Sometimes it takes more than a crazy-ass killer flipper monster to keep humans from interfering with nature.

Hardly any time has passed since the first flick has concluded, and back on the boat, we find our river-faring bit character Lucas (Nestor Paiva) and a new batch of eager scientists. This time, however, the Gillman is caught without much fanfare for the story isn’t about the discovery or capture this time around; it’s about the containment.

The Gillman, played of course by our friend Ricou Browning reprising his most famous role (when underwater at least), is shipped to a marine attraction in Florida where it will be studied and displayed to the public. It wouldn’t be much of a movie though if the creature didn’t escape and wreak havoc on water and dry land. And that’s precisely what happens.

But the tension builds slowly as the foreshadowing of a moral creeps onto screen. In case you miss it, wild creatures, particularly this Creature, are not to be domesticated for our amusement. Meanwhile, the mid-fifties characters are allowed a tedious amount of time to develop a friendly competition between two man-scientists Professor Clete Ferguson and Joe Hayes (John Agar and John Bromfield respectively) compete for the attentions of lady-scientist Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson).

This story line nearly takes more attention than the Gillman, who receives far less screen time than we’d like. But he’s still there, wandering about crashing cocktail parties, taking out massive guard dogs, and dragging damsels into the waves.

Our Gillman has changed a tiny bit as well. Look for the blowhole for the oxygen tanks Ricou Browning used for the swimming scenes to now be located at the top of the Gillman’s head. This doesn’t take anything away from the absolute coolness of the Creature’s design, or the profoundly beautiful and acrobatic swimming shots of the Creature with Nelson. These are even more gorgeous than the in the original film!

Veteran Creature director Arnold does manage a bit of tension in a few scenes like when the Creature finally does break free from the marine facility. What I really appreciate and respect about the Creature films is that they don’t rely on moody scenery or dark-as-death sets for tension. The Gillman can be terrifying even in full daylight and that’s exactly how he’s seen the most throughout the series.

No horror film would be half as tense without a complimentary soundtrack. The musical score for Revenge of the Creature is handled again by Joseph Gershenson. It’s not notably different from the original score, but Gershenson does deserve regard for keeping even the dullest of the scientific scenes lively with his orchestrations.

Forgive me if it sounds as though I don’t care for this film much. Truly not the case. It’s actually my favorite in the Creature series. It’s neck and neck with the original, but I find this one fascinating for the very reason that makes it a weak horror flick: the peek at courting and societal roles of the 1950s. Maybe it’s accurate and maybe not; I was just a wee little bat at the time. This is what writer William Alland brought to the screen so regardless, it’s a good study of how cinema reflected life at the time.

For all its beauty and simplicity, I rate this classic Universal a four popped-eye gem of a horror flick and not to be missed. If you haven’t had a chance to see Revenge of the Creature, find time (keeping an eye out for a certain uncredited gunslinger while you’re at it), then tell me what you think of the film.