Pre-screening conversation with Mallory O'Meara, author of The Lady from the Black Lagoon, and Susan Arnold, Film Producer and Chair, Film and Television Production Division, Professor of Practice Cinematic Arts USC School of Cinematic Arts.

A group of scientists exploring the Brazilian Amazon discover a terrifying creature, a “Gill Man,” who becomes infatuated with the female member of their team, putting all their lives in danger. Producer William Alland claimed to have received the inspiration for the film from a dinner party story told by legendary cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. The classic horror film reunited several key participants from Universal’s 3D hit It Came from Outer Space (1953), including Alland, actor Richard Carlson, writer Harry Essex, and director Jack Arnold. With its evocative 3D cinematography, unexpected eroticism, and the superbly designed creature suit, the film spawned two sequels and was a major inspiration for Guillermo del Toro’s 2017 Oscar winner The Shape of Water.