| The Legend of Boggy Creek | |
|---|---|
Promotional Movie Poster |
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| Directed by | Charles B. Pierce |
| Produced by | Charles B. Pierce |
| Written by | Earl E. Smith |
| Starring | William Stumpp Chuck Pierce, Jr. Vern Stierman Willie E. Smith |
| Music by | Jaime Mendoza-Nava |
| Cinematography | Charles B. Pierce |
| Editing by | Tom Boutross |
| Distributed by | Howco International Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 6, 1972 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $20,000,000 USA (estimated) |
The Legend of Boggy Creek is a 1972 horror docudrama about the "Fouke Monster", a Bigfoot-type creature that has been seen in and around Fouke, Arkansas since the 1950s. The film mixes staged interviews with some local residents who claim to have encountered the creature, along with fictitious reenactments of said encounters. Charles B. Pierce, an advertising salesman from Texarkana on the Arkansas/Texas border, borrowed over $100,000 from a local trucking company, used an old 35mm movie camera and hired locals (mainly high school students) to help make the 90-minute film. It has generated approximately $20 million in revenue and can be found on DVD.
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The film, based on a true story, sets out to detail the existence of the "Fouke Monster", a bigfoot-like creature that has reportedly been seen by residents of a small Arkansas community since the 1950s. It is described as having a foul odor, completely covered in reddish-brown hair and having three toes and also known by leaving tracks found in beanfields.
Several locals from the small town of Fouke, Arkansas recall their stories, often appearing as themselves, claiming that the creature has killed several large hogs as well as other animals. In one scene, a kitten is shown as having been "scared to death" by the creature. The narrator informs us that while people have shot at the creature in the past, it has always managed to escape. In another scene, hunters attempt to pursue the creature with dogs, but the dogs refuse to give chase. A police constable states that while driving home one night, the creature suddenly ran across the road in front of him.
In a later sequence, culled from the actual newspaper accounts inspiring the film, the creature is shown menacing a family in a remote country house. After being fired upon, the creature attacks, sending one family member to the hospital.
Pierce originally planned to call the film Tracking the Fouke Monster.[1]
A sequel, Return to Boggy Creek, was directed by Tom Moore. It carries over none of the original's docudrama elements. It stars Dawn Wells of Gilligan's Island fame, and the late Dana Plato of Diff'rent Strokes. Wells portrays the mother of three children who become lost in the swamp until the creature comes to their rescue.[2]
A third film, this one involving Pierce, was made soon after the release of Return to Boggy Creek. This movie follows the adventures of a University of Arkansas professor (Pierce) and his students, one of which is Pierce's son, on their trip to Fouke, Arkansas to find and study the creature. A few scenes in the beginning of the movie were shot at the university, including an Arkansas Razorbacks football game.[3] The movie was featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 .[4] This film is also known as simply Boggy Creek II and Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues with the film being released to DVD under the latter title.[5]
This film's story is unrelated to the others in the franchise, shifting from Arkansas to Texas. It deals with a bigfoot-like creature attacking a group of teenagers that are vacationing in the fictional area of Boggy Creek, Texas. The film was written and directed by Brian T. Jaynes. It was filmed in 2010 and released straight to DVD on September 13, 2011.[6]
A direct sequel to the 1972 film continues where it left off with all new interviews, re-enactments and footage of the creature. Filmed in Nebraska with a very low budget on HD video. Straight to DVD by RHR Home Video on August 1st, 2011. [7]
The Legend of Boggy Creek was released theatrically to limited but nonetheless financial success, earning around $20,000,000 at the box office. Return to Boggy Creek and The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II were released a few years later to theaters, in 1977 and 1985, respectively. Neither of the sequels were as successful as the original film. The final two films have been released straight to video.
Both The Legend of Boggy Creek and Boggy Creek II: And The Legend Continues have been released on VHS several times. Between 2002 and 2011, Hen's Tooth Video, Education 2000 Inc., Sterling Entertainment, Unicorn Video, RHR Home Video and Cheezy Flicks Entertainment all released The Legend of Boggy Creek on Region 1 DVD.[8] Several of these versions are now out of print.
In 2005, Elite Entertainment released The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II under the title Boggy Creek II: And The Legend Continues on Region 1 DVD. Additionally, in 2004, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode that lampooned the film was released on DVD by Rhino Entertainment.[9] Only the Rhino Entertainment version is still in print. Return to Boggy Creek has only been issued on VHS by CBS Home video with no plans for a DVD release as of 2011.[10]
On September 13, 2011, Boggy Creek: The Legend is True was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Hannover House. It features a Widescreen transfer and a handful of special features.[11] Also in 2011, The Legacy of Boggy Creek was released on DVD by RHR Home Video. [12]
Countless similarly themed films followed in the wake of Boggy's successful 1972 release, including Creature From Black Lake, Sasquatch, the Legend of Bigfoot, The Capture of Bigfoot, and later Harry and the Hendersons.[13][14][15][16][17] In recent years, influence on modern moviemakers is still strong. Its docudrama format - which was ahead of its time in the 1970s - was purposefully echoed in 1999's The Blair Witch Project.[18][19] In 2008, Duane Graves and Justin Meeks accurately recreated the drive-in feel of the movie in their blatant Boggy homage titled The Wild Man of the Navidad, released by IFC Films.[20][21][22]