2001 Stan Winston's Creature Feature: She Creature

The 2001 Stan Winston "Creature Features" refers to a series of five HBO/Cinemax horror films inspired by 1950s B-movies, featuring creatures designed by the legendary Stan Winston Studios (e.g., She Creature, Earth vs. the Spider), plus a line of collectible action figures based on these monsters, offering fans a nostalgic yet modernized horror experience with detailed figures like the Queen of the Lair and Quentin.
The films were inspired by the titles of American International Pictures (AIP) monster movies from the 1950s but featured entirely new plots and creature designs by Stan Winston and his team. The five films in the series were:
Earth vs. the Spider
How to Make a Monster
Day the World Ended
The She-Creature
Teenage Caveman
Concurrently with the films, Stan Winston Studios released their first line of action figures, known as "Stan Winston's Creature Features" collectibles. Each figure came with a CD-ROM that included exclusive behind-the-scenes content detailing the creation of the figures and creatures.
She Creature (2001) is a horror TV movie produced by < Stan Winston as part of his "Creature Features" series for Cinemax, retelling the tale of a mermaid captured by carnies for a freak show, only for her monstrous true form, the "Queen of the Lair," to reveal herself and seek revenge, showcasing Winston's spectacular practical creature effects and designs for the terrifying aquatic monster.
Producer: Stan Winston, alongside Lou Arkoff and Colleen Camp, producing for HBO/Cinemax.
Inspiration: A remake/reimagining of the 1956 AIP film The She-Creature, part of a series of remakes of classic monster movies.
Plot: Circuses Angus (Rufus Sewell) and Lily (Carla Gugino) steal a real mermaid from an elderly man, planning to exhibit her, but she turns out to be a deadly, monstrous creature who begins to hunt the crew on their ship.
Creature Design: Features the signature practical effects from Stan Winston's studio, especially the monstrous "Queen of the Lair" form, considered excellent and detailed.
Cast: Stars Rufus Sewell, Carla Gugino, Gil Bellows, and Rya Kihlstedt as the mermaid.
Legacy: Praised as a solid creature feature with great period atmosphere, despite some criticism of its pacing, it's a standout in the Cinemax series for its creature effects.