Twenty years before “Jaws” made humans afraid to leave the sand for the surf, “Creature From The Black Lagoon” sent the first shivers from the shore. Producer William Alland was fascinated by a local legend about half-fish, half-humans that stalked the Amazon. As horror films gained financial momentum in the early 1950’s, Alland got financing and hired an all star cast and crew to give the horror nation an icon that is still celebrated today. While the Gill-man stands as one of the first underwater film icons, the primal fear of what lurks beneath the unseen sea has eternally induced dread filled dives into the unknown. Here are a couple of underrated gems featuring creatures that stalk beneath the surface.
DEEP RISING (1998)
A 45-million-dollar budget, high-profile actors, and an up-and-coming writer/director. What could go wrong? Apparently, everything. Now a cult classic, this 1998 high octane sea creature tale bombed miserably at the box office. An old school sea captain is hired by mercenaries to pull off a high-risk heist. The mercs intend to rob both the wealthy passengers and a vault that rest inside the luxury cruise ship. The modern pirates were not expecting to be beat to the punch by a gaggle of tentacled sea creatures who just happen to be a biological extremity of a much larger beast from below. Though the film sank at the box office, this fun sea fare has quick-wit dialogue, fantastic special effects, and some stand out performances. “Deep Rising” is a great action-horror film that is perfect for a starry summer night viewing.
CREATURE (2011)
If “Deep Rising” was a box office bomb, “Creature” was a nuclear disaster. Debuting on over 1500 screens, the film barely reached the 500,000-dollar mark. Though lambasted by critics, this original swamp creature tale is pure bloody fun. On their way to New Orleans for some southern fun, a group of young adults take a detour to explore a local backswamp legend. Lockjaw, a half-man, half-gator, allegedly hunts anyone who comes into his sacred territory. A mutated beast that is locked in an eternal blood lust rage from losing his beloved bride. The group not only discover the legend is real, but the creature is not the only thing in the swamp that is after them. “Creature” is never going to be a rediscovered work of high horror art, nor has it caught on as a cult favorite, but this is pure B-movie horror homage at its best.
PIRANHA 3D (2010)
While the other films on this list sank to the bottom of the economic sea, “Piranha 3D” rode a tidal wave of success and holds up as one of the best fright fin films of all time. Director Alexandre Aja was already a sensation from his acclaimed film “High Tension,” but it was still a tall order for the Frenchmen to match legendary director Joe Dante’s original. Aja somehow pulled it off by mixing slapstick B-film comedy with tense horror action sequences. With a cast of well-known performers such as: Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O’Connell and Ving Rhames, as well as the iconic Christopher Lloyd and Richard Dreyfuss, the film crested with a lot of clout. An earthquake rocks the foundation of Lake Victoria, Arizona. The seismic eruption unleashes an army of prehistoric flesh-eating piranhas just in time for spring break. Once the fright fish reach the big party, local law enforcement attempts to evacuate the lake before all of the spring breakers get torn to shreds in the ultimate terror tourist trap. Director Aja shines with tremendous blood-soaked shot selections and a perfectly paced slaughter at the sea.