The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)

Director:

Charles B. Pierce

Writer:

Earl E. Smith (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 December 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Mystery | Drama | Horror

Tagline:

A True Story.

Plot:

A documentary-style drama which questions the existence of a monster in an Arkansas swamp. It is really...

Plot Keywords:

Sasquatch | Bigfoot | Giant Creature | Independent Film

Cast

Vern Stierman	...	Narrator
Chuck Pierce Jr.	...	Jim as a boy
William Stumpp	...	Jim (adult)
Willie E. Smith	...	Willie
Lloyd Bowen	...	Himself
B.R. Barrington	...	Himself
J.E. 'Smokey' Crabtree	...	Himself (as Smokey Crabtree)
Travis Crabtree	...	Himself
John P. Hixon	...	Himself
John W. Oates	...	Himself
Buddy Crabtree	...	James Crabtree
Jeff Crabtree	...	Fred Crabtree
Judy Baltom	...	Mary Beth Searcy
Mary B. Johnson	...	Mary Beth's sister
Louise Searcy	...	Herself

Runtime:

90 min | 87 min (DVD version) | USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:G

Filming Locations:

Fouke, Arkansas, USA

Company:

P & L

Trivia:

Ralph McQuarrie, who went on to work with George Lucas and created the majority of the visual art for the “Star Wars” movies, painted the original poster artwork for a sequel to “The Legend of Boggy Creek” that was not filmed. It was an image of two 'creatures' (one 'adult' and one 'child') similar to that in the original poster, and was the first film poster Ralph McQuarrie created.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Southern Fried Bigfoot (2007)

Good, cheesy 70's fun

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.