JEFF MORROW 'THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US' W/ REX REASON

Morrow can't Reason with The Creature in the YEAR: 1956

The easiest way to turn the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON into FRANKENSTEIN is to lose the gills: Which conveniently yet somewhat creatively happens after the third film's third group of scientists, led by sneaky Jeff Morrow and stalwart Rex Reason, captures the aquatic beast, who not only WALKS AMONG US but stomps around the boat's interior in a perplexed yet murderous rage, and even more sympathetically than the intentionally empathetic sequel...

And like each predecessor, both directed by Jack Arnold as John Sherwood takes the helm under William Alland's omnipresent production, there are nice moments underwater as good and bad/mad scientist compete for gorgeous ingenue Leigh Snowden, suffering Nitrogen Narcosis (Raptures of the Deep) after the initial Creature's attack between diving sequences that lack the suspenseful vulnerability of the first and the formidable menace of the second...

Creature Walks Among Us SCORE: ***1/2

Surprisingly enough, WALKS doesn't hit a wall when THE CREATURE loses any and all purpose after being stripped of his aquatic/strategic advantage over comparably limited human beings...

Imprisoned at an outdoor seaside yet farm-like research compound extended from a large manor house, the third act's more a rural thriller of a potential killer than a creature-feature featuring the titular and, at that point, iconic Universal Monster — so there's the always-reliable KING KONG inspired beauty-and-the-beast aspect, providing a few decent thrills and chills despite a frantic Jeff Morrow, no stranger to strange guy roles and curbed by muscular eleemosynary Rex Reason, is the real antagonist here, and pretty effective at that. Which might make you wanna check out THIS ISLAND EARTH again... Or not.

Cool colored poster of THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US a William Alland-produced Universal Monster Movie

Lobby card artwork of Jeff Morrow, Rex Reason and Leigh Snowden for The Creature Walks Among Us

Leigh Snowden in THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US wields a gun and has a beautiful backside