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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

#151. The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)

DVD Synopsis: A 1970s documentary-style drama questions the existence of a hairy 7ft tall Sasquatch-type monster that lives in a swamp outside of Fouke, Arkansas. According to the locals the monster walks on two feet, has a characteristic smelly odor and kills chicken, cattle, dogs and livestock but so far it hasn't killed any people. The monster supposedly harassed two families in the late 1960s, but since then few have seen the monster yet it can be heard in the swamp at night. Actual interviews with area residents tell the tale. Could this be real or a conspiracy of a backwoods community looking for attention?







The Legend of Boggy Creek is a documentary (filled mostly with staged re-enactments) about a supposed real-life creature that was spotted in the Boggy Creek area of Fouke, Arkansas back in the 60's and early 70's. This creature, which resembles a Sasquatch, had allegedly appeared to dozens of local residents around that time, and The Legend of Boggy Creek was an attempt by director Charles B. Pierce to condense all of these sightings into a feature film. 

And was his attempt successful?   Well, while the finished movie is certainly not perfect, I have to say it definitely managed to keep my interest. The first half hour or so of The Legend of Boggy Creek is a string of vignettes in which we hear from a series of eyewitnesses about their encounters with the creature, all of which are fairly engaging (even if a few do stray a little far from believability). The ending of the film is also very strong, following two small families who have the most frightening encounter with the creature to date. If The Legend of Boggy Creek does have a weakness, it's in the middle section of the film, when the story temporarily veers away from the creature to focus more on the local residents. These scenes were just too slow for my taste, and definitely seemed as if they were filler to pad the film's running time, Yet this proves only a minor speed-bump in an otherwise entertaining film. 

With beautiful cinematography that really shows off this area, and a rustic, folksy atmosphere that director Pierce maintains from start to finish, The Legend of Boggy Creek turned out to be a real pleasant surprise.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

8 comments:

  1. I never heard of this before, but it looks really interesting. I've just added it to my Netflix queue, and look forward to seeing it. I love how it is rated "G", lol. Just realized there is a sequel also, "Boggy Creek 2". You should give that one a review as well. Nice job! Glad I came upon your site. We should talk about adding each other to a blogroll.

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  2. @Psymin: Thanks for stopping by, and yes, a blogroll sounds like a good idea.

    LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK is a very interesting film; a definite low-budget affair, but this only enhances the "down-home" feel of the movie. And the "G" rating is a joke: I read somewhere that the more intense scenes in this film (and there are a few) scared the hell out of a lot of kids, whose parents took them to see it based solely on that rating.

    I'll be interested to hear what you think of the film.

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  3. I remember seeing this movie as a kid, and I don't know many people who have heard of the movie, so I was happy to see it here. It was one of the first "scary" movies I ever saw, so I too was surprised to see in the ad posted here that it was rated "G." Seemed scary to me at the time!

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  4. @Jeff: I just watched this for the first time a few months ago, and I cannot BELIEVE it was rated "G"! It didn't particularly scare me, but that's because I'm over 40...for the typical "G" audience this must have been terrifying!

    Another MPAA decision that leaves you scratching your head!

    Thanks for the comment. I appreciate it.

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  5. Love the determination and investment of time to something which is clearly your passion.

    http://bit.ly/istfilm

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  6. @Jack: Thanks so much for the kind words, and for stopping by. It's appreciated.

    I also liked your blog. Anyone who considers FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF and ZULU five-star movies is OK in my book!

    Thanks again.

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  7. I am dying to see this one! Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Damian: It's got a great 'Americana' feel to it, and even if you DON'T come away thinking the monster is real, the last segment will surely get to you!

    Thanks, BTW, for the awesome link on your site. I appreciate it immensely, and the kind words were a plus!

    Thanks again

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