Written By: Ken Hulsey
This weekend, I decided to revisit my DVD collection and watch my copy of "The Legend of Boggy Creek" after seeing the "Monster Quest" episode about the "Fouke Monster," also known as "The Swamp Stalker of Boggy Creek," earlier in the week.
During the Monster Quest episode, several scenes from Charles B. Pierce's film were shown, which motivated me to dust off my DVD and share it with my family. I’ve always considered the film a great scary movie, but after doing some research about it, I gained even more respect for Pierce and the work he created.
In 1972, Charles Pierce, an advertising salesman from Texarkana, borrowed $160,000 from a friend who owned a car dealership to make a movie about a local legend in Arkansas that he had grown up hearing about. Armed with a handheld camera and a cast of local residents who played themselves, Pierce set out to create a pseudo-documentary about recent encounters with a Bigfoot-like creature in and around the small town of Fouke.
Remarkably, with no prior experience in filmmaking, Pierce was able to produce a very believable and frightening film. The amateur actors, drawing inspiration from their real-life encounters, convey such genuine fear that viewers are truly captivated by their raw emotion.
Pierce's camera work and editing effectively evoke a genuine sense of terror. By choosing to show the monster only from a distance and shrouded in shadows, he enhances the mystery and the overall eerie atmosphere of the film.
Pierce's camera work and editing effectively evoke a genuine sense of terror. By choosing to show the monster only from a distance and shrouded in shadows, he enhances the mystery and the overall eerie atmosphere of the film.
It's impressive that an amateur filmmaker like Pierce was able to master so many truly frightening techniques in his first attempt at making a movie.
The movie begins in a documentary style, detailing the history of the town of Fouke and its past encounters with the monster.
The movie begins in a documentary style, detailing the history of the town of Fouke and its past encounters with the monster.
Several scenes showcase the swamps around Boggy Creek, effectively setting the mood for the film, as the area is genuinely eerie. In fact, I dare anyone to find a scarier-looking location in the United States.
As the film progresses, there are reenactments of past encounters with the Bigfoot-like "Fouke Monster." Most of these encounters are relatively benign, consisting of chance sightings by hunters and occasional animal attacks. Despite its food search, the monster remains hidden and avoids human contact.
For the most part, the creature doesn't pose a threat to anyone—until a young boy shoots it a couple of times. This incident causes the creature to see the residents of Fouke as adversaries.
Hunting parties are organized to try to kill the creature, but their efforts only succeed in driving it away from the area for eight years.
At this point, Pierce makes his only mistake in producing the film. Two of the worst country songs ever written are added to extend the film's length. One is a ballad about how "lonely" the monster is, and the other is about a local boy who enjoys camping and fishing in the swamp. These songs sound like John Denver at his worst, so I strongly recommend hitting "fast-forward" during this portion.
At this point, Pierce makes his only mistake in producing the film. Two of the worst country songs ever written are added to extend the film's length. One is a ballad about how "lonely" the monster is, and the other is about a local boy who enjoys camping and fishing in the swamp. These songs sound like John Denver at his worst, so I strongly recommend hitting "fast-forward" during this portion.
Don’t worry, though; the film gets better after that.
When the monster returns, it does so with a vengeance. Animals begin to disappear once again, and people start to be attacked. It becomes clear that the monster no longer fears humans.
A group of high school girls is terrified when the monster interrupts their slumber party by rocking their mobile home and thrashing everything in sight.
The young women, who are the true victims in this situation, look genuinely terrified as they frantically try to load a shotgun for their protection. This is yet another scene that Pierce executed flawlessly.
The film reaches its climax with the story of two young families who move into a house near Boggy Creek together.
The film reaches its climax with the story of two young families who move into a house near Boggy Creek together.
When the husbands leave for their night shifts, their wives are harassed by a monster that attempts to break into the house.
The following day, two visiting relatives discover giant tracks along the edge of the creek while fishing.
Later that night, the creature returns and attacks one of the women by reaching through an open window. When the husbands return from work, they find their families in a state of panic.
Armed with shotguns, the men set out to find the monster. They manage to shoot the creature several times, believing they have killed it, and head back home. However, on their way back, one of the men is attacked by the creature, sustaining several gashes and head trauma.
The family quickly rushes him to the hospital and decides to move out of the house the next morning.
Pierce's amateur monster movie would gross over $20 million at the box office. That may not seem like much compared to today's numbers, but to put it in perspective Fox's "Escape From The Planet Of The Apes" grossed only $12 million the year before.
In fact, the film was such a hit it spawned two sequels, "Return to Boggy Creek" in 1977 and "The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II". "Return" was not produced by Pierce and was a purely fictitious tale about a group of people who get lost in the swamp and are rescued by the monster. The film starred famed television actresses Dawn Wells (Gilligan's Island ) and Dana Plato (Diff'rent Strokes).
Whether you believe in Bigfoot or not, "The Legend of Boggy Creek" is a great scary movie. It may even make a skeptic think twice about the subject. Charles Pierce was able to create a truly iconic film, one that has been coveted by both monster movie fans and cryptozoolgy enthusiasts for decades.
Here are some never-before-published photos from "The Legend of Boggy Creek."
In fact, the film was such a hit it spawned two sequels, "Return to Boggy Creek" in 1977 and "The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II". "Return" was not produced by Pierce and was a purely fictitious tale about a group of people who get lost in the swamp and are rescued by the monster. The film starred famed television actresses Dawn Wells (Gilligan's Island ) and Dana Plato (Diff'rent Strokes).
Whether you believe in Bigfoot or not, "The Legend of Boggy Creek" is a great scary movie. It may even make a skeptic think twice about the subject. Charles Pierce was able to create a truly iconic film, one that has been coveted by both monster movie fans and cryptozoolgy enthusiasts for decades.
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