Creature From the Black Lagoon

White Science and Black Magic

Carol Clover’s ideas about gender and horror can be extensively applied to Creature from the Black Lagoon. Clover, in her analysis of the occult horror film, discusses the relationship between “White Science,” and “Black Magic,” the former being founded in western rationel, lab coats, and white men, the later originating in other cultures, voodoo, spirits, and women (66). In Creature from the Black Lagoon, there is an extraordinary amount of White Science--as white doctors of science, Dr. Carl Maia, Dr. David Reed, Dr. Mark Williams, and Dr. Edwin Thompson, spend at least half of the runtime mansplaining their understandings of science (e.g., “What these rocks tell you, anyway?” “How old they are. It's called the uranium-lead test”) to their less ‘educated’ South American counterparts.

Similarly to Creature from the Black Lagoon, the occult film begins in a world governed by White Science. However, when strange things begin to happen, we see Black Magic. Black Magic in Creature from the Black Lagoon is predominantly represented by the creature who is notably two things: foreign and (in black and white) black. The creature proposes an issue for White Science, as his mere existence is in the realm of the unknown, outside of the western rationel. This leads to a sort of cognitive dissonance for the white doctors--do they remain in the world of White Science or come to terms with the extraordinary?

Old Masculinity vs. New Masculinity

As Clover importantly notes, “...the conflict between White Science and Black Magic is a deeply gendered one, constitutive of a conflict between male and female and also constitutive, within the male story, of a conflict between “masculine” and “feminine” (98). While White Science is deemed masculine, Black Magic is considered feminine. This is particularly interesting when considering Creature from the Black Lagoon through the lens of the slasher film. Clover identifies two masculinities, which she dubs “bad, old masculinity...and a new, good masculinity.“ She explains that “in the same way that the slasher film codes aggressive behavior as masculine and outfits those who engage in it, females as well as males, with chain saws and power drills (commonly positioned at crotch level), occult films code emotional openness as feminine and figure those who indulge it, male and female, as physically opened, penetrated” (101). Old, bad masculinity can be seen in Dr. Mark Williams, who carries a speargun to validate his masculinity. Dr. Mark Williams literally penetrates the creature with multiple spears, highlighting the feminine nature of the creature as that which is penetrated. We also see the creature's attraction to the feminine, as he is fascinated by Kay, and unlike his reactions to other men, does not wish to harm her in any way.The creature can thus be understood as a representation of the new, good masculinity. As Clover explains, “the redefined masculine or the “new man”...encroaches on and appropriates characteristics traditionally located in the feminine” (105). The creature is also feminized on account of, as aforementioned, his association with Black Magic. As Clover notes, “if [a figure of old, bad masculinity] were to wander out of the action genre into the slasher film, he would end up dead” (99). Mark’s rash actions, in penetrating and trying to capture the creature for his own capitalistic purposes, not only puts himself at risk of death, but risks the lives of his entire team.