A monstrous injustice

Costume drama A jealous male colleague denied creature designer Milicent Patrick of her place in horror-movie history. A new book sets out to right that wrong…

Milicent Patrick was a true pioneer. An actress, special effects designer and one of Disney’s first female animators, she most notably designed the monster for 1954’s Creature from the Black Lagoon.

However, her career was cut short after a jealous male colleague, Bud Westmore, claimed credit for her work. Now though, she’s getting the recognition she deserves, thanks to a new book from Mallory O’Meara entitled The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and The Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick.

Mallory works as a screenwriter and producer for Dark Dunes Productions, and learning about Milicent when she was “a teenage monster nerd” was a huge inspiration to her. “It made me realise there could be a place for me in the male-dominated world of horror,” she says. “Milicent getting recognition for her achievements is decades overdue.”

If Milicent hadn’t suffered discrimination, Mallory believes she would have continued to apply the same skills that made The Creature from The Black Lagoon so exceptional. “I’m not saying Monster on the Campus (1958), which had the same director, would have been less of a lacklustre cheesefest if Milicent had designed the monster... but I’m not not saying it.”

Mallory hopes her book, which will be published by Hanover Square Press and is available for pre-order now at www.malloryomeara.com/book, will encourage more women into the horror industry. “What happened to Milicent is still happening over six decades later,” she says. “No woman has designed an iconic monster since Milicent did. That needs to change.”

Milicent getting recognition for her achievements is decades overdue

As an artist and animator, Milicent Patrick was a pioneer for women in the movie industry. “Milicent was the first woman I’d ever seen behind the scenes on a horror movie,” says Mallory.

“I hope Milicent’s story will encourage more potential female filmmakers to see there’s a place for them too,” says Mallory.

A sketch by Milicent of the television and film actor Leo Gordon, who often played supporting roles.