Do you see signs within Creature From the Black Lagoon that it was aiming for a particular audience/demographic? Most movies do have market segments at least partially in mind. Who do you think would be the audience for this movie—adults, children, teenagers, men, women, or any other group? Maybe (or maybe not) horror fans, in particular? Do you think Creature would appeal to the same audience that either Rebecca or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde did in their time? Point to a particular scene or moment that informs your understanding of the likely audience for Creature?
15 thoughts on “Creature from the Black Lagoon”
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The particular audience that this movie had in mind was teenagers. The movie features a creature that resides in the Amazon. The film can appeal to teenage boys as the film follows a group of men as they dive and explore the unknown of the Amazon in order to make a scientific discovery. It can also appeal to teenage boys as the film features the heroic sacrifices and acts that the men took in order to keep eachother safe. It also appeals to their interest as the only female on board of the exploration is in constant need of saving. The film uses new elements of suspense in order to engage with the audience such as the scene when the men dive into the Amazon river and try to capture the creature. Also, the scene when the woman is swimming alone in the Amazon River, completely unaware that the creature is swimming alongside her from the other side of the water.
I think that Creature from the Black Lagoon resonated with more so teenagers and young adults as most agreed. I think that the horror and monster trope was more so aimed for a particular audience that goes to watch the moving in hopes of being frightened. I think that that specific audience is a younger group of people, not too young though as most children during this time would most likely find this movie deeply unsettling and too scary. I think the main scenes where the audience intended is shown most is the building suspense and anxiety that came with the singular hand reaching out multiple times or the moments where one of the crew member are in the water and we can see the creature lurking and coming very close to them without them realizing. I believe this is the horror and anticipation that is mainly sought out by teens and young adults.
I think the Creature From the Black Lagoon was particular aiming for a teenage audience. It’s plot is still threatening, but much less dense than say Rebecca or Dr. Jekyll and Hyde. It’s a movie that’s much more easily watched than Rebecca and focuses more on the theatrics of costuming and scares than something like a psychological thriller. Unlike Dr. Jekyll and Hyde I would assume that Creature From the Black Lagoon would also be more popular due to it’s obvious shock factor, whereas I think other horror movies tended more to cater to specifically horror fans. I think one scene that encapsulates the film is where the woman is swimming with the creature underneath her. Not only is this scene visually stunning, but you don’t necessarily need any outside context to know what is going on since the plot is laid out and fairly straightforward.
After watching Creature from the Black Lagoon, I believe its focus on spectacle, action, and adventure strongly aligns with what would typically appeal to a teenage and young-adult male audience. It is interesting to see that some argue the film was aimed at a female audience. While I agree certain elements of the film might attract female viewers — such as the presence of a strong, intelligent female lead and a subtle romantic plot – I feel the overall structure of the film suggests otherwise. For example, although the film portrays Kay as smart and capable, she is frequently cast as a damsel in distress. This trope likely appealed to the male audiences of the 1950s, who were drawn to narratives where male characters assumed the role of protectors and heroes. Additionally, the film heavily relies on action, adventure, and suspense – genres traditionally considered masculine at the time.
Furthermore, I believe the film appeals to a younger audience, particularly teenagers, due to its simple plot and straightforward narrative. Unlike Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde or Rebecca, which require critical thinking and a deep engagement with psychological themes, Creature from the Black Lagoon establishes horror through action and visual spectacle. More specifically, the film does not engage in complex moral dilemmas, psychological tensions, or intricate character studies, but rather offers an accessible and easy-to-follow adventure.
This is very well thought out and I agree with most of what you said but I would argue that it is geared more towards female viewers than male viewers but definitely appeals to both. I say this because the creature starts off as a harmless and curious and only becomes violent after provocations. I think the average female viewer relates more to this than the average male viewer would. The film also relies on emotionality and forces you to empathize with the creature, another thing that is typically more geared towards a female audience. Although we do have the whole “damsel in distress” dilemma, Kay was never in danger and this sequence just further reveals the men as villains as they, again, attack the creature. This is a story of a misunderstood outsider being tormented by men.
I believe that this movie was directed towards a young audience, particularly teen girls. In the casting, it is evident that the female lead was meant to be glamorous and fashionable and the male leads vying for her attention (and scientific/moral superiority) were conventionally attractive; I think what inspired this idea was the prevalence of shirtless muscular male leads. This trope, as we have discussed previously in class, is incredibly popular among young women and even middle aged women — as seen in The Twilight Saga in the 2000s and Challengers (2024). The horror didn’t feel central to this movie; only a few jump-scares, a little obscurity from Gill-Man’s costume, and tension between the male leads. Additionally, there was nothing that left the viewers guessing or in a state of not knowing (which is a major element in creepy/disturbing horror, as we saw in Rebecca), which makes me think that this movie was not entirely directed to the horror audience of Rebecca or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The target demographic for the film “Creature from the Black Lagoon” would be teenagers and young adults. Given the time that this film was shown, “creatures features” captures the attention of young adults and teenagers to see something different in movies. In order to keep young audiences interested, the movie combines action, adventure, romance, and a fearsome beast. The scene where Kay and the creature interact underwater is one that illustrates this. Kay swims in the lagoon while the creature watches her from below. The actress’s beauty and the monster’s threat are both highlighted in this sequence, which has a voyeuristic suspense as the thing silently slides beneath her. His blend of beauty and danger is perfect for a teenage audience since it appeals to younger viewers who are searching for an exciting story that isn’t unduly complicated. Younger audiences who frequently saw science fiction and monster movies in the past will find the creature to be frightening but not overtly violent. The intended audience of Creature from the Black Lagoon appears to be distinct, despite certain thematic similarities with classic films such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) and Rebecca (1940). Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Rebecca are both more psychological, with moral self-issues.
I think that Creature from the Black Lagoon was going for a very different audience than Rebecca or Dr. Jekyll, and can totally understand how it would have been popular with teenagers, and especially women at the time. It’s definitely not going for the same awards prestige as Rebecca or Dr. Jekyll – the horrors here are fare more external than internal, and it lacks the mature themes and complex characters of the other two. This film is pulpy, straightforward, and purely aims to thrill the audience – to give it a modern comparison, it feels more like something like The Meg while a film like Rebecca feels closer to the horror of Parasite. I think that horror fans could enjoy this for the creature effects and underwater scenes, but I can see this playing to a much broader audience. The only people I can really see being for real scared by this are children, who would definitely enjoy this film, but I still can see why it would be entertaining for all.
I think Creature from the Black Lagoon was targeting a broad audience by blending together many different cinematic and storytelling elements. Like the reading said, it was clear that teenagers and young adults would be drawn into this film. I think the young adults who potentially feel like outsiders in the world could easily see themselves reflected in the creature which would engage this audience. Along with this, a broad audience of younger men and women would be interested in the blending of action, adventure, horror, and romance that comes together in this film. The setting can be seen as alluring because it is foreign and unknown. A lot of the action in the movie revolves around hunting or fighting the creature which seems like something that is captivating for many young adults, but at the time this was filmed was probably meant to engage young men. On the other side of this is the romance that is occurring that was probably meant to draw in young women.
In my opinion, it seems unlikely that the audiences that were intended for Rebecca or Jekyll and Hyde would be as captivated by Creature from the Black Lagoon. The other two movies had elements of sophistication and pushed the audience of that era to think about the meaning behind the action in the film. Creature from the Black Lagoon had a clear story where everything was spelled out for the audience in a direct manner. This is another reason why it seems likely that that primary audience was intended to be a younger group.
The Jancovich essay that we read to accompany this film clearly pointed to teenagers as the main audience for this movie, and I can certainly see why. The film fires a few shots at traditional masculinity (embodied by Mark) at the time and favors curiosity and discovery. Discovery appears in two senses throughout the film– in the literal sense, David’s respect for the scientific process and for respecting while uncovering the unknown is clearly upheld by his ultimate victory in the film. However, on a subtler note, the creature itself seems to suggest sexual curiosity and discovery– an issue many teenagers feel applies to them and one that, at the time the movie was shot, they were discouraged from thinking about. I believe this is most aptly pictured in the scene in which Kay is swimming in the lagoon and the creature nervously approaches her and then reaches out to touch her, withdraws its hand, reaches out again, and finally touches her and then swims away in fear. This behavior, although difficult to perceive as innocent with the blaring music, is emblematic of teenage anxieties and curiosities surrounding sexuality. Teenagers want to try things and discover themselves. I wonder if the over-the-top music and appearance of the creature is meant to cover up that theme of sexual discovery on some level– did the producers make this film to fit into the horror genre so that they wouldn’t be blamed for the messages they were putting out to young people? Is it a meditation on the humanity of puberty and the failures of traditional masculinity in disguise?
I feel like creature from the black Lagoon is what I would imagine a perfect drive-in movie to be. This feels like the type of movie that you would see on a high school date in a room-com. The romance arc feels very teen drive-in, and so do the drawn out, suspenseful moments where u would hug your date or something. I think that the lack of sublety confirms the YA theming, along with the lack of overly explicit violence while working to maintain a sense of scariness. This movie would probably be rated G or PG if ratings systems were around yet.
Other than the creature stalking, pursuing, and capturing Kay, the creature is not similar to Moreaux’ monsters or Hyde. It’s given some more grace as a character, despite being dangerous, because it is a natural creature. Mark wanting to kill it by any means necessary is clearly frowned upon, and they let it go in the end. This more friendly approach to the monster also implies a younger audience.
When I think of what the most explicit indicator is that this movie isn’t meant for adults is the way it keeps taking an educational tone especially when david is talking. There are moments where it feels like they put in ‘fun facts’ that would be geared towards school-age young people. I would also say that the way Kay looks, pauses, then screams, has a sort of ‘aimed toward kids’ feel.
I was thinking the same thing when watching A Creature from the Black Lagoon. It’s campiness and overall theatrics make it the perfect movie to talk through or have fun because it is such an easy movie to watch. I also think the subtle compassion we feel for the monster would appeal to teen girls at the time, creating a slightly more interesting plot without it being too convoluted.
Very specific thing, but I think the costuming points to women as a notable audience. Just the fact that Kay has at least 12 different costumes throughout the movie, (all really cute like I would wear all of them in a heartbeat) meanwhile every other character generally stays in the exact same outfit. And of course Mark and David’s costumes being just high waisted short-shorts for the majority of the movie cannot be ignored as an example of pandering to female audiences.
I also think the audience for this film was aiming more for a blockbuster movie that anyone could see, whereas Jekyll and Hyde and Rebecca were both I think specifically targeted towards horror fans, and older audiences, both having more dark and outright sexual themes.
I think Creature from the Black Lagoon mainly resonates with teens and young adults, notably women, for expanding beyond the traditional horror movie audience by blending elements of adventure and romance. The adventurous element is evident in its setting—a scientific expedition in the rain forest, which kind of reminds me of Indiana Jones. The horror in the film is vividly portrayed through the Gillman, complemented by an unconventional romantic plot that shows the creature’s complex emotions with a hint of humanity. This nuanced portrayal sets it apart from traditional monster or horroe films, where creatures are depicted solely as evil, such as in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Gill-man’s human-like qualities contrast sharply with the typical villainy of monsters in classic horror films. It disrupts traditional gender roles and dynamics, especially in a scene where he harmlessly mirrors Kay’s swimming underwater.
So I think the film’s romance and a relatable monster resonates particularly with younger audiences and women, similar to The Shape of Water. The film modernizes the monster movie by combining unconventional romance with playful and eerie elements. This offers an appeal that exceeds the gothic suspense of Rebecca and includes the interesting monster complexities of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.