The Creature from the Black Lagoon Slot Machines
With a big-budget remake of the original Creature from the Black Lagoon movie due in 2013, now seems like the perfect time to review Creature from the Black Lagoon slot machines.
The Films
Originally released in 1954, Creature tells the story of a group of scientists looking for fossils on the Amazon River. When they
come across a terrible creature they call Gill Man, the expedition is turned on its ear. The Gill Man, of course, falls in love with one of the scientists’ ladies and in typical 50s horror movie fashion somehow avoids eating her.
We know very little about the movie remake–little-known director Carl Rinsch is currently signed on to helm the movie, while rumors have it that Bill Paxton is set to play the Gill Man. Since the film is still in “pre-production”, all we know are rumors.
But what about the Creature from the Black Lagoon slot machine? How many stars would Roger Ebert give this creature feature slot machine game?
The Slot Machine Game
One thing fans of the movie will appreciate from this slot machine experience are the clips of the original 1954 film that play between wagers. In fact, the overall atmosphere of this slot machine is much better than other themed slot machines, including things like video clips of creepy creatures with claws clearing the screen for bonus rounds and lots of creepy sound effects.
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a video slot machine, so you should expect plenty of video and audio clips to pop up during game play. This slot machine game is part of the IGT Game King Video Slots library, and like the other machines in this family, the game has five reels with fifteen paylines.
Bets and Jackpots
Your maximum bet is 300 coins and the top jackpot is worth 10,000 credits. You earn this top jackpot when 5 “Creature From The Black Lagoon Wild” symbols stop on a played line. This top jackpot is multiplied by the number of credits bet on the line it lands on. When you win this jackpot, you get a Snack Lagoon Bonus automatically that can multiply and add additional credits to your game. The secondary jackpot is a bit easier to land–spin a reel and line up five Bubble Head Creatures and you’ll earn a quick 1,500 credits. This number is multiplied by the number of credits bet on the winning line.
Reported payback percentages on Creature from the Black Lagoon slot machines range from 85.02% to 98.05% according to reports from casinos around the country.
Game Play and Bonus Rounds
Fans of this game love the silly comments and campy 50s horror movie stuff programmed into this machine. When three or more Creature symbols appear, the Gill Man himself pops up and grabs the innocent character Kay as she sits on the edge of the boat. From time to time, the monster lets Kay go and swims back down into the lagoon, leaving behind bonus credits for you to enjoy.
Creature from the Black Lagoon has two distinct bonus round modes, Claw Bonus and Snack Lagoon. The Claw Bonus is triggered when you line up three or more claw symbols from left to right. During this bonus game, a scary clawed monster pops up on the screen and reaches out to ”tear” the screen away and reveal the number of bonus credits you’ve just won. The value of the credits you win with this bonus game is tied directly to the amount that you wagered when you spin the Claw Bonus.
The Snack Lagoon bonus round involves some player interaction. Spinning four or five snack symbols activates this touch screen-enabled bonus game. Remember the old concession stands at drive-in movies? That’s where “Snack Lagoon” comes from. During this bonus round, the player picks 5 of 15 available snacks. Each snack you picked will reveal credit values, and one snack per round reveals a double symbol. If you get the double symbol, you are awarded another pick and all values are doubled.
Winning at The Creature from the Black Lagoon slot machine is like winning on any video slot. Activate all bonus lines, but only play 1 or 2 coins per line until you’ve hit a big credit increase. Then, maximum bet spins aren’t quite as risky as at the beginning of a new session. Don’t get carried away playing bonus rounds, and make sure to manage your bankroll as you play, even if the movie clips and creepy animation are a bit distracting.