ON AIRTerminal of Terror

🐟 The Creature from the Black Lagoon

An amphibious humanoid from the Amazon

Also known as The Creature, Gill-man, Gillman, Black Lagoon

📺 "Fancy a swim? Tonight we paddle up the Amazon to meet a gentleman with gills, scales and absolutely no respect for personal space."

💀 Facts

  • The Creature is also known as the Gill-man
  • Milicent Patrick designed the Creature, but her credit was denied for decades
  • Two performers shared the role: Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning underwater
  • The underwater scenes were filmed at Wakulla Springs in Florida
  • The film was released in 3D at the height of the 1950s 3D craze
  • The expedition begins with a fossilised hand from the Devonian period

📜 Legend

According to producer William Alland, the idea began at a dinner party where the cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa told a legend about a half-man, half-fish creature living in the Amazon. The finished film sends scientists upriver after a fossilised webbed hand from the Devonian period, when life first crawled onto land. It was the last of the great Universal monsters, arriving just as the 1950s 3D craze peaked.

🎬 The Film

TitleCreature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
StudioUniversal-International
DirectorJack Arnold
StarringBen Chapman (land) and Ricou Browning (water)
MakeupDesigned by Milicent Patrick
Released1954-02-12

🎞️ Shot in 3D. The underwater scenes were filmed at Wakulla Springs, Florida.

🎭 Myth vs Movie

True or false? Make your guess, then click a card (or press r) for the verdict.

  • Makeup chief Bud Westmore designed the Creature.

    ✘ FALSE

    Artist Milicent Patrick designed it. Westmore took the credit and her role was downplayed for decades.

  • Creature from the Black Lagoon was released in 3D.

    ✔ TRUE

    It was shot with a dual-camera 3D rig, though many cinemas also showed it flat.

  • One actor played the Creature.

    ✘ FALSE

    Ben Chapman wore the suit on land, while champion swimmer Ricou Browning performed the underwater scenes.

  • The lagoon scenes were filmed in the Amazon.

    ✘ FALSE

    The crew never went to South America. Underwater footage came from Wakulla Springs in Florida and the rest from the Universal lot.

🃏 Stat Card

Strength
8
Speed
8
Cunning
5
Dread
7

⚡ Powers

  • Breathes water and air
  • Powerful swimming
  • Crushing grip
  • Survives wounds that would kill a man

🧄 Weaknesses

  • Poisoned water
  • Being hauled from the lagoon
  • Fascination with humans
  • Harpoon guns

Stats power the Monster Mash: terminal-of-terror mash creature

🎞️ Legacy

  • Revenge of the Creature (1955), featuring an early screen role for Clint Eastwood
  • The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
  • The Shape of Water (2017), Guillermo del Toro's love letter to the Gill-man

⌨️ h l previous / next · 1–7 sections · r reveal · g gallery, just like the terminal.