The Wild Man of the Navidad (2008)

Directors:

Duane Graves
Justin Meeks

Writers:

Duane Graves (screenplay)
Justin Meeks (screenplay)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

History tells one story. Truth tells another.

Plot:

Based on the recently acquired journals of Texan Dale S. Rogers, this vintage horror tale debunks history books to tell the veracious...

Plot Keywords:

Texas | Creature | Bigfoot | Cult Favorite | Freak

Cast

Jacob Bargsley	...	Kevin Pennell
James Bargsley	...	Melvin Pennell
Kevin Bensmiller	...	Local - Sighting
Joyce Benton	...	Cafe' Patron
Oscar Benton	...	Cafe' Patron
Nicole Biggers	...	Local - Viewing
Shannon Biggers	...	Tanya Lynch
William Booth	...	Mack Harris
Doyle Culpepper	...	Cafe' Loiterer #1
Murray Cutbirth	...	Charlie's Friend #1
Charlie Edwards	...	Local (Posse)
Alex Garcia	...	Mario Jalisco
Shasta Gaydos	...	Darleen McCullough
Edmond Geyer	...	Sheriff Lyle Pierce
Kelly Geyer	...	Local - Viewing
Kerry Geyer	...	Cafe' Patron
Ott Goebel	...	Local (Posse)
Bill Graves	...	Cafe' Patron
Duane Graves	...	Cafe' Marquee Attendant
Gary Graves	...	Cafe' Patron
Kevin Graves	...	Barney
Tim Harden	...	Herb
Kim Henkel	...	Lionel / Radio Voice #2
Patrick Hewlett	...	Vern Findlay
Wayne Hojnacki	...	Charlie's Friend #2
Robert Holland	...	Local (Posse)
Gary Houser	...	Fred McCullough
William Huie	...	Radio Voice #1
Charlie Hurtin	...	Karl Crabtree
Harold Jambers	...	Gilly Nance
Kenny Johnson	...	Local (Posse)
Laura Johnson	...	Betty Pierce
Linda Kaatz	...	Peggy
Q.T. Kaatz	...	Local - Viewing
William McBride	...	Boss Man Jack Clem / Narrator
Darren McComb	...	Local (Posse)
Andrew McDonald	...	Local (Posse)
Patrick McDonnell	...	Hog Skinner
Abby Meeks	...	Local - Viewing
Jack Meeks	...	Local - Sighting
Justin Meeks	...	Dale S. Rogers
Preston Meeks	...	Horseman
Stacy Meeks	...	Jean Rogers
Tyra Meeks	...	Local - Viewing
Kyle Nelson	...	Boater
Arlon Retzloff	...	Preacher
Elsie Retzloff	...	Local - Viewing
Michael Retzloff	...	Young Boy
Otto Retzloff	...	Cafe' Loiterer #2
Wes Retzloff	...	Local - Posse
David Riecher	...	Local - Posse
Blanton Robertson	...	Otis Lockart
Charles Robertson	...	Charlie Elam
Virgil Roberts	...	Cafe' Patron
Lauren Schmitt	...	Hillary Benson
John Sholtis	...	Virgil Hawkins
Lauren Stett	...	Ava Ray
Darryl Stewart	...	Local (Sighting)
Ken Williams	...	Henry
Tony Wolford	...	The Wild Man of the Navidad
Bob Wood	...	Earl Smith

Also Known As:

The Wild Man of Navidad (USA) (alternative spelling)
The Wildman of Navidad (USA) (alternative spelling)
The Wildman of the Navidad (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Filming Locations:

Boerne, Texas, USA

Company:

Greeks Productions

Trivia:

The part of Peggy was originally offered to 70's scream queen Marilyn Burns of the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Eaten Alive (1977).

Quotes:

Boss Man Jack Clem: Well, we'd be eatin' Bigfoot steaks by now if you hurry up and kill that big hairy monster runnin' around out there at Dale's place.
Karl Crabtree: I got a tube steak for you.
Boss Man Jack Clem: Yeah, looks more like a vienna sausage to me.

Movie Connections:

References The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Decent but Flawed 70's throwback

Dale (Co-Director Justin Meeks) doesn't want to open his ranch to hunters, but has to because he needs the money. Too bad for him (and them) that a bloodthirsty creature is not keen on trespassers.

Produced by "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" writer Kim Henkel, "The Wild Man of the Navidad" doesn't owe a lot to that seminal classic. Instead, this is more inspired by other 70's Horror/Exploitation fair such as "The Legend of Boggy Creek", "Creature From Black Lake" and "The Town That Dreaded Sundown", with a bit of slasher movie inspiration to match. If the film has one thing going for it, it's that it genuinely feels like a Southern Drive-In Horror Flick from the 70's-the weird, off-kilter score, the bad acting from a cast mostly made up of locals and non-actors, the cheap monster costume, the grainy look, the ultra low budget, almost documentary like feel, the unconvincing gore(who knew intestines looked like cooked steak?)-I could go on and on.

And it's watchable, decent stuff, but not without it's flaws. While bad acting and long stretches of dialog are to be expected out of a movie like this, it really starts to get annoying. The directors also reveal too much of the creature too soon, though it's cheap look has it's charm. The conclusion is also something that needs some work-it just kind of ends, without any real sense of wrap up. Finally, the slow burn style doesn't hurt for the large part, but it even tested my patience eventually, and I tend to be a patient man.

Can I recommend "The Wild Man of the Navidad?" Well, it depends. As a movie, it's decent but too flawed to be enjoyed by some, and those expecting a really fun movie will feel bored. As I said though, the fact that it genuinely feels like an old Southern Grindhouse flick will certainly appeal to those who love such movies, and is worth a look to any curious horror fan.