It’s weird to think that the original Universal monster movies were already so old by the time CFTBL was released that it would have seemed “nostalgic” to audiences in the 1950s
There was also a 16 minute tv special 'Abbott and Costello Meet the Creature from the Black Lagoon'. Not sure where it's available to watch but Glenn Strange returns as Frankenstein's Monster and Ben Chapman returns as The Creature so if you can find it maybe give it a watch!
My school showed movies on the weekend, and I saw CFTBL in glorious 3D in the 80's. Movies made for 3D are so much more effective, and this was a great example.
CFTBL is one of the very few films made in 3D that is worth watching in 3D. The studio heads loved things sticking out of the screen - which doesn’t really work as it’s difficult for the two images to match up. The cameraman knew how to shoot in 3D, so the film has real depth which shows off the 3D process. The underwater scenes look fantastic as Universal has just obtained a camera that was designed to work underwater. So if you get the chance to see it in 3D I would urge you to do so.
Creature from the Black Lagoon is my favourite Universal monster movie. I have the 3D Blu ray of it and is fabulous. It was released in the cinema about 5 years ago in 3D, here in Toronto and the theatre was packed. It still looks way better than most of the 3D movies filmed today
You should watch This Island Earth and The Mole People next. 😅 I'd also like to see you talk about both Phantom of the Operas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
What About Murders In The Rue Morgue, Island Of Lost Souls, The Black Cat, Werewolf Of Lodon, The Raven, The Invisible Ray, Tower Of London, The Monster And The Girl, Man-Made Monster, She-Wolf Of London, And The Island Earth? Edit: Maybe Just Start With The Silent Films (Nosferatu, The Hunchback Of Notre-Dame, The Phantom Of The Opera, The Cat And The Canary, The Man Who Laughs, The Last Warning, The Last Performance, And Kinda All Quiet On The Western Front, And Also Maybe The Reconstruction Of London After Midnight)
I'd rank The Creature Walks Among Us in the top 15 Universal Monster Movies, maybe even top 10. That movie is legit goated, it treats it's heavier topics with respect and the dialogue is also amazing. Gill-Man himself is also amazing in this movie.
If you ever get time for more, I recommend you watch the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce "Sherlock Holmes" series of films, which started with 2 A-list prestige films at 20th Century Fox in 1939, and got reprised by Universal for 12 B-list films between 1942 to 1946, produced in the same economy, same backlot, as the Monster films, with many same "stock" actors. They're really fun and exciting
I would 100% want to watch this in 3D in 2024 theaters & with those old 1950's 3D cardboard shades 😎❤ Our local bar actually had that pinball machine back in 90's & its the only reason the owner/bartender allowed me to go in there & play it as a kid because he liked that i was a fan of his favorite movie ❤
You should do An American Werewolf in London and it's sequel next. And I don't mean the 80's movie, I mean the two movies from 30's and 40's. Oh and if you want a good final movie to end your marathon on, check out The Monster Squad even though it's not by Universal.
Sorry for the novel. I have a lot of thoughts on the Gillman. I feel like it's the most underutilized of the Universal Monsters, with nearly if not more potential than the equally under-appreciated Mummy. Especially when it comes to crossovers. I feel like it just needs a few tweaks to be as awesome as I want it to be. Power-wise, it's a pretty lame monster (compared to the other UM) with some strength, armour and underwater breathing. The ocean is a beautiful hellscape of real life horrors. Imagine the Gillman climbs up on someones beach party. Everyone runs away, but then its jaw clicks. Next thing you know it's spitting bullets made of water the same way a pistol shrimp does with its claw except magnified to the size of a human mouth, shredding a couple of beachgoers like those water jets that cut diamonds. Its armour could be as rough as shark skin, giving it an inescapable grip, unless you're willing to lose some skin. Its insides could be liquid, allowing it to collapse and squeeze through tight spaces. Barbs on its palms could inject venom which slowly knocks you out, giving our protagonist a time limit to escape. It's not all that scary. I like the "monsters aren't really the monsters" trope as much as the next kid who grew up on cartoon horror, but I don't feel that it fits the Gillman as well as it does the Wolf Man or Frankenstein (and that's saying a lot since the monster in the book is absolutely a monster after the stuff he pulls). I think the Gillman would work really well in a similar type of horror to the first Alien movie. It would be a really great unknowable horror, similar to something we know but indisputably inhuman. I think calling back to the original movie by having it kidnap a character for a similar reason would be a good idea, but instead of making it more human by having it attracted to that person I would have it be an asexual creature with some horrifying egg laying process. Maybe its chest opens up and it injects its eggs into a living host with its stinger (holding them in place with those shark skin hands) and when the eggs hatch a billion little creatures are born and eat each other before the survivor is strong enough to eat its way out of its host. They could even maintain traits of their hosts like Marvel's Symbiotes, suggesting that their humanoid appearance means they've used a lot of human-like hosts in the past while suggesting the possibility that a Gillman to human evolution similar to the sequel movies could eventually happen. Adding all these powers would make it a much better matchup for the other UM (and possibly give Frankie some power ups if he ever grafted some dead Gillman parts on himself). Its similarity to certain Lovecraft horrors could easily add to its backstory (while maintaining the radiation aspect as something that uncovers it instead of creating it) and maybe suggest that the one we see in the first movie isn't the only one. Imagine a whole bunch of these guys taking down a megalodon by slowly injecting its venom into it until it dies and then they all swarm and rip it apart. Imagine the variations it could have if they went with the "taking traits from hosts" idea. There could be cults that worship them and sacrifice themselves to them as hosts. An army of Gillmen vs an army of Wolf Men. On a beach. Under the full moon. Something I feel sets the Creature from the Black Lagoon apart is that it's a science fiction horror film while the others are based in mysticism, but at the same time the Invisible man has that covered too. If an alternate universe me ever got the chance to make a Gillman movie I'd probably pull the overall feel more from slashers since (if I'm remembering correctly) they followed up radiation based science-horror. Also it would be a good way to show of all those new powers. The Mariana Trench. We all know why this is here. There's no dinosaurs in Loch Ness but how about a tunnel to the centre of the Earth in the trench? Unlikely? Sure. A kickass premise for a second movie which introduces a whole buttload of sea monsters and gives us an opportunity to invoke some Journey to the Centre of the Earth / 1000 Leagues Under the Sea / Disney's Atlantis vibes? Absolutely. That costume is amazing. I hope everyone who worked on it was proud of themselves. 100% the best looking of the UM. For me, first movie's a solid 6/10. Plot and characters could be more interesting but the monster design and underwater effects are the reason to watch. on par with some of the mid-tier Godzillas. The other ones I like less. Around 3-4/10. I did like contrasting the Gillman with an abusing human was good idea, but I saw it more as her being trapped between two equal horrors since I read the Gillman's interest in the women it kidnaps as more sexual than romantic since it doesn't seem to care how they feel about the whole thing.
I’d be willing to pay big bucks if they made a set of blu rays of these old movies colorized along with the B/W versions and of course extras. Be my dream blu ray set man, I’d be willing to pay a few hundred for a set like that.
Just watched your 3 Universal Monsters videos back to back, and I share your appreciation of these movies! I won't blame you about which ones to include or not, this is a cinematic universe with very blurry borders ! The Universal blu-ray boxset is quite comprehensive, but doesn't include all the Abbot & Costello ones. I find quite refreshing how little concern was given to a strict continuity between films, like Frankenstein's laboratory is alternatively rediscovered in castle ruins, or in a cave 😂 ! I like the iconic imagery of The Mummy, but find the sequels quite dull, especially as they start off as a cheap reboot.
When you will be watching other universal horror’s from the 30s’, make sure You’ll watch “The old dark house” It’s one of my personal Favourites, it’s really Fun!
Hello Chase Bridges, I was wondering if you would be interested in appearing on the Undead Parrot Podcast where we talk everything horror. Btw big fan were on our 3rd season
If you want to get threw monsters that appear in pop culture aq LOT you should hit up Jekyll and hyde The Hunchback of Notre Dame Phantom of the opera The Fly The Blob King Kong Godzilla The Thing The Pod People Zombies Japanese and non-Japanese Kaiju and shrinking movies Robby the Robot UFO movies Vincent Price Ed Wood nosferatu The Golem Dorian Gray all the lesser known movies with the big Monster film actors in other rolls Ray Harryhausen more modernly: Jaws Alien Predator Jason Freddie Chucky Leather Face Ghost Face Jigsaw Phil Tippett
Other Universal Horror films that are also worth checking out-The Old Dark House Murders In The Rue Morgue The Raven The Black Cat The Invisible Ray Man Made Monster The Cult of the Cobra The Leech Woman The Thing That Couldn't Die Captive Wild Woman House of Horrors The Mad Ghoul The Spider Woman Spider Woman Strikes Back Tarantula The Deadly Mantis The Land Unknown and Dinosaurus
