) hence this potential subplot never sees the light of day.

It is interesting how Revenge of the Creature seems to anticipate the Slasher movies of the 1980s.  It maybe an early example of a movie mixing sex and horror; in one scene the Gill Man stalks Helen outside her motel room and stares  at her while she disrobes to take a shower. This is fairly tame by modern standards but was fairly steamy for the time (Lori Nelson plays most of the scene in her undies).  Revenge of the Creature may also be the first “dead teenager” movie; the Gill Man brutally murders two college frat boys that run to the aid of the unconscious Helen. One of them is thrown against a tree – predating Jason Voorhees smashing a female camper against a tree in Friday the 13^th, Part VII: The New Blood. It’s a fairly violent murder scene for 1955. Though, it is awkwardly stage (you can see the wire pulling the stuntman towards the tree).  Why do I watch these movies?  If you ever feel the urge to watch Revenge of the Creature, here is my advice: Watch the first fifteen minutes and then fast forward through all the dull scenes with Professor Ferguson and Helen – it will make for a more fun and interesting movie. 

My rating (just for this review) ** ½  (out of ****)

Credits
Cast:  John Agar (Professor Clete Ferguson), Lori Nelson (Helen Dobson), John Bromfield (Joe Hayes), Nestor Paiva (Lucas), Grandon Rhodes (Jackson Foster), Dave Willock (Lou Gibson), Robert B. Williams (George Johnson), Charles Cane (Captain of Police ), Ricou Browning (The Gill Man – In Water/Lab Technician), Tom Hennesy (The Gill Man – On Land/ Marine Land Diver), Clint Eastwood (Jennings), Brett Halsey (Pete).
Director: Jack Arnold
Screenplay: Martin Berkeley, William Alland (story).
Running Time: 82 min.