Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror 3-D film in black-and-white, directed by Jack Arnold and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno and Whit Bissell. The Creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and by Ricou Browning underwater. It premiered in Detroit on February 12 and was released on a regional basis, opening on various dates. The "Creature" was an instant cult classic icon and survives to this day. The Creature was released at the peak of the 1950s 3-D movie fad. The creature, also known as the Gill-man, is usually counted among the classic Universal Monsters.