James Wan is in talks to remake the horror classic The horror of the Amazonand for it to work, it should take into account a trick from one of Guillermo del Toro’s best films. In 1954, the monster horror film The horror of the Amazon was released. Directed by Jack Arnold, The horror of the Amazon was filmed and shown in 3D, which allowed for a more intense experience and set the film apart from other monster movies of the time. The horror of the Amazon has now become a horror classic and has served as inspiration for many horror films.

The horror of the Amazon follows a group of scientists who find a fish-like amphibian-man in the Amazon. Given its place in horror history, The horror of the Amazon was almost redone a few times and was planned as part of the reboot of Universal’s Dark Universe in 2014, but that quickly changed after the failure of The Mummy. Now, The horror of the Amazon seems to finally be on the way to a reboot as James Wan is in talks to direct the project, but to be successful it will need to pull off a trick of Shape of Water – The Secret of Water.

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James Wan’s “The Terror from the Amazon” faces a major visual obstacle

The remake of “The Terror from the Amazon” is a big challenge

The horror of the Amazon is part of Universal’s classic monster group and stood out at the time because of its 3D format, as it was still a new format. The horror of the Amazon is also notable for the special effects used to bring the Gill Man to life, as well as the work of the actors who portrayed the character on land (Ben Chapman) and underwater (Ricou Browning). The Gill-man was the result of the outstanding work of make-up artists, prosthetic designersand animators who played a key role in making it a fascinating yet terrifying creature.

While there are still many filmmakers who prefer the use of special effects over CGI (such as Christopher Nolan), many choose the latter because it offers a greater variety of creative possibilities. The horror genre in particular offers some legendary and fascinating examples of special effects, but it is also a genre in which CGI is used far too frequently.

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Many horror films rely on practical effects instead of CGI. The results are impressive, but also disturbingly realistic and bloody.

The problem with a remake of The horror of the Amazon this is now the case It might rely too much on CGI, which ruins the mood of the film and the creaturebut the special effects should go a step further to make the Gill Man completely believable and visually better than the original (which is still cool but looks dated now).

Wan’s Amazon Monster can copy the shape of water design tricks

“Shape of Water” used a clever trick for the amphibian man

Among the many films The horror of the Amazon influenced is Guillermo del Toro’s Shape of Water – The Secret of Water. Published in 2017, Shape of Water – The Secret of Water Set in 1962, it tells the story of Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaner in a high-security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured humanoid amphibian creature (played by Doug Jones). Shape of Water – The Secret of Water was a huge success with critics and at the box office and won Best Picture at the 2018 Academy Awards. Shape of Water – The Secret of WaterThe Amphibian Man was greatly inspired by The horror of the Amazonand it combined some tricks to bring it to life.

Shape of Water – The Secret of Water used a combination of special effects and CGI to create the Amphibian Man. Jones wore a full-body prosthetic suit and makeup designed by Legacy Effects (via CNET), But The designers’ work was complemented by CGI. This was used primarily on the Amphibian Man’s face, especially his eyes, to better portray his emotions, and some shots required more digital work as there was a range of movement that could not be achieved with the camera (via The edge).

Wan’s The horror of the Amazon Remake can greatly benefit from adopting this trick from Shape of Water – The Secret of Waterall the more so since they have similar creatures. Practical effects and CGI can bring the Gill Man to life in a believable way This also allows us to showcase the incredible work of the makeup and prosthetic artists while also honoring the work that went into creating the original Gill-man.

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The remake of “The Terror from the Amazon” should retain a certain element

Creating the Gill Man solely with practical effects wouldn’t quite work for Wan’s remake, but there is another element from the original film that could benefit him greatly. Among many other classics from Universal’s Monsters, The horror of the Amazon is a black and white filmwhich gives the whole thing a particularly spooky atmosphere. Wan’s gill man can be improved even further if he decides to use his version of The horror of the Amazon in black and white, which can make it even stranger and more sinister. Whatever the plan for James Wan’s The horror of the Amazon Remake, let’s hope it doesn’t end up in the graveyard of failed remakes.

Sources: CNET, The edge.

The Terror from the Amazon (1954)

The Terror from the Amazon is a monster film from Universal in which a group of scientists go on a mission in the Amazon region and soon realize that they are not alone. A mysterious, human-like creature with amphibious properties roams the swampland with them. It falls in love with a scientist, but its appearance terrifies the intrepid researchers, which leads to great danger.

director

Jack Arnold

Release date

February 12, 1954

Pour

Julie Adams, Richard Denning

Duration

79 minutes