Scientists drug and capture the creature, who becomes enamoured with the head scientist's female assistant (Julia Adams). The lonely creature, "a living amphibious missing link," escapes and kidnaps the object of his affection. Chief scientist (Richard Carlson) then launches a crusade to rescue his assistant and cast the ominous creature back to the depths from where he came. Well-acted and directed, and with Bud Westmore's brilliantly designed monster, Creature from the Black Lagoon remains an enduring tribute to the imaginative genius of its Hollywood creators.