Dirty Harry vs. the Gill-Man: Jason William Karpf talks about his story “Creature from the Dead Pool”
How a Universal Monsters bit part raised the question about the Creature of the Black Lagoon facing one of the biggest action movie stars of all time…
“The lightbulb went on—what if young Dirty Harry tangled with the Creature? ‘Creature from the Dead Pool’ is 1950s sci-fi with a touch of James Bond for the finale.”
Author and speaker Jason William Karpf recently released the crossover story “Creature from the Dead Pool,” which pits Dirty Harry vs. the Gill-Man in 1957! The story was inspired by the appearance of a young Clint Eastwood in the sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon. In the 1955 Gill-Man movie Revenge of the Creature, Eastwood had a bit part playing a lab tech. Of course, the actor later became one of the biggest movie stars of all time, including his action movies featuring violent police detective Dirty Harry.
Karpf talks to Monster Complex about “Creature from the Dead Pool.” The author shares how the story compares to his usual fiction, reveals his background as an author, and explains how he bridges the gap between science fiction and religion.
You can download the story “Creature from the Dead Pool” free at CreatureFromTheDeadPool.com.
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About the Dirty Harry series
The Dirty Harry movies were neo-noir action thrillers revolving around San Francisco homicide detective Harry Callahan. Starring Clint Eastwood as Callahan, the movies in the series included Dirty Harry (1971), Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983) and The Dead Pool (1988).
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About the Gill-Man series
The Universal Monsters classic 1954 movie The Creature from the Black Lagoon, inspired by South American myths, follows a group of scientists who encounter an amphibious humanoid in the waters of the Amazon. In 1955’s Revenge of the Creature, the gill-man is captured and brought to an aquarium in Florida. In the final movie in the series, 1956’s The Creature Walks Among Us, a group of scientists recapture the creature—and the gill-man is badly burned in a fire leading to a surgical transformation.
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About author Jason William Karpf
A Christian author and speaker, Jason William Karpf writes science-fiction with a Christian worldview. Karpf’s fiction includes Brimstone 1 and The Deliverer. Also a speaker, his presentations include the series “Christian Sci-Fi Night with Professor K.”
The son of a screenwriter, Karpf was a child actor whose credits include Bonanza and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. (A lifelong history aficionado, Karpf was also a four-time champion on the TV gameshow Jeopardy.)
In our interview below, Karpf talks to Monster Complex about his new story that pits Dirty Harry vs. the Gill-Man, shares how the story compares to his usual fiction, reveals his background as an author, and explains how he bridges the gap between science fiction and religion.
Jason William Karpf Q&A: “Creature from the Dead Pool”
1) That mash-up is such an AMAZING idea! It’s one of those things that makes you wonder why no one has done it before now. What inspired you to have Dirty Harry and the Gill-Man in the same story?
A publisher put a call for stories inspired by the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I immediately started considering angles and thought about Clint Eastwood having a bit part in the second Gill-Man movie, Revenge of the Creature, 1955. He plays an absent-minded lab tech reporting to John Agar, one of the great leading men of 1950s sci-fi films. Obviously, Clint went on to become one of the biggest movie stars of all time, including his five turns as Dirty Harry starting in 1971.
The lightbulb went on—what if young Dirty Harry tangled with the Creature? The ideas flowed from there, including making the lab tech Dirty Harry’s twin brother who dies in a new search for the Gill-Man, giving Harry his motivation to go after the monster.
2) How does this work compare and contrast with your other fiction?
“Creature from the Dead Pool” is a fan-fiction short story, available for free. It uses copyrighted characters, which is why I didn’t end up submitting it to the publisher who prompted the idea. You can download it for free at http://creaturefromthedeadpool.com
My other works are traditionally published and available for sale at Amazon. I write Christian sci-fi novels and short stories. “Creature from the Dead Pool” is 1950s sci-fi with a touch of James Bond for the finale. I include some Christian references by making Dirty Harry’s father a traveling preacher during the Depression when Harry and his brother were kids.
3) In writing Christian sci-fi novels, what are the benefits (or challenges) of bridging between the two? How difficult has it been to get readers (from either side) to accept them? What are those conversations like?
I have a live study series called “Christian Sci-Fi Night with Professor K.” I tell people that scripture and sci-fi share the same lesson: Playing God leads to trouble. The Bible warns us against substituting our own abilities and ethics for God’s. The original novel of Frankenstein from 200 years ago carries the same warning. Sci-fi since then has presented humankind seeking new powers without considering the consequences.
My effort to bridge Christianity and science fiction has become a writing and speaking ministry for me. At first, many people are surprised to consider the two side-by-side. After we watch a classic episode of Twilight Zone and discuss from a Christian perspective, the idea becomes much clearer. And much more fun!
4) When and how did you become interested in the kind of fiction like you write? (Childhood reading, movies, life experiences, what?)
My late mother, Elinor, was a screenwriter. She was best known for the TV movie Gargoyles, 1972, which became a cult classic and brought Stan Winston to prominence with his Emmy win for the monster makeup.
Mom was an adolescent in the 1950s and a big fan of the era’s sci-fi, including classic movies such as The Thing, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Forbidden Planet. Twilight Zone first aired when she was in college and was her favorite program. She shared this love of sci-fi with me from the very beginning.
I watched broadcasts of King Kong and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea with her when I was a toddler and Star Trek when I was in grade school. On the literary side, I read Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke in middle school, with Mom’s encouragement. As a young adult, I became her writing partner.
5) What are the best ways for fans to keep track of what you’re writing (and related author news about you)?
Visit my Amazon author page. And my website: JasonKarpf.com
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