Half Man, Half Fish, All Pervert?

No, I'm not going to talk about The Creature From the Black Lagoon and his transgressive behaviour.  I don't care that he appeared in three films (although only the first one is really any good), that doesn't make him a classic horror movie monster, thus he doesn't warrant inclusion in this week's discussions on the subject.  Although, I have to say that if we were to include him in the discussion then the whole scenario of a half man, half fish, (or whatever the Hell he's meant to be - some kind of prehistoric humanoid amphibian, I think), stalking nubile young women in the swimsuits swimming in the titular lagoon, then its pretty obvious what transgressive behaviours he is exhibiting.  Voyeurism, for one.  I say voyeurism, but it actually turns into stalking.  But the most glaringly obvious transgressive behaviour being implied is that of bestiality - I mean, he's an amphibian lusting after and carrying off to his lair, human women.  What else is he going to do with them there?

Quite why a scaly amphibian would find human women attractive is, of course, never addressed by any of the films.  After all, if the situation were to be reversed, would the audience be expected to believe that a human man might find a scaly green woman with gills sexually alluring?  But the sexual attraction that various monsters and aliens apparently feel for human women is an enduring theme in horror and science fiction movies, (not to mention pulp magazines - just look at some of the late forties and early fifties covers of Planet Stories). Bearing in mind the place and era most of these movies were being made in - fifties USA - it is tempting to think that they are commenting on what would, back then, have been considered a transgressive behaviour: interracial romance.  But perhaps this really would be to read too much into what are, essentially, B-movies.  but you never know.