Over at the Classic Horror Film Boards (no relation to Classic-Horror.com), Tom Weaver reported that Ben Chapman, the actor who performed as the Creature in the on-land sequences of Creature from the Black Lagoon, died this morning (February 21st) of undisclosed causes. He was 82.

Ben's death has particular meaning here at Classic-Horror, because he was one of the first interviews we ran, all the way back in 2002. You can read it here.

Buried in Variety.com's news story about Brothers of Invention is the tidbit that Strike Entertainment (Dawn of the Dead '04, Slither) is in pre-production on the long-rumored remake of Universal's 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon. Producer Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Big) has already written the screenplay, and Breck Eisner (Sahara) is set to direct.

Whether you were trick-or-treating, partying in a Playboy Bunny costume, or toilet-papering your boss’s house, I’m sure I got your Halloween beat. On October 31, 2002, I got the opportunity to have a lengthy chat with the last of the Universal Monsters.