The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)

Director:

Charles B. Pierce

Writer:

Earl E. Smith (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 June 1973 (Canada)

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:

Bigfoot | Giant Creature | Sasquatch | 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 | USA:85 min | 87 min (DVD version)

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:

Director 'Charles B. Pierce' got funding for the film by borrowing 160,000 dollars from a Arkansas trucking company and shooting it on an older model movie camera the production acquired.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Mr. Turner and the Ford brothers are on the porch shooting at the monster, Turner's flashlight alternates between a regular size flashlight and a large lantern flashlight (the same lantern flashlight the Constable gives them later).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Southern Fried Bigfoot (2007)

American Legend

"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…