As a teenager, Mallory O'Meara was thrilled to discover that Creature from the Black Lagoon featured a monster designed by a woman. But while Milicent Patrick should have been hailed as a pioneer in the genre, little information was available. As O'Meara discovered, Patrick's work was claimed by a male colleague and her career was cut short. A true-life detective story and a celebration of a feminist trailblazer, The Lady from the Black Lagoon gives Patrick her rightful place in film history while calling out a Hollywood culture where little has changed.