I suspect, then, that how much you enjoy a movie like Creature from Black Lake depends a lot on how you grew up and how you approach the movie today. With no frame of reference in common with the film, you can’t hope for much. The simple fear generated from saying, “Did you hear that?” while you’re sitting out in the middle of the woods isn’t something that can be explained to someone who hasn’t been there. An understanding of that sensation, of that primal sense of sudden fear that makes you peer pensively into impenetrable darkness, is integral to appreciating this type of film.