Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Revenge of the Creature (a.k.a. Return of the Creature and Return of the Creature from the Black Lagoon) is a 1955 American film, the first sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon, being the only 3-D film stars John Agar and Lori Nelson.

Revenge of the Creature premiered in Denver on March 23, 1955 and a 2-D sequel, The Creature Walks Among Us, followed it in 1956. Revenge was released as a double feature with Cult of the Cobra.

Plot
Having previously survived being riddled with bullets, the Gill-man is captured and sent to the Ocean Harbor Oceanarium in Florida, where he is studied by animal psychologist Professor Clete Ferguson (John Agar) and ichthyology student Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson). Helen writes a journal entry about the Gill-man that is dated 7/10/1954

Helen and Clete quickly begin to fall in love, much to the chagrin Joe Hayes (John Bromfield), the Gili-man' keeper. The Gili-man takes an intant liking to Helen, which severely hampers Professor Ferguson's efforts to communicate with him. Ultimately, the Gili-man escapes from his tank, killing Joe in the process, and flees to the open ocean.

Unable to stop thinking about Helen, the Gill-man soon begins to stalk her and Ferguson, ultimately abdoucting her from a seaside restaurant where the two are at a party. Clete tries to give chase, but the Gili-man escapes to the water with his captive. Clete and police arrive just in time and when the creature surfaces, police shoot him to death as Clete saves Helen.

Production
Using the working titles of Return of the Creature and Return of the Creature from the Black Lagoon, filming took place at the Marineland of Florida which played the part of the film's Ocean Harbor Oceanarium. The St. John River stood in for the Amazon in the film.

The Lobster House restaurante where the Creature kidnaps Lori Nelson was located in Jacksonville, Florida. It was destroyed by fire in 1962. The Diamondead Restaurant (now the River City Berwing Co.) was built adjancent to the site where the old Lobster House once stood. Friendship Park was built on the vacant land near where the Lobster House stood.

Revenge of the Creature marks the screen debut of Clint Eastwood, who appears uncredited as a lab technician named Jennings early in the story. He is shown having a disussion with Professor Ferguson, accusing a test subject cat eating a lab rat, only to find that he had in fact accidentally put the lab rat in his lab coat pocket.

Reception
Critically reviewed in The New York Times, Revenge of the Creature was dismissed as a fourth-rate sequel with the comment,"...away we go, as before." Other than some interesting sequences involving the setting, "What is probably the most unusual aquarium in the world makes a nice, picturesque background indeed..." the review was dismissive of the production.

Although Revenge of the Creature has been broadcast on television in red-and--blue-glasses anaglyph form (e.g., in 1982 in the San Francisco Bay area), it was originally shown in theaters by the polarized light method and viewed through classes with gray polarizing filters. A "flat" version without 3D was also released.

In 1997, Revenge of the Creature was mocked in an episode of the comedy series Mystery Scince Theater 3000, marking its first episode on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Home media
Universal released Revenge of the Creature on DVD in a boxed set along with Creature from the Black Lagoon and  The Creature Walks Among Us, and added a bonus behind-the scenes documentary on the famous trilogy.