CREECH COMMENTARY (mini-essay)

The Gill Man is my absolutely favorite Universal Monster. Except as I think about it, he is N-O-T a monster. Not really.

I think I will explore this in three movie reviews as I take my TRIO of Creech films off the shelf (and out of their DVD cases) and re-watch them...and then review them for the blog. Stay Tuned!

But for now, let's look at the facts.

Dracula is a cursed creature of the night with definite evil, almost devilish overtones. He kills to live, yes, but he sure enjoys the "perks" of being the head honcho of the living dead. And notice that (in Stoker's novel) that Van Helsing is most effective against the Count when he uses the physical manifestations of good & the Church.

The Monster of Frankenstein started off as body parts from killers, and other rogues (HEY!!! I resemble that remark - - rogue evolent). Sure he's got the emotional maturity of a child in the movie... but, at least in the novel, he evolves into one mean, nasty, vindictive, son of a gun.

The Mummy is also a cursed spirit of vengeance and retribution...bad mojo and all that. Plus there's the Egyptian religious pantheon and all that amulet stuff... very monstrous!

But the Gill Man is like a grizzly bear, or a moose. Well, maybe a very smart grizzly bear...

There he is in his ancient antedeluvian home away from homes - - the Black Lagoon. He's content, he's minding his own business, and then the white man explorer/scientist comes into his "crib" and starts messing around with him. Like a Bear or Tiger, he's territorial and animal by instinct; so he lashes out with the claws and teeth nature has provided him with. He's not evil or monstrous just wild. He is not meant to be domesticated. But he also does not have an "evil" bone in his amphibian body!

Yeah, I know he's got a "thing" for Julia Adams (later Julie) that bespeaks his "higher mental faculties" (or lower, depending on how you view it :) ) but this doesn't make him less animal, just a higher evolved form of animal. His interactions (fascination, obsession, sexual attraction) are much like those of an intelligent great ape (Gorilla or Chimp) for Jane Goodall.

Come to think of it (this is not original, I stole it from somebody over at Classic Horror Film Board) the Gill Man is very similar to King Kong.

He would have been just find and dandy...and normal... had the Americans just left him alone. But no!!!! Go into his home... poke him...dope him up with chemicals, shoot him, burn him alive (almost), and then cart him off to the "States" in ropes and chains to be an exhibit for kiddies and tourists. Carl Denham, anyone?

What the Creech needed at the end of movie three, was not just his "gills" back in his neck, but a darn good Lawyer... or maybe even the United Nations.

just sayin'

- rogue evolent.

p.s. Yeah, I know, the Wolf Man (Larry Talbot/Lon Chaney Jr.) might also fit into this category of Non-monster, but rather, sad and tragic victim. hmmm.