The Legend of Boggy Creek

source: The Legend of Boggy Creek

This classic 1970's drive-in film is a must for all Bigfoot and cryptozoology fans! If you don't like 1970's films, low low budget films then stay clear from this. Go watch Harry Potter instead. The creepy swamp scenery at the start of the picture, lack of a budget, non-existant acting, and glimpses of a man in an ape suit makes this late night gem a real joy to watch!! Good for viewing in the dark. Much better than Sasquatch: The Untold. UGH!

Folklore suggests sightings as early as the 1850s--but old tales aside, something has troubled the tiny town of Fouke, Arkansas since the 1940s right up to present day. Residents claim it is a tall, hairy creature with hands like a man and glowing red eyes. And after a series of somewhat spectacular sightings in the early 1970s, director Charles B. Pierce decided to make a movie about it. I saw LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK in original theatrical release when I was twelve or so, and it scared the blazes out of me. When I found this inexpensive DVD version, I grabbed it for the sake of nostalgia--and discovered that what scared me at twelve can barely elicit a raised eyebrow nowadays. It may still frighten the kiddies, but from an adult point of view, LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK is pretty tame and lame. Although the film has a few effective moments, they seem to have happened by accident instead of design. The cinematography is a weak effort at a documentary style, and the costume for the Fouke monster is hardly more than a long-haired suit, but now and then they do combine to give you pause--especially in shots when the creature is largely motionless and obscured by trees. But on the whole, the movie consists of a mix of interviews, scripted actors, and the occasional pause for some hilariously bad "ballad of boggy creek"-type country music. My final take on the whole thing: if this has some nostalgic appeal, by all means buy it, but don't expect too much. And if you've don't have those childhood memories to fall back on, pass it by, because that's really all this DVD has going for it. Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

The cover of the "Legend of Boggy Creek" is breathtaking. It is the one where you've been searching up and down the horror isle, over the films you've already seen, and then, for some reason, you hadn't noticed it before, it just jumps out at you. The old shaggy beast halfway limping from the boggy creek, with objective brown detailing, it strikes you. Astounding. Not that you should rent the movie itself, because it sucks, but the video cover is the one that'll keep you coming back to the video store night after night. I highly recommend this film's cover art over all others. They're currently working on a sequel to this film entitled "The Legend of the Cover Art of the Legend of Boggy Creek." I'm really looking forward to that one if the cover art will be anything like that of the original "Legend."

The Legend of Boggy Creek is the story of a creature alleged to live in the area near Fouke, Arkansas. The creature supposedly stands 7 feet tall, is covered with hair, smells bad, and kills chickens, dogs, cats, and other small animals. Although the creature has never killed a human, as the movie points out, several people claim to have been terrorized by the "Bigfoot of the South" in the 1960s. I don't remember how old I was the first time I saw The Legend of Boggy Creek, but it scared me. Part of the reason is that it's based on a supposed true story. The people in the movie are the real people who claim to have seen the monster. I've actually known people like this and their stories ring true with me (at least I believe that they believe what they're saying). As I've grown older, I realize that the story is probably a bunch of hooey, but the movie is still effective in raising the hairs on the back of my neck. Another plus for the movie is the low budget look it has. I realize that this is a bi-product of actually being made on a low budget, but the grainy look is often more effective in creating an atmosphere of horror than slick, well-financed productions can achieve. And even if you don't find any of the legend spooky, there is enough to poke fun at to have a good time. Don't watch this movie if you're expecting Academy Award caliber acting. Most of the people in The Legend of Boggy Creek aren't actors. And those that actually are actors are about as believable as the Fouke Monster. A couple of songs in the movie are quite funny. For example, the main theme: "Here the Sulphur river flows / Rising when the storm cloud blows / This is where the creature goes / Lurking in the land he knows / Perhaps he dimly wonders why / Is there no other such as I / To love, to touch before I die / To listen to my lonely cry." You don't hear lyrics like that everyday. One scene that always makes me laugh is the death of one of Fouke's felines. When was the last time you saw a cat that was "scared to death" as the ever-present narrator of The Legend of Boggy Creek claims. Good stuff!

"The Legend of Boggy Creek" deserves a higher rating on the IMDb. Despite a couple of laughable folk songs, the movie is an intriguing docudrama that is at times genuinely creepy. The filmmakers use admirable restraint and never give the audience a clear look at the creature. There are also moments of effective camera work and sound editing that create a close, atmospheric environment where the creature could be lurking behind every tree or bush. This film is what "The Mothman Prophecies" should have been. Both amusingly dated and chilling, "The Legend of Boggy Creek" is a fun movie that is best enjoyed on a dark autumn night. It's a great scary story and an American folktale that's entertaining to watch safely at home, but may become much more plausible should you find yourself alone in the woods around sundown

I've always believed in the existence of an 8 foot tall, hairy, foul-odored monster lurking in every wooded area in the U.S. This movie only confirmed that. 'The Legend of Boggy Creek' is a hair-raising, thought-provoking account in documentary-like format similar to 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (see my comment), and is just as scary. I'm not sure if this is the one, but what really made my spine tingle is the simulation of the sounds this creature makes. A sound that I would never want to hear again. A harrowing portrait of the horrifying realization that there IS something out there not human. This movie did not get any recognition, but it doesn't need it. Those who do watch will recognize only one thing...TERROR! Take heed to the old saying: 'DON'T GO IN THE WOODS! Or even the swamp! 'The Legend of Boggy Creek' is merely a frightful depiction of the things we fear that are out there...for they really are.

My post is not so much a review of the story itself but more about my reaction and the effect the film had on me. Although widely believed to be strictly a drive-in movie "The Legend of Boggy Creek" actually opened in first-run indoor theaters in several markets across the county as well as the drive-ins. I was fortunate enough to see the film in 1973 in a first-run indoor theater on a 60-foot wide screen. I'm not ashamed to admit at 23 years of age how much it frightened me then and still does. This is one of two films that actually gave me goose bumps and made my skin crawl more than once during the showing ("It's Alive" was the other one) and I've seen just about every horror film of the past 50 years. Arriving home after the movie I was even afraid to open the car door! I cautiously eyed the nearby bushes for fear the creature was lurking there. Such a ridiculous way to act for a 23-year-old but that's the effect it had on me. The people in the film that play themselves all did a pretty good job considering they are not actors. Their presence along with the look and style of the film that Pierce achieves makes it much more real than a polished Hollywood production with professional actors could ever have been. The music by Jamie Mendoza-Nava is no doubt one of the most eerie and spookiest scores ever created for a horror film. But why so many laughs and jokes about the Travis Crabtree song? Admittedly it does shift the mood of the story at that point but I like the song. I think it suits the scene very well as Travis slowly paddles his canoe towards the hilltop island and sets up his campground. I find it also allows a little relaxation from the anxiety and tension of the film. I'll say this much: Travis is one brave fellow! You wouldn't find me venturing anywhere near that place especially camping and spending the night?! No way--I'm outta here!! It's easy to see how the poor quality DVD's currently on the market leads one to assume that the film was shot in 16mm on grainy inferior stock and blown up to 35mm but that's just not true. In an interview with Charles B. Pierce he states that it was shot on 35mm film in Techniscope and Technicolor using an older camera he had acquired. Of course some footage was purposely shot hand-held to achieve the documentary look and feel. According to Pierce no distributor in Hollywood was interested in the film so he reopened an old theater in Texarkana, cleaned it up and began running his film. Before long there were lines of people that stretched about 4 blocks long! Seeing "The Legend of Boggy Creek" on a 60-foot wide screen is not the same as video. The opening shots of the swamps and bottom lands were both ominous and panoramic on the big screen. And the scene of the little boy running across the open field with the sun setting in the distance creates an eerily effective mood. Unfortunately the sun is barely even visible on the full screen DVD I have. Evidently a decent 35mm wide-screen print was not available or could not be located when the film was first put on video. More than likely the one or two video sources were probably taken from a 16mm print. And from there sprang the inferior 2nd and 3rd generation copies put out by various distributors giving Boggy Creek an unfair and false reputation as a cheap and shoddy production. The film doesn't deserve this. One day hopefully someone will secure a 35mm wide-screen print and give the film a proper DVD release.

I will go ahead and say I realize that the songs featured in this movie are absolute cheese. This really takes away from an otherwise realistic documentary like film. It's really moody and atmospheric, you really come to believe that the things you are seeing in the film are real. There are also some very funny moments like toothless old men talking about the creature. The songs I mentioned before are a real hoot. But overall, this isn't a film I watch for a few giggles. It's quite an interesting film. I've never seen the sequels, but hope to some day. It's not for all tastes, but for the fan of 70's horror nostalgia, it can't be missed.

This is definitely one of the weirder 70's movies out there, and it's most notable for kicking off a decade of Bigfoot hysteria. It is also notable for the little touches of insanity throughout the movie, especially when the dark, moody first half is replaced by a MUSICAL INTERLUDE of all things (as another user pointed out, one of the songs is dedicated to a character, Travis Crabtree, who paddles around in a canoe for a while, then... leaves, never to be seen again). Although it's painfully dated now, i's still a fun scary movie to show to kids, and anyone who enjoys either Bigfoot lore or 70's hillbilly culture is bound to get a kick out of this. My favorite part: a guy gets so scared that he jumps headfirst through a door (!?) and the narrator explains he went unconscious from "shock." Uh, I'd say breaking a door with his head is more likely why he went unconscious, but whatever. 4/10 stars, or 7/10 if you like bad Americana.