“This beast exists because it is stronger than, than the thing you call evolution.”
“Revenge of the Creature” picks up where the original film left off. In a tributary of the upper Amazon a new group of scientists are hunting the creature. Captain Lucas (Nestor Paiva) is captaining the Rita II. On board are George Johnson (Robert Williams) and Joe Hayes (John Bromfield). They set up a series of explosions under water around the lagoon. The explosions stun the creature bringing it to the surface. The creature is then taken back to Florida to Ocean Harbor to be studied and displayed.
The creature is placed in a holding tank. Still unconscious, it is walked around by Joe to force water over its gills. Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson) explains the procedure to reporters. After a couple hours the creature begins to stir. In fear and panic it tries to escape the tank. The creature goes berserk. Eventually they get it under control and transfer him to a larger tank. The creature is secured to the bottom of the tank with a chain.
Professor Clete Ferguson (John Agar) is interested in Helen. Joe is interested in Helen. The gill-man is interested in Helen. Clete seems to be winning in the romance department, within sight of the jealous Gill Man.
The scientists begin their negative reinforcement training on the creature. The creature learns at an astonishing rate. Blood tests show that the creature is higher on the evolutionary scale than expected. It is closer to man than fish.
Eventually the creature has had enough and gets enraged enough to break his chain. He climbs out of the tank and sends all the tourists gawking at him screaming. He then runs into the ocean. The creature is at large, but he is not far away. He is stalking Helen. He is waiting for his chance.
While Clete and Helen are on a dance floor the creature bursts into the room sending everyone in terror from the room. He grabs Helen and jumps into the ocean with her. At one point she is seen clinging to a channel marker. The creature grabs her again and pulls her under. She does not surface again.
“Revenge of the Creature” was released in 1955 and was directed by Jack Arnold. Clint Eastwood makes a small appearance in the film as a technician.
When I was a kid I liked “Revenge of the Creature”. It was a monster movie with a good monster in it. What more could you want? Now I look at it a little differently. The gill man, a creature of high intelligence, had his home invaded. He was attacked, kidnapped, and tortured. Anyone he killed was in self defense.
Granted the situation was similar to the first movie “The Creature from the Black Lagoon”. In this case, however, the torture seems a little more methodical. Being chained to the tank and zapped with cattle prods may have produced the results the scientists wanted but it was done at the cost of the creature’s rights. A sentient being that had been taken out of his world and thrown into an alien world that only promised pain. What would you do if you were the creature?