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Original ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ Performer Ricou Browning Has Passed Away
We’ve lost another true legend in the world of horror. Bloody Disgusting has learned today that Ricou Browning, known for playing the titular Creature from the Black Lagoon in Universal’s original 1954 horror classic, has passed away this week at the age of 93.
Ricou Browning played the Gill-Man for the film’s extensive underwater sequences, and he subsequently reprised the iconic role in the sequels Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956).
An underwater cinematographer and stuntman, Ricou Browning was uniquely equipped to play the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and he went on to direct the underwater sequences in films including Thunderball (1965), Hello Down There (1969), Caddyshack (1980), and Never Say Never Again (1983). Browning made his directorial debut with 1973’s sea lion movie Salty, and he notably also co-created the classic “Flipper” franchise. Browning later directed the movie Mr. No Legs (1978), centered on a man with shotguns built into his wheelchair.
Wikipedia details Browning’s interesting career trajectory, “Browning started a career in water shows, moving on to produce shows. Browning worked at Wakulla Springs in the 1940s and learned to perform in underwater newsreels conceived by Newt Perry, who later took Browning along when he opened Weeki Wachee Springs.
“While working at Wakulla Springs in 1953, Browning was asked to show around a film crew scouting for shooting locations. Days later, the crew offered Browning the role of the titular Gill-man in the film Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954).”
For many years, Browning had been the last surviving original actor to portray any of the classic Universal Monsters. We send our deepest condolences to his friends, family, and fans.
Ricou Browning is survived by his children Ricou Browning Jr., Renee, Kelly and Kim.
The best part about engaging with collaborative genre fiction on the internet is that anyone can get in on the action, with worldwide accessibility often resulting in absurd story beats that wouldn’t be possible if any single person was responsible for the entire narrative. And while Kane Parsons’ Backrooms film is definitely the young filmmaker’s own unique take on the infamous creepypasta, it’s fun to see other creators join the Backrooms sandbox now that the big screen adaptation is getting ready for a record-shattering opening weekend.
As if cleverly timed releases like Puppet Combo’s The Backrooms game weren’t enough (not to mention that Scary Movie poster poking fun at Parsons’ flick), McDonald’s official social media accounts have now released an analog horror video of their own celebrating the liminal terrors of the McRooms – complete with a familiar purple surprise at the end of the footage.
While it’s funny enough to see the world’s most recognizable Fast Food giant engage with internet-borne Found Footage thrills seemingly out of the blue, the video is actually referencing a long-running gag among the Backrooms fandom where creators jokingly talk about there being a fully functional McDonald’s restaurant hidden somewhere in level 0 of the infamous liminal labyrinth.
Now, would it be too much to hope for a moist-carpet-flavored McShake to tie in with the film?
Backrooms is now playing only in theaters from A24.
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