One of the most famous, classic horror movie series of all time was filmed in Silver Springs just over 70 years ago, with one of the films featuring the on-screen debut of Clint Eastwood.
Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed between mid-October and mid-November of 1953. The film was released theatrically in February 1954. After the original film’s success, two sequels were created: Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us.
According to filming and production records maintained by the International Movie Database (IMDb), underwater shots for the film and its sequels were shot at Wakulla Springs, Silver Springs, Jacksonville, and a few other locations in Florida.
Dozens of photos that were captured on the various sets of the films are now stored within Florida Memory, the state library’s photo archives.
Some of those photos show crews, actors, and spectators at Silver Springs during the summer of 1954, when filming of Revenge of the Creature took place.
That film was released in the United States in May 1955.
The third installment in the series, The Creature Walks Among Us, was filmed in late 1955 and was released in the Spring of 1956.
In all three films, the titular “creature,” or Gill-man, was played by Ricou Browning during the underwater shots.
During shots of the Gill-man on land, three different actors portrayed the creature: Ben Chapman, Tom Hennesy, and Don Megowan.
Browning, who was a lifeguard before his role in the first film, turned his success into a career in the movie industry, including roles in Flipper, Thunderball, Never Say Never Again, and the television series “Sea Hunt.”
The plot of the first film follows a group of scientists looking to confirm the discovery of a new creature (the Gill-man) in the Amazon. That film ends with the Gill-man being shot and sinking into his lagoon.
The plot of the second film, Revenge of the Creature, picks up where the first film left off, with the Gill-man now captured and caged in a national park in Florida. The creature is studied by scientists until he eventually escapes into the ocean.
In the third and final installment of the trilogy, the Gill-man is captured in Florida and is transformed into a human-like creature. He eventually kills his captor and retreats back into the ocean.
While the first two films were directed by Jack Arnold, the third film was directed by John Sherwood in his directorial debut.
According to IMDb, Clint Eastwood was a member of the second film’s cast, playing “Lab Technician Jennings.” Although Eastwood appears briefly in the film, it is considered his big-screen debut.
Over the decades, multiple film productions have used Marion County as a backdrop.
Jeepers Creepers, which celebrated its 23rd anniversary earlier this year, was filmed in various parts of the county and state.
In the 1980s, Tom Cruise visited Silver Springs for the filming of Legend.
Do you have any stories or experiences about filming in Ocala and Marion County? Share your comments below or write a letter to the editor.