JOHN CARPENTER’S CANCELED 1988 REMAKE OF THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON: IN-DEPTH SCRIPT REVIEW – The internet is crawling with all manner of scripts for movies that didn’t get made, but this is the first time I’m mentioning one. That’s because I feel this one could have been a hit. Maybe not a cash cow but a solid hit.
It would have been directed by a John Carpenter still in his relative prime, for one thing. The screenplay gets a detailed break down below, but if you want a quick overview this 1988 Creature from the Black Lagoon would have taken the story in the inevitable direction needed to avoid nothing but quick underwater fights with the title menace.
At this point the term “Lovecraftian” has been incredibly overused but let’s face it, that atmosphere is needed to breathe new life into this long-dormant franchise. Lovecraft’s tales of Dagon and Innsmouth and the underwater ruins in The Temple would fit this franchise like a glove.
In addition to a scientific expedition on the Amazon River like in the original film, the script featured an underwater structure in the Black Lagoon’s depths.
Artwork and hieroglyphics in the pyramid/ temple indicate a prehistoric time when Gill-Men and humans coexisted. Bones of countless sacrificial victims are found by the expedition members as well as multiple fossils of Gill-Men, a species of whom the Creature is the last living representative.
The Creature’s grotto from the 1950s film would be changed to a section of the submerged structure. Labyrinthine hallways above and below water would have provided ample space for Alien or The Thing style encounters with the Creature.
And the script had a big enough cast of characters for a large body count. Plus it would have tried taking the story into territory that the much later Shape of Water explored.
A virtual scene by scene examination of the script, with textual proof provided on screen and impressive visuals accompanying the analysis are to be found by clicking HERE.
Balladeer's Blog 