MovieChat Forums > Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) Discussion > Best Movie of the "Big 5"

Best Movie of the "Big 5"

posted 9 years ago by motter25420-153-699254
15 replies | jump to latest

Please note I said movie, the Creature is not my favorite monster, nor am I suggesting he had as much influence over the years or any of that, I just mean of the 5 films the "Dracula", "Frankenstein", "The Mummy", and "The Wolfman" and this one, I really feel this film was the most entertaining and scary.

Fact is, going back and watching the others, they are pretty silly to watch anymore, I realize you have to take into account the times they were made in but there really is nothing about them that stands the test of time.

The Creature effects looked believable then and they do now, the movie actually had a unique and iconic theme (well, "Dracula" did too, I give it that), and that scene of him swimming just beneath woman, that is still creepy and effective, how unnerving is it to think you could be swimming in the water blissfully unaware of something deadly just inches away from you.

I am not trying to insult the other films, they without a doubt hold their place in horror movie history, and again I'm not speaking to the actual monsters themselves or the vast universe of myths and tales that surround vampires, werewolves, etc, I'm just saying, regarding the 5 movies themselves I feel this one is the one that was done the best and holds up over time.

[–] trprt77 8 years ago

I would rate them in this order, as my personal ranking:

1 Dracula
2 Creature From The Black Lagoon
3 Frankenstein
4 The Wolfman
5 The Mummy

[–] motter25420-153-699254 8 years ago

Interesting. Why do you feel Dracula is better?

[–] trprt77 8 years ago

For one thing, Dracula has amazing sets, that for the most part, don't look like they are movie sets.

It was ground breaking when it came out, and pretty much every other one afterwards followed a pattern that Dracula established.

Also, nothing, in my opinion, compares to Draculas entrance where he states " I bid you..............welcome".

Just felt the whole atmosphere and story overall was the best of the 5 big ones.

[–] motter25420-153-699254 8 years ago

Interesting, well, as I said, I don't deny any of them their place in history, and I do agree I like the gothic look of most of them as well, just the plastic bat, then when they would zoom in on his eyes, stuff like that may have worked at the time, but it just becomes comical today.

Also, and granted I again know this was due to the times and people's stomachs weren't quite ready for it, but when he would go to bite the victims he had no fangs and instead just had to make some goofy face, I'm not some big gore lover or anything, but in a vampire flick at least some fangs are a must.

There are certainly some decent moments to "Dracula", just overall it, like most films of the time come off silly today, whereas I think "Creature" for the most part could be shown to anyone in present time and still hold up.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Valentino55 8 years ago

I agree with the OP. While Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy have certainly left the more enduring legacy, and more important to the horror movie genre, I would argue that the Creature from the Black Lagoon is the more superior movie. (I would even argue that Bride of Frankenstein and the Invisible Man are better movies than Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Wolf Man.)

Creature most likely benefited from being the last of the great Universal "monster" movies. The special effects hold up nicely today and are actually quite creepy. Unlike the other four monster movies, which seem pretty tame (some might say lame) by today's standards, the Creature retains a lot of genuine scare factor. The brief glimpses we get of the monster underwater actually do make up jump a little, and - especially for those viewers who might be wary of swimming in something called "the black lagoon," the idea that something might be down there that could drag you under is terrifying.

Also, Creature is technically speaking the superior film, with a more fully fleshed out plot and, in my opinion, doesn't seem as "silly" today as the other films.

Like the OP, I'm not denying the importance of the other monsters, and they're certainly enjoyable movies, and I love the original novels, Dracula and Frankenstein, but as a film, I think Creature hold up the best.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man are definitely some of the best Universal classics.

[–] greenbudgie 8 years ago

The creature is the one of the Big 5 that I really feel sympathy for. It's that feeling of injustice of what is happening to the Gillman's world that makes this such a great movie for me.

In terms of the quality of the story of the Big 5 I would rank them as follows:-

1. Frankenstein
2. Dracula
3. The Wolf Man
4. Creature From The Black Lagoon
5. The Mummy

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] joe_538 8 years ago

Personally, I'd put The Invisible Man in as the fifth. The Creature came along years after Universal's classic horror phase wound down, and I associate him just as much with the creature-features of the 1950s.

[–] slimone (7996) 7 years ago

King Kong
Creature from the Black Lagoon
It Came from Beneath the Sea
Mary Shelly's Frankenstein (with Robert Di Nero, the best!)
Godzilla

[–] Kingswood (1228) 2 years ago

Sorry, terrible list.

[–] millsey72 (9566) a year ago

A better list

1. Draculas Daughter
2. House of Frankenstein
3. The SheWolf of London
4. Son of Dracula
5. The Invisible Mans Revenge

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

1. Creature from the Black Lagoon
2. Frankenstein
3. Dracula
4. The Wolf Man
5. The Mummy

[–] TheArgentinian (6440) a year ago

I put this one and the Mummy at the bottom.