Creature Walks Among Us, The (1956)

The Creature Walks Among Us (1956), directed by John Sherwood.

Lurking in the Everglades this time, the Gill Man is harassed by a rich doctor, his psychotic wife and their lunkheaded "scientist" associates. After suffering severe burns, he is stripped of his outer hide and backup lungs are connected. He mopes as a land dweller for a while. When they try to frame him for a murder, he breaks out, gets revenge, and decides to end the series.

On the one hand, it's lower budget and less of a story, leisurely paced, or some might say "padded". On the other, we have beautiful underwater shots, some nice pictures of the Everglades, and a pretty good hunt-and-be-hunted sequence in a boat in the dark. The transformation of the flesh borders on Cronenberg country, but the land creature is mostly just pathetic.

More of a jealously plot this time, and some sexual banter. The creature's land costume makes him look like a plantation zombie. That is so racially suggestive it is barely metaphorical.

Jeff Morrow and Rex Reason return from This Island Earth (1955).

This and Revenge of the Creature (1955) were planned even before Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) began shooting. Neither are as good as the original. Both sequels are on the same DVD.

DVD commentary track with just the film historians. Again, there is a lot about the series, actors, and production, but little about the story. They point out that this one has the most listenable soundtrack of the three, with young Henry Mancini providing quite a bit of the music.

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