Summary
James Wan is in talks to remake the horror classicCreature From The Black Lagoon, and for it to work, it should take note of one trick from one ofGuillermo del Toro’s best movies. In 1954, the monster horror movieCreature From The Black Lagoonwas released. Directed by Jack Arnold,Creature From The Black Lagoonwas filmed and shown in 3D, making it a more immersive experience and standing out from other monster movies at the time.Creature From The Black Lagoonis now a horror classic and has been the inspiration for many horror movies.
Creature From The Black Lagoonfollows a group of scientists who find a piscine amphibious humanoid in the Amazon. Given its place in horror history,Creature From The Black Lagoonhas almost been remade a couple of timesand was planned as part of Universal’s Dark Universe reboot in 2014, but that quickly changed after the failure ofThe Mummy. Now,Creature From The Black Lagoonseems to finally be on its way to being remade asJames Wan is in talks to helm the project, but for it to succeed, it needs to borrow one trick fromThe Shape of Water.
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James Wan’s Creature From The Black Lagoon Faces A Major Visual Obstacle
Remaking Creature From The Black Lagoon Comes With A Major Challenge
Creature From The Black Lagoonis notable for the practical effects used to bring the Gill-man to life.
Creature From The Black Lagoonis part of Universal’s group of classic monsters, and its 3D format made it stand out back then, as it was still a new format.Creature From The Black Lagoonis also notable for the practical effects used to bring the Gill-man to life, as well as the work of the actors who portrayed the character on land (Ben Chapman) and underwater (Ricou Browning).The Gill-man was the result of the outstanding work of make-up artists, prosthetic designers, and animators, who were key in making it a fascinating yet terrifying creature.
Although there are still many filmmakers who prefer the use of practical effects over CGI (such as Christopher Nolan), many opt for the latter as it offers a wider variety of creative opportunities. The horror genre, in particular, has some legendary and fascinating examples of practical effects, but it’s also a genre that has used CGI way too much.
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Many horror movies have opted for practical effects over CGI, and the results are impressive but also disturbingly realistic and gory.
The problem with a remake ofCreature From The Black Lagoonhappening now is thatit could rely too much on CGI, ruining the vibe of the movie and the creature, but practical effects should go above and beyond to make the Gill-man fully believable and visually better than the original one (which is still cool, but now looks obsolete).
Wan’s Creature From The Black Lagoon Can Copy The Shape Of Water’s Design Tricks
The Shape Of Water Used A Clever Trick For Its Amphibian Man
The Shape of Waterused a combination of practical effects and CGI to create the Amphibian Man.
Among the many moviesCreature From The Black Lagoonhas influenced is Guillermo del Toro’sThe Shape of Water. Released in 2017,The Shape of Wateris set in 1962 and tells the story of Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaner at a high-security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured humanoid amphibian creature (played by Doug Jones).The Shape of Waterwas a huge critical and commercial success and won Best Picture at the 2018 Academy Awards.The Shape of Water’s Amphibian Man was heavily inspired byCreature From The Black Lagoon, and it combined some tricks to bring him to life.
In the early 2000s, Guillermo del Toro was attached to direct a remake ofCreature From The Black Lagoon, but after Universal rejected his idea of focusing on the Gill-man’s point of view and letting him have a successful romance, he turned it intoThe Shape of Water.
The Shape of Waterused a combination of practical effects and CGI to create the Amphibian Man.Jones wore a full-body prosthetic suit and makeupdesigned by Legacy Effects (viaCNET), butthe work of the designers was augmented with CGI. This was mostly used in the Amphibian Man’s face, especially his eyes, to better show his emotions, and some shots had more digital work as there was a range of motion that couldn’t be achieved on camera (viaThe Verge).
Wan’sCreature From The Black Lagoonremake can greatly benefit from borrowing this trick fromThe Shape of Water, more so as they have similar creatures.Practical effects and CGI can better bring the Gill-man to life in believable waysthat can also showcase the incredible work of make-up and prosthetic artists, while also honoring the work done to create the original Gill-man.
One Visual Element From The Original Movie Can Greatly Help Wan’s Creature From The Black Lagoon Remake
Creature From The Black Lagoon’s Remake Should Keep One Specific Element
Making the Gill-man entirely with practical effects wouldn’t quite work for Wan’s remake, but there’s another element from the original movie that could greatly benefit it. Along with many other classics from Universal’s Monsters,Creature From The Black Lagoonis a black-and-white movie, which inevitably gives it an extra eerie vibe. Wan’s Gill-man can be further enhanced if he decides to make his version ofCreature From The Black Lagoonin black and white, which can make it extra strange and scary. Whatever the plan for James Wan’sCreature From The Black Lagoonremake is, let’s hope it won’t join the cemetery of failed remakes.
Sources:CNET,The Verge.
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a Universal creature feature that sees a group of scientists on a mission in the Amazon, who soon find that they’re not alone. Roaming in the swampland with them is a mysterious humanoid creature with amphibious traits who becomes infatuated with a female scientist, but it’s appearance strikes fear into the hearts of the intrepid explorers, leading to grave danger as a result.
