The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972) User Reviews

Y'all wanna Coke?

[bensonmum2 · 6/10 · 13 August 2005]

• 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!

Good, cheesy 70's fun

[Chromium_5 · 4/10 · 20 January 2006]

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.

Slow but notable for its place in horror history

[udar55 · 5/10 · 23 March 2010]

With Charles Pierce's passing, it seemed appropriate that I finally check out his debut feature. And what a slog through the bog it is. Done up as a documentary, the film centers on a Bigfoot lurking in the woods of Fouke, Arkansas. The first scene has a kid running around and catching a glimpse of the monster. A narrator (who is supposed to be the kid grown up) comes on and tells the story of the Fouke monster. The next scene has someone running around and catching a glimpse of the monster. The scene after that has someone else running around and catching a glimpse of the monster. See where this is heading? Repeat for 85 minutes.

This is really pointless but interesting to see for how it paved the way for the the faux horror documentaries years later. Also, the production uses real folks in a majority of the roles, so the documentary quality in regard to the small town is somewhat real with lots of great "Hollywood couldn't make this" real production value. Of course, you can't really see much of it as the DVD is one of the worst transfers I've ever seen. The soundtrack is scratchy and the pan-and-scan (actually, more like lock-and-watch) is awful, which is a shame as Pierce seems to have made an effort to get some great looking shots in there. Perhaps the best thing I can say about it is that if there were no THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK, we would never have gotten Aldo Ray in BOG (1983).

Old, moody, and atmospheric. I like that. *** out of 5

[pumpkinhead_lance · 21 April 2005]

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.

What the Fouke was that?!?!

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 3 September 2017]

Good Sasquatch movies are about as elusive as the legendary creature itself; drive-in classic The Legend of Boggy Creek is not one of them.

Told in a documentary style, complete with sober voice-over, the film consists of a series of lame re-enactments of encounters with the monster and dull interviews with the locals of Fouke, Arkansas, who are menaced by the beast. The atmospheric rural locations go some way to creating an aura of creepiness, but this is undone by pedestrian direction, weak performances, and a creature that looks like a man in a moth-eaten gorilla suit (probably because that is exactly what it is).

The inclusion of not one, but two cheesy songs—one about the creature, the other about a kid called Travis Crabtree—also go to make The Legend of Boggy Creek a far from effective shocker.

For those not deterred by my scathing remarks, expect to be less than thrilled by the discovery of oversized footprints in a field, not in the least bit scared by the monster's hairy arm reaching through a window, completely unconcerned for the safety of a coop of chickens, not horrified at all at the thought of smashed flowerpots, and more than a tad amused at the sight of a petrified man hurtling through a balsa wood door.

So bad it's good if you have a glimmer of humor.

[Saint_Nothing · 3/10 · 17 January 2004]

Oh, this movie. Honestly, watching now anyone can tell that this is by no means a good movie even for a fake documentary. Hell, watching back in 1973 people knew they were watching a bad movie. But the funny thing about 'bad' movies is that they can become the greatest thing ever when viewed with an open mind and some wit. Boggy Creek is one of these gems.

The story takes place in Fouke, a small town found in Arkansas whose name insight many a laugh. The people in this town are the kind of back water folks with strangely big and dirty houses not unlike the Sawyer family in the cult horror classic 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. This movie did for Arkansas when Jaws did for the ocean... or at least it tried. The director Charles Pierce has done a lot of films I never heard of including 2 other sequels and does his best to invoke the terror of the monster.

Special effects are.... well, non-existent. Laughable cat stunts from the monster lightly tossing one in a driveway to another which was simply "scared to death". Boggy monster not big on cats. Then at the monsters big fight scene that needs not the bullet time of todays films was simply a guy with a rented Gorilla suit shaking a no-named actor while the camera did it's best not to catch a face shot of the monster. So basically, if you came here looking for a suit like one found in 'Harry and the Hendersons', well forget it, Toho studios put more design in their King Kong costume when it battled Godzilla, which I'm sorry to say didn't have much detail outside of it's drum-like nipples.

Then the introduction of Travis Crabtree to his own theme song, cooking eggs, hunting some animals, meeting up with some strange old man who managed to shoot his foot off in a boating accident (I'm wanting a prequel involving this). And with that 5 minute intro, he is never seen again... So I assume the real Travis Crabtree, who played himself, had an ego problem but frankly wasn't that interesting.

Basically, you want 90 minutes to waste with from friends some night... rent this movie for it is on DVD and has actual Special Feature, none of which are all that useful.

3/10

One of those "believe it or not".

[michaelRokeefe · 3/10 · 16 June 2009]

This grainy film has a cult following and one of those word-of-mouth features you just had to see. Maybe hard to believe, but there is a rural community in southwest Arkansas, Fouke, that knows the legend is true. This tale is told in documentary-style narrated by Vern Stierman and filmed in actual locations talking to actual folks involved. The legend changes with the telling, but during the late 60s and most of the 70s the surrounding area of Fouke was visited by a Bigfoot-like creature that traveled along Boggy Creek. Long limbed with three toes and standing over 7 foot tall, this hirsute creature periodically caused damage and frightened the 'bejeebers' out of most of the community. I personally crossed over the small Boggy Creek bridge in 1974, and yes the hair on the back of my neck did rise. Of course it was about 1 a.m. in the rain. By the time I arrived in Shreveport, I was laughing.

Docu-horror that's all about atmosphere.

[Nightman85 · 7/10 · 7 August 2006]

Minor drive-in classic from B movie director Charles B. Pierce that's made in the style of a documentary.

For years the folks of Fouke, Arkansas have had encounters with a terrifying Big Foot-type creature that dwells in the local swamps.

Director Pierce well over comes his low-budget limitations on this film by giving it some terrific atmosphere. It's a great narrative documentary that benefits from the use of the raw back woods locations of Arkansas, which gives off a great feeling moodiness and the unknown. It also conveys a nicely authentic look at the rural culture. The movie really has no plot, but there are some truly dark re-enactment sequences that boast some great tension!

The cast is composed of locals who often portray themselves, adding call the more to the documentary feel.

Over all, Ledgend of Boggy Creek is an interesting and occasionally creepy piece of film-making.

*** out of ****

The Bigfoot of southwest Arkansas

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 18 March 2021]

"The Legend of Boggy Creek" (1972) is docudrama with horror elements about the supposedly true sightings of the Fouke Monster, a three-toed Sasquatch-like creature that was seen in the Fouke region of southwest Arkansas from the 40s onward. Several locals recount their stories, often played by themselves.

The modest film only cost $100,000, but unexpectedly became the 10th highest-grossing movie of 1972, raking in a whopping $20 million at the box office and another $4.8 million in 1975 with a North American rerelease. It was director Charles B. Pierce's breakthrough. He went on to do respectable B-flicks like "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" (1976), which addressed the real-life Texarkana Moonlight Murders of 1946, and "Grayeagle" (1977), a colorful Western that took "The Searchers" plot and made a more entertaining movie.

He later did a sequel to this film in 1984 called "Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues." There are also a couple of unofficial sequels made by different directors which eschew the docudrama approach: "Return to Boggy Creek" (1977) and "Boggy Creek," aka "Boggy Creek: The Legend Is True" (2011). In addition, there's a documentary about various skunkape encounters in the Midwest called "The Legacy of Boggy Creek" (2011).

Obviously something about this film clicked with audiences back in its day. It features some nice nature photography with a spooky bent, a (wisely) vague creature, some quaint narrations and a few old-fashioned folk songs. Some people find it effectively creepy in an understated way while others find it so dull it's worthless. I'm in the middle. I can enjoy it for what it is and respect its notable history, but it's also admittedly tedious. It would play better to modern viewers if the runtime was cut in half.

The film runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot in the Fouke, Arkansas, region.

GRADE: C

Atmospheric and chilling one-of-a-kind docu-drama

[warsystem04 · 7/10 · 29 December 2012]

"The Legend Of Boggy Creek" is a very unique and interesting film. It was marketed as a documentary about the bigfoot of Fouke, Arkansas, and was filmed on location. While it is comprised of scripted scenes and actors, some of the characters are played by themselves, and recount their own experiences with the creature in real life. This adds a very personal touch to the film and makes it all the better.

The entire production is very low budget and grainy, and you can almost feel, smell and touch the scenery. Everything has a foggy, damp coat to it, and all the characters are extremely realistic and relatable (of course, some are simply recounting anecdotes and are not acting at all). I can not stress how much atmosphere the lo-fi production gives this film, it seriously feels like you are trekking through the woods yourself looking for the monster. To touch on something I read in a lot of other reviews, the folk songs do not detract from the movie for me, they add another touch of the locale. As much as this is an examination of the creature and the landscape, it is likewise a look into the lives of lower class, backwoods people of Arkansas in the 1970s.

Many aspects are touched upon in this movie, and the narrator shows the assumed progression of the creature from solitary careful beast to reckless predator once attacked by humans. By not ever showing a clear or full on shot of the Fouke monster, it adds even more of an air of mystery. Parts are very tense all things considered, and it is a very well done horror film besides it's documentary overtones.

"The Legend Of Boggy Creek" truly is unique, and I would encourage any real film buff to take a look at this one. You'll never look at a walk through the woods the same again.

Possibly the best cover art of any movie anywhere anytime.

[scocab00 · 1/10 · 27 August 2004]

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."

Great Kid-hood Memories with this One :'}

[topsfrombottom · 8/10 · 20 November 2014]

The Legend of Boggy Creek - like so many 'cult classics' - is a great example of how a film can carry a low critical rating and still be awesome.

I remember seeing this film in Roger's Theater in the (then little) town of Poplar Bluff, Missouri - the nearest town to where I grew up, in very wooded, lakeside, Wappapello. So, I actually DID live in the same sort of woodsy, lakeside spookiness setting the film. Where I grew up, the word 'neighbor' meant the 'nearest house' and often you couldn't see their lights - or they may even be a nervous flashlight-trek through the pitch-black woods and along lonely, moonlit, gravel roads - and if the Fouke Monster happened to be tearing you apart out behind your place, they MIGHT hear your loudest screams. Probably not - and definitely not, if he got INSIDE.

My pal and I got brought into town by my Grandma and dropped off outside the Roger's that night. Having been lured-in by the short, terrifying trailers on TV, we anxiously bought our tickets and headed for the center-front seats, shoving and prodding each other over our mutual certainty that the other would get a scare that would make him pee his pants.

I can still remember ourselves - along with many others - cringing and ducking through several parts of this movie. As far as me and Bruce were concerned, to our eleven-year-old brains, the (then novel) documentary-like presentation and 'I-Sweah-Befo'-Gawd-Awmitey' testimony just seemed ALL too plausible - and real. We both KNEW people like those!

Leaving the theater in shudders from flashes of snarling memories - and a new and real dread of returning to the remoteness of where we both lived - we climbed into the big, crimson-velor back seat my Grandma's Delta 88, wordless and white. To us, that Fouke Monster was REAL - and not only that, but it - or one just like it - could easily be living in the endless woods behind our very own houses!

This film is a treasure for several reasons, not the least of which is the nostalgia it will hold for those of us to who got to see it at that perfect, naive age when it hits a kid exactly the way it was intended to - it's the perfect 'scary movie' for preteen sleepovers.

I can watch it now and roll my eyes, of course, but, when I reminisce back to that darkened, all-enveloping theater, so many of us gasping, crying out, grabbing our armrests and jumping in unison - and the nighttime nervousness for a week, afterward... it still makes me smile. :}

Melancholy Docudrama.

[AaronCapenBanner · 7/10 · 2 September 2013]

This effective docudrama about a legendary swamp monster from Fouke, Arkansas, was a surprise box-office hit in its day; with clever narration from the perspective of a man who lived through that time as a boy, and has gone back to his old house to reminisce.

Recreates the look and feel of the people and their experiences of the monster, which range from skeptical amusement, to terrifying close encounters. The monster is speculated to be quite lonely and lost in their world, and this aura of melancholy permeates this film like a sad old fireside guitar song.

Heavily atmospheric and genuinely eerie; only negative is that sometimes it does get goofy(the Crabtree song) and amateurish, but oddly, that just adds to the authenticity(though that monster costume is best kept in the shadows!)

May have influenced "In Search Of...", which profiled similar cases.

The Fouke Monster in Pseudo-Documentary

[gftbiloxi · 1/10 · 1 April 2005]

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

A genre of its own.

[Year2889 · 7 April 2003]

First things first- The Legend of Boggy Creek is in a class of its own, literally. This film is part Documentary, part Drama, part Musical(!) and 100% classic horror/speculation/fantasy, not to mention historical document (if you believe that Bigfoot's for real). But did you know that Bigfoot wasn't just tooling around the Pacific-Northwestern USA? Oh no. Apparently he likes to vacation in a little place called Fouke, Arkansas. At least he did back in the 70's when he was most active and when The Legend of Boggy Creek takes place.

"Boggy Creek" was a runaway low-budget smash hit in the mid 70's. Sequels tried to cash in on its success, but to no avail. Like the Blair Witch much later once the public had had its initial scare the magic was gone. I personally viewed the film at the theater during it's first release, and the kids packing the cinema ate it up, and yucked it up too, as perhaps the greatest genius of this film is that it is not only loaded with scares and suspense, and the famous monster of course, but also is loaded with (sometimes inadvertent) humor, as well as a musical score which lulls you into a sense that you are watching a harmless and serene Disney wildernesss travelogue, that's it! That's what it is. It's like "Charly the Lonesome Cougar" with a blood thirsty monster!

This film is one of the most remembered movies from the 70's because it was so unique and effective. It is funny, and it is pleasant to watch. It is hilariously cheap, but only with the DVD freeze-frame can you really tell that the Bigfoot is actually a guy in an gorilla costume (seriously). And since the people in the cast are purported to be the actual folks who this actually happened to, you can't fault their terrible acting either, but you sure can have a good laugh at their expense.

Faux Documtary

[bkoganbing · 1/10 · 28 January 2017]

Rather than pay actors to tell a story, a new art form was created with The Legend of Boggy Creek. I guess you could call it a Faux Documentary with real folks from the piney woods of southwest Arkansas telling of their story with a Bigfoot type creature.

This film has become something of a cult item. It shows that folks with absolutely no talent at all can get in front of a camera and just simply be themselves. For that reason I can't really criticize those in the film. It's not bad acting, it's no acting at all.

Some apparently found some entertainment value in the Boggy Creek saga. I did not.

The allegedly true – but mildly boring – story of the Fouke Monster

[Coventry · 4/10 · 12 December 2010]

If I had to be the total opposite of objective – even more opposite than, say, subjective – I would be just prejudiced and grant impeccable ratings to ALL films directed by Charles B. Pierce. I adore this man and his lovable low-budgeted filming style. His films "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" and "The Evictors" rank highly amongst my favorite 70's flicks because they're extremely atmospheric and creepy. That's also why I was looking forward to "The Legend of Boggy Creek" so much! This is supposed to be a semi-documentary slash horror film with a slow brooding atmosphere and loads of beautiful environmental footage. Right up Mr. Pierce's alley, in other words. "The Legend of Boggy Creek" is also a sort of pioneer, as it single-handedly started a short but nevertheless vivid trend in exploitation/drive-in cinema, namely the bigfoot- sasquatch-abominable snowman hype! Since this movie was such an unexpectedly large success at the drive-in theaters (the 7th highest grossing film of 1972!), there suddenly came dozen of similar flicks with bloodthirsty swamp monsters. If it weren't for good old Boggy, there never would have been a "Creature from the Black Lake", "Snowbeast", "Shriek of the Mutilated", "Night of the Demon", "Sasquatch" and so on.

The narrator is proud to welcome us to Fouke; a cozy small Arkansas town close to Louisiana and Texas. Fouke is a great place to live … until the sun goes down. The narrator is born and raised in Fouke, and he first heard the screams of the monster when he was seven years old. The nearby Boggy Creek is reputedly the turf of a big hairy monster that all the Fouke inhabitants know about. The documentary approach works reasonably effective, but gets dull rather fast. The narrator often emphasizes that the "the monster is lurking…" or that "the monster is always there…", but nothing actually happens. After a while, you subconsciously begin to finish the narrator's sentences like "… but it never moves a damn muscle!". Here's what "The Legend of Boggy Creek" has got plenty of: footage of trees, flying ducks, still lakes, relaxing country music, eagles, tortoises, boy scouts picnicking, pitiable old hermits murmuring about their connection with the swamps and detailed shots of a isolated tool shed in the woods. Once every twenty minutes or so, there's the occasional distant shot of a guy in a secondhand gorilla suit that may or not be the Fouke Monster. My money's on "may not be". The closest we get to witnessing a bigfoot attack is when some girl sees something through the window and instantaneously goes into shock. The next thing the narrator says is that the animal smashed some flowerpots before wandering off. He did what? Smashed flowerpots?!? Oh the horror, the awful awful horror!

I still like Charles B. Pierce and his repertoire, but I do very much wonder how come this film could possibly have been so popular amongst the drive-in theater crowds? Absolutely nothing happens here? Perhaps it's just that. Nothing even remotely exciting happens during "The Legend of Boggy Creek", so they could fully focus on making out in the backseat.

The Legend Of Boggy Creek

[a_baron · 3/10 · 24 March 2015]

If there is one word that sums up this film, it is boring. Presented in documentary format, it is only in the last twenty minutes or so there is any action. One does not expect action as such in a documentary, but neither does one expect to be sent to sleep.

In spite of this being the legend of Boggy Creek we are left in no doubt that the creature is supposed to be very real, based loosely as it is on genuine sightings, that is genuine as reported, not genuine as the creature is real. What does it want, why is it attacking us? Well, if you shoot at the poor thing and especially if you wound it, you can't really expect it to want to make friends.

Granted this film was made on a low budget with an amateur cast, but it still leaves much to be desired. The music isn't bad, but that is only to be expected as it was commissioned from a professional composer.

A Bit Rough, But Has Its Merits

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 19 January 2016]

A documentary-style drama which questions the existence of a monster in an Arkansas swamp. It is really more of a glimpse at lower-class swamp culture from the seventies, though, than a monster flick.

As the plot summary says, this is really more a look at Arkansas than it is a look at Bigfoot. There are some "horror" elements, but mostly we are getting to know the people in and around the swamp. This could have been a Les Blank film. How much the people are acting or being themselves is unclear, but it seems to be much more natural than scripted.

The film is more than a little rough. This is probably partially due to its falling into the public domain (somehow). But even so, it appears to be more or less rough by design, with lower quality cameras and lighting. Could a proper DVD release fix this up? No way. But maybe it should not be fixed.

A Classic?

[chow913 · 1/10 · 19 June 2013]

How is this film considered a classic? It isn't even classically bad in a funny 'MST3K' way, or even something a drinking game could be based around.

It's just plain BAD! Really really bad.

In case you haven't heard this film is a fictional documentary on bigfoot. Of course all documentaries on bigfoot are fictional, but this one doesn't even try to be real or funny or entertaining on any level.

The production quality is very very very low and nothing interesting or funny happens. Nothing that could even be made fun of. That pretty much sums it up, there's nothing more to say.

Fact or fiction, it's fascinating.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 16 February 2022]

The legend of the Fouke Monster in the middle of nowhere in Arkansas is at least a fascinating legend from how I see it through this interesting docudrama that really isn't a horror movie until the end, and that's based on re-enactments of things that allegedly happened. It's one of several alleged legends of unknown kinds of beasts, refer to in some circles as a Yeti, and for most of the film, just seen and heard in passing from a distance. The creature, whatever it is, begins to get more aggressive and potentially violent about halfway before the end of the film, resulting in a posse going out to try to find the creature that is scared kittens to death, taking off hundred pound Hogs and killed one man's best friend. Of course, when someone is attached physically, it's very dark so they'll really get to see it, but the audience does get to get an idea of what it looks like. And indeed, what is shown is scary.

This docudrama features a non-professional cast of residents from the area in which it was them, and they're acting is exactly what you expected to be, non-existent, basically just directed to say their line, probably with cue cards, and told how to stand or react. So you're not getting Shakespeare here or even schlocky is kind of acting in a professionally done z-grade horror movie. That makes it a bit more forgivable, and in a sense, a better film. The scene with three girls in a trailer are basically shaken by the creature whose outside is one of the most frightening, and when one man is attacked, it begins to gel as to how strong this being is. It's definitely worth a cult following and a one-shot viewing, with the narration quite convincing. Not bad for the kind of film it is, but that doesn't make me interested in the sequels.

unwatchable

[jasonstine-1973 · 1/10 · 8 November 2020]

Saw it when I was a kid and it was scary so I decided to revisit it. I had to skim through it because it was so low budget and boring. So my review is one word. Unwatchable

American Legend

[kurtmoulton · 8/10 · 25 September 2006]

"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

This movie made more money than The Godfather.

[jvontheprowl · 7/10 · 1 May 2021]

I am not kidding about that. It was the 9th grossing film of 1972. It made 20 million more than The Godfather.

I have seen this movie a few times in various formats including in the theatre. It is one of those gems of monster movies that is addictive. A lonely bigfoot comes in contact with inept locals which leads to shenanigans and an epic narrator/performer of the theme song/director/writer/producer.

It is one of those movies you shouldn't miss. It is a perfect lesson for budding filmmakers on how to sell your movie. This was filmed on a recycled 16mm and because of the passion of the film maker it exploded into an international hit.

The soundtrack is actually pretty good for an outdoors movie of that era. Mostly because the filmmaker ran into a legitimate Hollywood composer and they hit it off. The guy did a professional soundtrack for a movie that cost pennies on the dollar.

I can't praise this movie enough. It's not a long watch. It is a great laugh and a fun lazy afternoon movie.

For Bigfoot enthusiasts, this is a good flick. But don't expect to be terrified.

[BlackMonk · 5/10 · 5 September 2000]

This early 70's movie is done in a documentary/re-creation-of-actual-events format. When I saw it as a kid, it scared me. And I think it would still scare kids today. (Bonus for parents: there's no bad language). But after seeing this movie as an adult, I really didn't find it frightening---just a bit creepy. So if you're looking to be scared out of your wits, then I would not recommend this movie. But if you like movies that have a generally creepy feel, and/or if you're a Bigfoot enthusiast, then get the movie, dim the lights, and enjoy.