The Shape of Water’s Creature Origin Explained

The Shape of Water presented a different type of monster within Guillermo del Toro’s universe: an amphibian man with a mysterious origin. Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is known for adding different types of fantastic creatures to his stories, showing that the real monsters are more often than not those who act and look human, and not those with monstrous features. Three years after his gothic romance film Crimson Peak, del Toro went back to the dark fantasy realm with The Shape of Water.

The film, set in 1962, follows Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute and isolated woman who works as a cleaning lady at a high-security government laboratory. When a mysterious, humanoid amphibian creature is brought to the lab, she develops a unique bond with it and eventually falls in love with the creature. The Amphibian Man was brought to be studied and experimented on, but with some help, Elisa fights for the creature’s survival. The Amphibian Man was inspired by the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but its story is a much bigger mystery than the Gill-man’s.

Just like the aforementioned classic movie monster, The Shape of Water’s Amphibian Man comes from the Amazon, but not much else is known about its origins – and that’s exactly how Guillermo del Toro wanted it. In an interview with io9, del Toro explained that what’s in the film about the creature is everything there is about it, meaning that there’s no larger backstory. As explained by him, the Amphibian Man is not an animal, but a God from the Amazon, worshipped by the natives. When an American company arrived to drill oil, they killed the natives and found the creature. The Amphibian Man was caged and taken to the laboratory where Elisa worked, and the plan was to exploit the creature so they could have the upper hand during the Cold War.

The Amphibian Man has healing powers, shown when he touches Giles’ wounded arm, and at the end of the film when it takes Elisa with it into the canal, touches the scars on her neck, and they open to reveal gills like his, bringing her back to life. It’s unknown if it has more powers or if this is all it can do, but it’s more than enough for it to be worshipped – and it’s also enough reason for Strickland and company to want to experiment on it.

The lack of backstory for the creature in The Shape of Water doesn’t work against it – quite the opposite, it actually adds to the fantasy of the story and the mystery of the creature. Whether it was born in the water or it’s a deity that somehow ended up in it will continue to be a mystery, and what it represents is up to the viewer, making the film a unique experience for everyone.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3269 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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