DUNEDIN -- Forty-nine years ago, just beneath the surface of a tropical river not far from here, there lived a monstrous half-human gill man who could walk on land and kill people with a single swipe of its scaly webbed paw.

Meaner than a hungry alligator, the looming freak of nature smeared with what looked like garish ruby red lipstick on its plump lips, was the lead character of the hit movie, the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Filmed in 1954 in the chilly waters of Wakulla Springs (it was intended to look like the Amazon where the fictional story was supposed to have taken place), the B movie starring Richard Carlson, Julie Adams and Richard Denning became a campy sci-fi cult classic.

Now you can see the 79-minute horror movie at Pioneer Park in Dunedin tonight while sitting on a blanket and enjoying a picnic dinner. Subsequent classic movies will be shown every Friday evening this month including Abbott and Costello (April 11), King Kong (April 18) and Time Machine (April 25).

Some say it's a trend that is sweeping the country. Dunedin wants to get in on it.

"I've heard of outdoor cinemas in artsy college communities in Boulder, Seattle and California, and I thought Dunedin would be an ideal venue," said Libby Stone, a freelance grant writer who initiated the push to bring films to Pioneer Park. "There is a good mix of people. And there are no drive-in movies anymore."

When Stone approached Dunedin's director of leisure services, Harry Gross, a year ago and pitched the idea, Gross was instantly drawn to it, surmising this just may be the kind of old-fashioned, community-oriented fun Dunedin residents are hungry for.

After all, he reasoned, some of those in the audience may have watched the film at a drive-in movie years ago and might be eager to recapture their youth.

"I thought it was a neat idea," he said. "I envisioned people eating out (at nearby restaurants on Main Street in downtown Dunedin) and walking out in the evening. It would be dark, and we would have a movie going. They could come watch it."

This movie will not be shown in 3-D as advertised, because the quality in that format was questionable, Stone sad.

If movie night takes off, it may have to be moved from Pioneer Park, which is small, about three-quarters of an acre.

"If it gets big enough, we might have to move it down to Edgewater Park, which has more space," Gross said. "We'll see how it goes."

-- Eileen Schulte can be reached at (727) 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com .

If you go

Every Friday throughout April, you can recapture your youth with an outdoor film in Pioneer Park in Dunedin. This week it's Creature from the Black Lagoon. It starts at dusk, about 6:45 p.m. The park is at Main Street and Douglas Avenue in the downtown area. This monthlong series is free to the public. Donations will be accepted and 15 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Homeless Emergency Project. Popcorn, sodas and snack concessions also will be available. No pets or alcohol. It's free, but a $5 donation for adults and a $3 donation for children 12 and under is appreciated to offset costs. Call (727) 738-0759.

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