Arts And Entertainment

A New entry in the Universal Studios monster canon, "Creature from the Negroid Lagoon" appeared during the example 3D flick craze, and it's cushy to imagine how the flick must hit looked in that format, with the Creature's palmate claws forever achievement discover toward the audience as if they, too, were members of the sure technological campaign that incurs his diluted wrath. Although not as intellectual as primeval films same "Dracula" (1931) and "Frankenstein" (1931), "Creature from the Negroid Lagoon" is still a rattling entertaining example of dweller horror in the 1950s, which liberally integrated Atomic Age science with its monsters and flick magic.

The story follows a assemble of scientists who movement into the inner reaches of the Amazon River after digit of them discovers a fantastic fossil nearby the area. The members of the campaign allow the example finder, Carl Maia (Antonio Moreno), the ambitious boss, Mark Williams (Richard Denning), the courageous hero, king (Richard Carlson), and his attractive girlfriend, Kay (Julia Adams), along with several others. In an effort to locate the rest of the fossil the assemble journeys into a mysterious lagoon, but they encounter themselves in terrible danger when they invoke the ire of the fossil's living duplicate, a water-breathing robot creature who has designs on taking Kay for his mate.

The monster here is digit of Universal's least manlike terrors, more consanguine to King Kong and Godzilla than to the painful outsiders played by Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney, Jr. The flick reveals its grapheme attraction slowly, and the scenes in which we exclusive wager his hands are belike the most trenchant moments as farther as horror is concerned. His movement in the liquid is also handled well; he swims with a zigzag change that gives the notion of a predator, same a shark or a barracuda. On land, however, he loses some of his menace, and he does seem to spend farther likewise such of the flick discover of his natural element. Two assorted actors played the Creature, digit for realty and added for water, which makes it modify more engrossing to consider the differences in the Creature's overall gist in those digit environments.

Of the manlike beings, Julia President makes the best impression. Although she spends such of the flick parading around in deficient outfits same mere Creature bait, the story at least justifies her proximity by making her a full member of the investigate team, and added scientist modify validates her contributions in her field. She is never asked to make drink for the men, different the heroine of "Attack of the Giant Leeches" (1959), and she has an engaging, spirited personality in addition to a nice unify of legs and a well-developed figure. The men are more wooden, and the alpha male struggle between Mark and king could use development, particularly as it relates to their mutual desired for Kay. As Lucas, the colorful officer of the campaign boat, counsellor Paiva occasionally threatens to move the full movie, and it strength hit been a beatific idea to give him more to do just to liven things up. The present Whit Bissell has a diminutive persona as Dr. Thompson, an ill-fated member of the investigate team.

If you enjoy the science-infused horror films of the 1950s, try "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951), "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" (1953), "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956), and, of course, the primeval Godzilla pictures from Japan, starting with "Gojira" (1954). The cult classic, "Attack of the Giant Leeches" (1959), makes for a tasteless ordinal instruction in an aquatic double feature. Jack Arnold, who helmed "Creature from the Negroid Lagoon," also directed "It Came from Outer Space" (1953), "Revenge of the Creature" (1955), and "The Incredible Shrinking Man" (1957).

The National Classic Movies Examiner posts new content regularly. Subscribe to this column by clicking the "subscribe" fix at the crowning of this article and get automatic updates when new articles appear.

• Sexy artist vampires: Dracula (1931)
• Classic films in focus: Frankenstein (1931)
• Classic films in focus: The Wolf Man (1941)
• Classic films in focus: White Zombie (1932)
• Classic films in focus: The Mummy (1932)