The Creature from the Black Lagoon 70th Anniversary

Humanity has always tried to control the forces of nature. From plundering resources to long voyages in the name of exploration, the results have been mixed — because sometimes nature fights back. Especially when that force is older than any modern technology, a relic of days long past.

Bubbling up to the surface, it’s Gill-Man! Longtime horror fans know this prehistoric Universal Monster from his first appearance in The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). From the depths of the Amazonian jungle, this amphibious monster-man immediately won over audiences everywhere. There are even rumors swirling on a James Wan-helmed reboot (more on that below).

But what’s the Gill-Man’s story? How did this creature swim his way into our hearts (and onto our shelves)? Hold your breath and let’s dive right in for a celebration of the film’s 70th anniversary.

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The Creature from the Black Lagoon

Like any great monster, Gill-Man is an amalgamation of multiple sources. At the forefront, the film’s future producer, William Alland, attended a dinner party hosted by Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. There, Alland heard the legend of a sea spirit who dwelled in the Amazonian River, worshipped by the Indigenous people there. Alland’s imagination became ensnared by this half-fish, half-man myth. He carried this tiny wave of an idea all the way to Universal Studios, where it eventually rolled in as “The Sea Monster” and worked in elements of another Universal hit, King Kong.

While this initial title didn’t stick, the film slowly came together. Alland recruited the director of It Came from Outer Space, Jack Arnold, as well as the film’s star, Richard Carlson, to help lead his project. Later, multiple actors were brought in to portray the monster and his human love interest. For scenes on land, Ben Chapman portrayed the monster, and Ricou Browning was the Creature below the water’s surface. Julie Adams would play Kay Lawrence, the beautiful human scientist, and Ginger Stanley would swim for Kay’s underwater scenes. Browning and Stanley were trained by Newt Perry, a famous swimmer known for his gravity-defying underwater tricks. With his help, Browning developed the Gill-Man’s signature, ethereal underwater movement.

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A World of Universal Monsters

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is a later entry in the Universal Monster pantheon, since most of the other iconic monsters debuted in the 1930s or 1940s. Nevertheless, Gill-Man struck a chord with audiences. The movie was shot in Florida’s Silver Springs State Park and filmed in 3D, a major factor in making the many underwater scenes so captivating.

However, the monster’s unique design is the film’s main attraction. Audiences had never seen something so unearthly as the Gill-Man. Milicent Patrick, credited as the first woman to work in a movie’s special effects and makeup department, designed the monster’s ingenious suit. She constructed the head piece from plaster casts and then assembled multiple foam rubber pieces into the body’s final form. In all, the suit took 2-3 hours each day to apply to Browning and Chapman. It even featured adjustable pieces since the two actors were of different heights. The use of weights is perhaps the most interesting production detail. For the underwater scenes, the crew weighed down the buoyant rubber suit at the ankles while land scenes employed a gliding mechanism to create Gill-Man’s eye-catching gait.

The Lagoon Overfloweth

The film’s final budget was around half a million. At the box office, it earned more than triple that, making The Creature from the Black Lagoon a smash hit. But work on the sequel actually began before filming on the original was even complete! Universal released the sequel, Revenge of the Creature, a year later in 1954. A third film, The Creature Walks Among Us, premiered in 1956. These films, while not as popular as the original, gave Gill-Man the classic movie monster treatment: a disastrous and tragic introduction into human society.

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Gill-Man Surfaces at Sideshow

Since the very earliest days of Sideshow, we’ve always had a deep connection to all things horror. Our first product was a Bernie Wrightson Frankenstein’s Monster Diorama, based on the artist’s iconic work. Next up, Little Big Head figures captured the whole menagerie of Universal Monsters, earning Sideshow its first license with Universal. From these figures, we worked our way up over the years to Premium Format™ Figures.

With the advent of Premium Formats, Universal Monsters could be brought to life with even more detail — poseable bodies, cut and sew costumes, and cinematically themed bases. Sideshow made the transition from toys to collectibles, all thanks to the eternal movie magic of monsters and other beloved characters.

Back in the early 2000s, a Creature from the Black Lagoon Premium Format™ Figure depicted Gill-Man ascending from the depths. His pose evoked the monster’s graceful way of swimming, inspired by Ricou Browning’s movements in the film. Vibrant greens and murky browns took collectors below the surface just as the base, adorned with wavering aquatic flora and fauna, set the scene for a timeless collectible. A monochromatic Silver Screen variant of the Creature paid further homage to his classic film roots.

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Further Adventures of Gill-Man

Just like his fellow Universal Monsters, Gill-Man has popped up all throughout pop culture. He’s been on television, such as The Munsters, and his likeness was used in cult classic films like The Monster Squad. Most famously, Jaws paid homage to the Creature by recreating the unforgettable scene in which a swimmer at the surface is followed by the monster below. Marilyn Monroe even went to see The Creature from the Black Lagoon at the movies, right before her skirt moment, in The Seven Year Itch.

More recently, Guillermo del Toro used Gill-Man as the inspiration for The Shape of Water. His visually stunning, heartbreaking film was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, winning in Best Production Design, Best Score, Best Director, and Best Picture. But the legend of the Black Lagoon is far from over. While Universal’s Dark Universe shifted from a planned multiverse to standalone films, James Wan is currently set to produce a remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon, with a script from Sean Tretta (Star Trek: Picard, Mayans M.C.). After spending decades in development backwater, a Gill-Man resuscitation in the hands of Wan, known for Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring Universe, certainly holds a lot of promise.

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Have you seen all the Gill-Man movies? Why do you think he’s such a popular member of the Monster Hall of Fame? Join the conversation with other horror fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!

Do you have a taste for terror? Are you ready to party like a vampire and wake up screaming? Run while you can … Spooktacular has come home!

Kiss your nerves goodbye during Sideshow’s Spooktacular 2024, a celebration with ghastly giveaways, deathly deals, eerie exclusive perks, and more. Join us from October 21 – October 31 by visiting side.show/spooktacular and don’t forget — sleep is for the weak!