When the Gillman spotted Julie Adams in her succulent white, one-piece bathing suit frolicking in his Black Lagoon home, we know what he was thinking of; fertilizing her eggs. How he would do that was left to the imagination; but we all knew what he wanted. And who could blame him? The chicks in monster movies have historically been stone-cold foxes. If I was some radioactive, mutant Hell-beast, I wouldn't mind getting a little B-movie starlet action.
In the Fifties, audiences were not ready for this to be graphically represented; they weren't ready for married couples to be sleeping the same bed. By the Seventies, sensibilities had changed. It should be no surprise that B-movie maestro Roger Corman took this idea - the monster wanting to get it on with the girl - to it's logical conclusion. In Humanoids from the Deep the fishman have their way with our women!
Julie Adams, the gold standard for monster lust objects. |
The plot isn't much impediment to the blood and boobs. Growth homrmones have created mutant fishmen from the salmon population off the coast of Noyo, Washington. Local racist Vic Morrow thinks Indians - in the person of Johnny Eagle (Anthony Pena) - are responsible for the trouble in the area, since he is opposed to a new cannery being built. Seventies B-movie staple Doug McClure plays Jim hill, our hero, who thinks that something more sinister is afoot...or afin.
One of the fishmen, just out looking for love. |
The gory - and rapey - monster attacks escalate. Lady scientist Susan Drake (Ann Turkel) shows up to offer some exposition - she helped create the mutant salmon for the cennery company - and be menaced by fishmen. It all ends with a massive attack on a seaside festival...or does it? Not really, since our last scene is of one of the monster's victims giving birth to a little fish monster. Aw, look, he has his father's gills! How cute.
This movie is great. There is a ton of gratuitous nudity (shot by Corman after director Barbara Peeters left the film). Every attack on a woman starts with the monster helpfully tearing off the victim's top. "Thanks for being so thoughtful," I think every time a pair of boobs pops into view. There's gore aplenty, starting with a couple of shredded dogs that will upset every animal lover. Don't worry, though; the fishmen soon move on to clawing humans to bloody ribbons. The movie has an appropriately cold and dreary look about it; the town of Noyo seems like the kind of place that no one would miss if it were overrun by salmon-monsters. There's some heavy handed social commentary with the native American angle (Johnny Eagle doesn't want the cannery built for some reason while Vic Morrow is cartoonishly racist) but that doesn't distract from the exploitation aspects of the film.
Doug, you need to open your eyes...it helps with the aiming and stuff. |
The monster costumes are pretty cool, given the budget constraints; these days, they'd be CGI and jump around like monkeys on speed. Here, they lumber about when they aren't menacing bikini tops. The acting is pretty bad; Morrow seems bored and drunk. McClure, normally a reliable B-movie hero, phones it in. Everyone else is either bad, bland or there to show her tits. I don't judge; I only report.
I can't recommend this film highly enough. If you like movies that are entertaining in a sleazy, over-the-top way, you'll love this film. Check it out.
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