The History of the Universal Monsters: 1954’s ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ Teased a New Future for the Franchise [Halloweenies Podcast]

In 2025, the Halloweenies are celebrating the storied legacy of the Universal Monsters. Dracula, Wolf Man, Frankenstein, his Bride, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man… all will be covered. In fact, each monster is getting their own month, giving the Halloweenies plenty of time to dig deep into their respective origins and chart their influence over the past century and some change.

Last month, the gang stalked the cellars for 1925’s silent blockbuster The Phantom of the Opera. This month, however, they’re cooling off by wading in the waters of the Amazon in search of 1954’s Creature from the Black Lagoon. Directed by Jack Arnold, the sci-fi creature feature marked a new beginning for the Universal Monsters. Or did it?

Topics include: the myth that molded the movie, how the Creature fits into the Universal Monsters pantheon, the ways the franchise fumbled a promising new future, the plague of too many doctors, the beauty of Julia Adams, all the failed remakes, and the controversy between Milicent Patrick and the true creature Bud Westmore.

Stream the episode below or subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies ? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, and Alien! This year it’s all Universal, all Monsters.

Which creature is next? It’s a funny one.

You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for irreverent commentaries (eg The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , Gremlins , Jaws ), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (eg Killer Klowns from Outer Space , Invasion of the Body Snatchers), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast .

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The post The History of the Universal Monsters: 1954’s ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ Teased a New Future for the Franchise [Halloweenies Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.