Schlitzie's Emporium

Jul 13, 2011

Movie Poster of the Day: The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972), a docudrama about a Bigfoot-like monster roaming the swamps outside of Fouke, Arkansas, turned out to be a huge hit. Director Charles B. Pierce hired locals to act in the film, and he shot it in the backwoods around Fouke using a skeletal crew. Based on a true story, The Legend of Boggy Creek remained quite faithful to the accounts of folks in the area that Pierce used as the basis of the film. Apparently, the amateur director borrowed around $100,000, including large donations from local businesses, to finance his labor of love. The film turned into a surprise box office hit and a staple of Creature Features TV programs across the country.  It scared an entire generation of young people, including Yours Truly, due to a potent combination of documentary-style footage, eerie rural settings, dark visuals and hair-raising stories. The film proved to be especially effective because it avoided shocking horror, stuck to the subtle approach and kept the monster largely in the background. Sadly, the film contained one or two monster closeups, which almost ruined it because the costume was so cheesy. Luckily, these scenes are fleeting, and the film retains its power in spite of them. Also, there are a few corny musical interludes in the film, including a folksy song called “The Travis Crabtree Song” (named after a real-life character in the film) and a even a tearjerker tune about the Fouke monster. Don’t let these drawbacks deter you, though. This is an excellent film. I still dust off the DVD and watch it from time to time, and yes, it still gives me the chills. 

Movie Poster of the Day: The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972), a docudrama about a Bigfoot-like monster roaming the swamps outside of Fouke, Arkansas, turned out to be a huge hit. Director Charles B. Pierce hired locals to act in the film, and he shot it in the backwoods around Fouke using a skeletal crew. Based on a true story, The Legend of Boggy Creek remained quite faithful to the accounts of folks in the area that Pierce used as the basis of the film. Apparently, the amateur director borrowed around $100,000, including large donations from local businesses, to finance his labor of love. The film turned into a surprise box office hit and a staple of Creature Features TV programs across the country.  It scared an entire generation of young people, including Yours Truly, due to a potent combination of documentary-style footage, eerie rural settings, dark visuals and hair-raising stories. The film proved to be especially effective because it avoided shocking horror, stuck to the subtle approach and kept the monster largely in the background. Sadly, the film contained one or two monster closeups, which almost ruined it because the costume was so cheesy. Luckily, these scenes are fleeting, and the film retains its power in spite of them. Also, there are a few corny musical interludes in the film, including a folksy song called “The Travis Crabtree Song” (named after a real-life character in the film) and a even a tearjerker tune about the Fouke monster. Don’t let these drawbacks deter you, though. This is an excellent film. I still dust off the DVD and watch it from time to time, and yes, it still gives me the chills.