What if Jaws had featured a shark that could hunt on land as easily as in the sea?

What if Frankenstein’s monster had grown gills, glassy eyes, and vanished into the depths of the Amazon River?

What if there were a creature lurking beneath the surface—watching, waiting—until the perfect moment to wrap his webbed claws around your ankle and drag you into the deep?

What if I told you that monster already exists?

His name is the Gill Man, and his return is long overdue.

Okay, sure, the name could’ve used some work. However, when Creature from the Black Lagoon premiered in 1954, audiences were stunned, both by its effects and by the creature itself. Unique, animalistic, and fresh, the Gill Man made a splash as a standout entry amongst the other Universal Monsters.

But that very uniqueness may have worked against him.

By the mid-1950s, moviegoers had already formed strong attachments to the classics: Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, and Frankenstein’s monster. So, when the Gill Man arrived late to the monster mash, he never quite escaped the bounds of cult status–something that still weighs heavily on his place in pop culture today.

And while the other monsters get to enjoy their continuous appearances and adaptations, the Gill Man has remained on the side of the stage, mouthing the lines of his fellow monsters like a true theater kid, an understudy patiently hoping… waiting… for the chance to finally take center stage.

And there’s no better time than now for this amphibious antagonist to make his return. Here’s why.

Creature Design:

Few can deny Millicent Patrick’s genius. Often called “The Beauty Who Created the Beast,” she designed a creature that’s pure nightmare fuel. Standing at seven feet tall, the Gill Man rivals even Frankenstein’s monster in size—and with his black, bulging eyes and wide, lipless mouth, his is the last face you’d want staring back at you from the depths.

And he’s not just terrifying—he’s tough. While Michael Myers famously shrugged off six bullets from Dr. Loomis, the Gill Man took six rifle shots to the torso before returning to the lagoon, only to return the following year in Revenge of the Creature.

However, perhaps the most overlooked element of this aquatic killer is the sound design. Revisit some of the attack scenes from the original film, often cited as the most terrifying moments in the entire Universal Monsters era, and you’ll hear the creature unleash snarls and growls that can be compared to a furious warthog or a gravel-gargling demon.

 

Yeah… no thanks.

Concept:

Creature aside, it’s the concept—the setting, the themes, the primal fears—that make this film (and the potential for a reboot) so compelling. After all, everyone is a stranger in natural bodies of water, and almost everyone has, at some point, wondered what might be lurking just out of sight.

More people than ever are developing a fear of deep, open water. The hashtag #thalassophobia has amassed over thirty thousand posts, each showing solitary swimmers sharing vast waters with everything from sharks to serpentine sea monsters.

That’s part of why Jaws still works today. Those chilling POV shots from beneath unsuspecting swimmers tap into something deeply instinctual: the unsettling truth that we never really know what’s around us. And that is what makes aquatic horror, when done well, so effective.

Unfortunately, however, nothing in recent years has come close to capturing the magic—or the terror—of what Jaws accomplished fifty years ago.

Monster Revival

Today’s horror scene is flooded with demon-driven narratives, practically tossed at us like candy at a parade. And there’s nothing wrong with that; audiences felt the same way about slashers in the ‘80s. But now, it’s time for a monster movie revival. Last winter’s release of Nosferatu proves it can work—Egger’s fresh take on the vampire earned nearly $200 million at the box office.

Now imagine what the right filmmaker could do with the raw clay of the Creature, ready to be shaped into a modern reimagining. With practical effects, the creeping dread of open water, and a relentless monster that can strike anywhere—on a boat, inside the false security of a tent, or during a peaceful morning swim—it’s a recipe for success.

And even though the horizon may seem dim for the Gill Man, there’s still a glimmer of hope.

Universal Studios Orlando recently unveiled its newest park, Epic Universe, featuring immersive lands like Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon, and—most importantly—the Universal Monsters. Inside, the Gill Man can be seen among his monstrous peers as one of the antagonists in the new ride, Monsters Unchained.

While it’s a crumb, we can’t help but wonder if it’s a crumb of what’s to come. Does Universal intend to unleash the beast once more, or is he destined to remain an icon of the past? If the studio’s monsters continue to thrive in the modern era, then maybe, just maybe, the Gill Man will rise again.