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Published Jan 24, 2026, 6:25 PM EST
Dalton is a freelance writer, novelist, and filmmaker from Orlando Florida. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and pursues writing full-time. He is an avid reader, film buff, and amateur historian who also publishes novels on the side. Dalton graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Film and he often applies his industry-specific knowledge when writing about film and television. Along with his blog, Dalton's critical essays on film have been published in various places online.
Creature from the Black Lagoon was the last monster franchise in Universal's legendary horror golden age, but which of the Gill-man's three appearances is the best? By 1954, the Universal horror cycle had nearly run its course, and conventional horror was being surpassed in popularity by science fiction. Creature from the Black Lagoon married the two genres.
The first movie combined adventure with a monster storyline, and even explored the theme of beauty being the downfall of the beast. The 3-D spectacle was a hit, so Universal produced two sequels in two years. Since then, Creature from the Black Lagoon has become a classic of 1950s horror, and is even in the mix to get a remake.
3 Revenge Of The Creature (1955)
In an example of unprecedented swiftness, Universal rushed out Revenge of the Creature a year after the release of the first Gill-man movie. Scientists capture the Creature and bring him to an aquatic park in Florida, only for the monster to escape and go on a rampage. Revenge is a serviceable monster movie, but lacks the depth of its predecessor.
The characters are one-dimensional and have no motivation, and it drags on with very little suspense until the monster finally escapes. The first movie's setting is one half of its successful formula, but the environs of Revenge of the Creature just aren't that interesting. The sequel is a fun diversion, but has almost no chills or thrills to speak of.
2 The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
Unlike his Universal Classic Monsters contemporaries, Gill-man never really got a sequel that lived up to his first appearance. However, The Creature Walks Among Us is a surprisingly psychological approach to a threequel. In the film, Gill-man is captured again, but this time, scientists surgically alter him to become an air breather.
Playing off the meddling-with-nature trope of sci-fi, The Creature Walks Among Us is an existential exploration of the Creature. However, the 79-minute cheapie is still very much guilty of cutting corners. Most of the movie is extended dialogue scenes between uninteresting characters. Nevertheless, it scores points over the first sequel because it tries to introduce new ideas to the franchise.
1 Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)
Creature from the Black Lagoon is by far the best film in the Gill-man trilogy. It weaves an exciting tale of scientists traveling down the Amazon in search of a mysterious monster of myth, and coming face to face with prehistoric terror. Every bit a classic, Creature from the Black Lagoon has earned its place in pop culture history.
Gill-man's design (by Milicent Patrick) is far superior to the usual rubber-suited monsters of '50s cinema, and the underwater performance of Ricou Browning is one of horror's most underrated. The film itself is tense and exciting, but also has the over-the-top thrills of adventure too. The Universal Monsters cycle ended in the '50s, but it went out with a bang.
Release Date February 12, 1954
Runtime 79minutes
Director Jack Arnold
Writers Harry Essex
English (US) ·