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The Gill-Man
'Universal Monsters' character
First appearanceCreature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Last appearanceThe Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
Created by
Portrayed by
In-universe information
Alias
  • Advanced Amphibian (AA)
  • The Creature
  • The Creature from the Black Lagoon
  • The Fish Man
  • Water Demon
Species

Gill-man is the nickname for the main antagonist of the Creature from the Black Lagoon series.

The Gill-man's popularity as an iconic monster of cinema has led to numerous cameo appearances, including an episode of The Munsters (1965), the motion picture The Monster Squad (1987), and a stage show (2009). Despite this popularity, the Gill-man appeared in the fewest movies of all the Universal Monsters.

Appearances

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The Gill-Man is a fictional character that appears in the Creature from the Black Lagoon film series, which is a part of the Universal Monsters film series. He made his appearance on the silver screen in the mid-1950s and has since appeared in many different works in film, theatre, television, and literature.

Film

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The Gill-Man made his first appearance in Creature from the Black Lagoon on February 12, 1954. In the film, the Gill-Man begins stalking and picking off a group of scientists on an expedition in the Amazon rainforest as they unwittingly intrude upon his watery home while in search of the fossilized remains. After slaughtering and maiming several members of the group, he abducts the crew's only female member Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams). He is severely injured in a hail of gunfire just as he is about to slaughter one of Kay's rescuers, retreating back onto the lagoon where his body sinks down into its depths.[1]

He would make his second appearance in the 1955 sequel Revenge of the Creature. Set approximately one year after the events of the first film, it is revealed that the Gill-Man has survived his purported death and is still living within the lagoon. When a successful expedition manages to capture him, he is taken to the Oceanarium in Florida for research. While there he becomes attached to scientist Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson), later managing to escape his confines and goes on a rampage. Stalking and later abducting Helen, the Gill-Man is soon caught and supposedly killed in another volley of gunfire by the coast guard when they manage to catch up and save Helen.[2]

The Gill-Man would return for the third and final entry in the series The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). After an unknown period of time has passed since his escape, the Gill-Man is shown to once again have survived his supposed demise and has been living in the Florida Everglades ever since. With a group of scientists led by Dr. William Barton (Jeff Morrow), the attempt to capture him results in the Gill-Man being immolated, leaving him critically burnt. In order to save his life, the scientists perform an experimental surgery to activate a dormant set of terrestrial lungs, though this results in the loss of his ability to breath underwater. Now appearing docile and more human, the scientists attempt to integrate him into his new environment. However, after witnessing the murder of Jed (Gregg Palmer) by the insanely jealous Barton, who then attempts to frame the Creature for the murder, the Gill-Man becomes enraged. Withstanding multiple gunshot wounds, he escapes and goes on a destructive rampage in an attempt to capture Barton. After a short chase, he manages to kill Barton, afterwards, he wanders off toward the coast. The final shot reveals the Gill-Man staring despondently at the ocean, resolving to die in his native environment rather than live his life on land.[3]

Literature

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The Gill-Man made his first foray away from the silver screen in the 1976 novelization based loosely on the first film and written by Carl Dreadstone under the pen name Vargo Statten. In the novel, the Gill-Man is significantly different than the film, portrayed as an aquatic giant referred to as AA or Advanced Amphibian by expedition team members. After slaying most of the team members, destroying a Sikorsky helicopter, and kidnapping Kay more than once, the creature is killed by the crew of a United States Navy torpedo boat.[4] Another novelization was published in 2006 by Paul Di Filippo. Titled Time's Black Lagoon, the novel served as a reimagining of the first film, significantly altering the character and delving deeper into his origins. In it, he is depicted as the last surviving member of a race of extraterrestrials who became stranded on Earth in ancient times. The race would seemingly prosper on Earth until members of the race became infected by archaeobacteria, which warped their bodies and minds. Driven to infect others with the disease, the entire race became subject to the disease, their population dwindling over thousands of years until the Gill-Man was the sole survivor as seen in the film.[5]

He was later featured in the fifth book of Larry Mike Garmon's juvenile fiction series Universal Monsters: Tales of Terror in the 21st Century. Released from 2001-2002, the series chronicled a group of teenagers who accidentally release the Universal monsters from their movies into the real world, and their attempts to return them back into their respective films. The novelization, published in 2002, followed the group's attempts to capture the Gill-Man in Southern Florida. Along with including Richard Denning's character Dr. Mark Williams, the novel also introduced a female "creature" as the Gill-Man's mate. The novel ends with both the Gill-Man and his mate willingly returning to the original film after the group saves them both from William's clutches.[6]

The Gill-Man made his comic book debut in a 1963 one-shot titled The Creature by Dell Comics.[7] Following the general story concept of the 1954 film, the plot centers on paleontologist Scott Warden as he goes on an expedition into the Amazon in search of the missing pieces of a fossilized arm of Gill-Man's ancestors. With a group funded by millionaire treasure hunter Dudley Gaustad, the team soon encounters the Gill-Man once they venture into a remote lake that locals call "Lake of Death". After slaughtering many crew members, the Gill-Man is eventually captured by the remaining survivors. As the crew leaves, it is revealed that the Gill-Man is not the only one of his kind, as dozens of eggs attached to the boat shown containing many potential "creatures".[8] A more faithful adaption to the original story was later published by Dark Horse Comics in 1993. Written by Steve Moncuse, the comic would generally follow the film, while expanding upon the story's violence that was only implied in the original story.[9]

  • Art Adams' Creature Features (August 1, 1996)
  • Universal Monsters: Cavaclade of Horror (January 1, 2006)

Other media

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The character made his first appearance on stage in Creature from the Black Lagoon: The Musical, a musical adaption very loosely based on the original film. The show premiered at the formerly located Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in Los Angeles, California from 2009 to 2010.[10][11]

Concept and creation

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Development

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Originally created by writer and producer William Alland, with later contributions by Maurice Zimm, Harry Essex, and Arthur Ross, the concept that would later evolve into the Gill-Man first came about while then actor Alland was attending a 1941 dinner party for Orson Wells' directorial debut film Citizen Kane, in which Alland starred in as a reporter. While attending the party, Alland was introduced to Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa, who engaged Alland in a lengthy conversation. During the course of the meeting, Figueroa of a story about a race of half-fish, half-human creatures which were purported to live in the Amazon River. Fascinated by the story, Alland would later incorporate the concept into story notes titled "The Sea Monster" ten years later, with further inspiration taken from Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's Beauty and the Beast. In December 1952, Maurice Zimm expanded this into a treatment, which Harry Essex and Arthur Ross rewrote as The Black Lagoon.[12]

Designing a monster

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Creature from the Black Lagoon

Revenge of the Creature

Creature Walks Among Us

Men in the Monster Suit

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The role of the Gill-Man is well known for involving multiple actors and stuntmen in performing the required actions on both land and underwater. Over the course of the three films, a total of five people have portrayed the character through various means, with each one bringing their own unique spin to the character.

Chapman

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Browning

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Creature from the Black Lagoon

Revenge of the Creature

Creature Walks Among Us

Characterization

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Physical appearance

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Throughout his theatrical appearances, the Gill-Man is depicted as a large, aquatic humanoid. In Revenge of the Creature, measurements by scientists at the Ocean Harbor Oceanarium record him as standing at approximately seven to eight feet in height and weighing three hundred pounds,[1] although some sources have incorrectly listed his height as six feet, three inches.[13][14] An evolutionary offshoot of humanity, the Gill-man is vaguely human in shape, with fish-like characteristics. When not underwater, the Gill-Man assumes a bipedal stance, walking upright on two clawed, webbed feet. His body is completely covered in green scales, which overlap each other in multi-segmented layers, while his abdomen is covered in larger, smoother scale-like growths that appear to have a single bone protrusion in each center. According to actor Chapman, the outer layer of these scales covers a layer of epidermis that is more mammalian in nature.[14] His hands are webbed, with five digits tipped with a razor-sharp claw, including an opposable thumb, allowing for greater dexterity in grasping objects. Both arms have a pair of spiny fins, starting halfway up the lower portion of the arm, and ending at the elbow. Starting at the base of the neck and working its way down to the end of his spine is a single dorsal fin which, like his arm fins, have small spines on each segment. The Gill-Man's head is relatively absent of scales and covered in smooth skin, on each side of his head is a pair of large gills which expand and deflate more noticeably when out of the water. The lips are slightly larger in comparison to his human ancestors, and the mouth is sometimes described as being filled with sharp teeth although this detail is never depicted during his on-screen appearances. Because of his mostly aquatic nature, the Gill-Man does not have a nose in the terrestrial sense, but rather a boney protrusion in the general place where the nose should be. Underneath his ridged brow, are a pair of fish-like eyes, which appear to have no eyelids. This detail would be modified in Revenge of the Creature, now more bulbous and slightly smaller in size, in addition to this, scales are now seemingly darker in color.

In The Creature Walks Among Us, the Gill-Man begins to evolve in adaptation to a surgical procedure after suffering from severe burns that irreparably damaged his gills, becoming more human-like in his anatomy. His scales have now fallen off, revealing smooth skin, with his damaged gills now receding back into his neck, giving the appearance of a pair of human-like ears. The eyes have also changed, appearing more human, while still lacking eyelids. His hands and feet, although still somewhat webbed, are significantly reduced in length and are no longer tipped with sharp claws. One of the more noticeable aspects of his newly-evolved anatomy is his physicality, with the once semi-slender musculature having greatly increased for unknown reasons. His shoulders are wider and his overall physical appearance is bulkier and more brutish, with a massive chest and muscular arms. Following this metamorphosis in his anatomy, the Gill-Man now wears a hospital patient's outfit.

Powers and abilities

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Over the course of his appearances, the Gill-Man has displayed a wide range of natural powers and abilities, some of which are unique depending on the medium of his appearance. All of his appearances retain core traits, which are inherent to the character. His ancestry as humanity's offshoot has given the Gill-Man inherent abilities, one of the most prominent is his ability to move forth on land and underwater. Using the large set of gills on both sides of his neck, he is able to breathe underwater for an indefinite amount of time, spending the majority of his life in water. The Gill-Man's entire anatomy has adapted to life underwater, and while he can venture around on land, he can only do so for a few minutes at a time, as his gills will begin to dry out.[14] The longer he spends out of the water, the weaker he will become, and he must return to the water to replenish his supply of oxygen. As his body is more suited for life underwater, his movement on land is significantly hindered, reduced to a slow, shambling gait. In the final film of the series, it is revealed that the Gill-Man has a set of lungs that remain dormant until trauma to his gills which would render them irreparably damaged at which point these lungs will begin to function in response.

As a mostly aquatic entity, the Gill-Man is an exceptional swimmer, capable of moving rapidly through the water with great speed, and ease. Additionally, he possesses enhanced eyesight and is able to see in little-to-no light, although this adaption also makes him susceptible to bright lights.[14] The green color of his scales further affords him a degree of camouflage while underwater, giving him the ability to blend in with the underwater vegetation.

He also possesses an advanced healing factor, which regenerates damaged or destroyed tissues of his body far beyond that of normal humans. Throughout the course of the series, the Gill-Man has proven to be incredibly resilient to injury, sustaining wounds that would normally be fatal to humans, such as being shot multiple times by various firearms and spearguns, and even being set on fire. Although he displays signs of great pain and damage from these injuries, his advanced healing allows him to regenerate rapidly within a short amount of time, returning later with no signs of injury. In addition to accelerated healing of physical traumas, the Gill-Man's healing factor makes him extraordinarily resistant to drugs, tranquilizers, and various toxins. However, he can still suffer the immediate effects of such substances in massive quantities; he has been seen to be affected by the chemical toxin known as rotenone, which is usually used to poison vast amounts of fish. While this toxin would be fatal in vast amounts, it only appears to have an intoxicating effect on him. Has in the past, been incapacitated on several occasions with large amounts of drugs, some that have been known to be powerful enough to take out animals significantly larger than himself. While his regenerative is advanced, it does appear to have its limits, and if the injury is severe enough his healing factor will not be able to fully regenerate the lost or damaged tissues, as shown in the third film when his entire body is severely burnt and his gills damaged.

In addition to his healing factor, the Gill-Man's scales offer him some level of durability. Several times he has shrugged off being bludgeoned and stabbed with knives and blunt objects with no visible effect. While he has been susceptible to electricity, which causes him a great amount of pain when properly motivated he is shown to resist it to some degree.

The Gill-Man is extraordinarily powerful, possessing a level of superhuman strength, although the exact limit of this is unknown. Throughout the course of the series, he is shown to be capable of moving a forty to fifty-foot boat while underwater, and effortlessly flipping cars that weigh an excess of two tons.

His claws are extremely sharp and have been seen to slice through metal and other materials with some amount of ease.

Personality

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Over the course of the series, the Gill-Man has been portrayed as both intelligent yet primitive, with much of his behavior based on instinct and animalistic tendancies. He is shown to be extremely territorial towards humans, reacting violently if they tresspass upon his home.

In 2005, California State University's Media Psychology Lab surveyed 1,166 people Americans aged from 16 to 91 on the psychological appeal of movie monsters.[15]

Legacy

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Cultural impact

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Since his debut in 1958, the Gill-Man has become an iconic and influential character in the horror genre, responsible for establishing themes and tropes that would later become a staple of the genre. In 2002, the character was nominated by the American Film Institute for inclusion in their AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains.[16] He is now one of the leading cultural icons of American popular culture.

The Gill-Man has been listed by critics, and media publications as one of the greatest horror characters of all time. The Gill-Man was placed at No. 10 for media outlet Collider list of "The 20 Best Movie Monsters of All Time, Ranked", with the author writing, "Where werewolves, zombies and the rest of the creature feature set are terrifying because of their tenuous ties to humanity, [The Gill-Man] is terrifying because of his lack of one", further noting that the character "embodies every innate fear about deep, dark water".[17] Global magazine TimeOut would name Gill-Man at No. 8 in their "The 66 Greatest Movie Monsters".[18]

The Gill-Man has been produced and marketed as merchandise over the years, with different companies producing their own line based on the character.

Several artistic and entertainment mediums have referenced or featured the character throughout the years.

  • It (novel)
  • Van Helsing: From Beneath the Rue Morgue

Influence

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The Gill-Man has been referenced and parodied in other films.

The character has often been referenced or parodied in other films. The Gill-Man would make a brief appearance during the 1988 made-for-television film Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, in the film he appears at the Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Girls in hopes of enrolling his daughter at the for the following year, causing Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rogers to flee in a panic.[19] He would appear in the 1988 Merrie Melodies animated short The Night of the Living Duck, as one of the patrons of a nightclub catered to monsters in Daffy Duck's dream.[20]

The Gill-Man has also been referenced and parodied by several television shows. The South Park episode "Imaginationland Episode II" featured the Gill-Man among a vast assortment of other villains and monsters as an inhabitant of the "bad side" of Imaginationland, a world populated by fictional characters.[21]

The Gill-Man has been a source of inspiration for various fictional characters throughout the decades, with many attempting to imitate the Gill-Man's popularity to limited success.[22] The "diplovertebron" creature, which appeared in the 1959 film The Monster of Piedras Blancas, was influenced by the Gill-Man according to the film's creators.[23] In the 1971 film Octaman, the title character was partially inspired by the Gill-Man.[24] Several comic book characters such as Marvel Comics' Manphibian, and DC Comics' Bogman, whose designs were known as being influenced by the Gill-Man.[25][26] Hellboy character Abe Sapien has been described by some as directly inspired by the Gill-Man.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Arnold 1954.
  2. ^ Arnold 1955.
  3. ^ Sherwood 1956.
  4. ^ Dreadstone 1977.
  5. ^ Filippo 2006.
  6. ^ Garmon 2002.
  7. ^ Rovin 1989, p. 65.
  8. ^ n.a. (w), Bob Jenney (a). The Creature (December 1, 1963). Dell Comics.
  9. ^ Steve Moncuse (w), Arthur Adams (p), Terry Austin (i), Matt Hollingsworth (col), Dan Thorsland (ed). The Creature from the Black Lagoon (August 1, 1993). Dark Horse Comics.
  10. ^ Biscotti, Steven (May 21, 2016). "Yes, Creature from the Black Lagoon Musical was Real!". Universal Monsters Universe.com. Steven Biscotti. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  11. ^ Verini, Bob (July 14, 2009). "Creature From the Black Lagoon". Variety.com. Variety Magazine. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  12. ^ Vieira 2003, pp. 141–143.
  13. ^ Rovin 1989, p. 63.
  14. ^ a b c d Chapman, Ben (2018). "Gillman Movie Trivia". The Reel Gillman. Retrieved August 4, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Stuart Fischoff; Alexandra Dimopoulos; François Nguyen; Rachel Gordon (August 25, 2005). "The Psychological Appeal of Movie Monsters" (PDF). Journal of Media Psychology. 10 (3). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 19, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
  16. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  17. ^ Page, Aubrey (October 16, 2017). "The 20 Best Movie Monsters of All Time, Ranked". Collider. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Bogutskaya, Anna (October 8, 2022). "The 66 Greatest Movie Monsters". Time Out. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  19. ^ Nichols 1988.
  20. ^ Ford & Lennon 1988.
  21. ^ Faughnan & Parker 2007.
  22. ^ Ruhland, Perry (May 12, 2017). "Crypt of Curiosities: Something Fishy – A Look at "Gillsploitation" Films". Daily Dead. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  23. ^ Senn 2015, p. 426.
  24. ^ Glut 1978, p. 281.
  25. ^ Cotter 2019, p. 86.
  26. ^ Diaz, Eric (February 1, 2023). "Who Are the Creature Commandos? DC Comics' Monster Soldiers, Explained". Nerdist. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  27. ^ MacReady, Melody (February 5, 2022). "10 Comic Book Characters Inspired By Famous Monsters". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 5, 2023.

Sources

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Books

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Periodicals

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Media

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Film and television

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  • Jack Arnold (Director) (1954). Creature from the Black Lagoon (Motion picture). United States: Universal-International.
  • Jack Arnold (Director) (1955). Revenge of the Creature (Motion picture). United States: Universal-International.
  • Trey Parker (writer and director)
    Matthew Faughnan (director) (October 24, 2007). "Imaginationland Episode II". South Park. Season 11. Episode 11. Comedy Central.
  • Greg Ford, Terry Lennon (Directors) (1988). The Night of the Living Duck (DVD). United States: Warner Bros. Animation.
  • Charles A. Nichols (director) (1988). Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (motion picture). United States: Hanna-Barbera Productions.
  • John Sherwood (Director) (1956). The Creature Walks Among Us (Motion picture). United States: Universal-International.

Documentaries and interviews

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  • Matthew Crick (Director) (2004). Creature Feature: 50 Years of the Gill-Man (DVD). United States: Gill Films.
  • David J. Skal (Director) (2002). Back to the Black Lagoon: A Creature Chronicle (DVD). United States: Universal Studios.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gill-man.


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