Director: Joy N. Houck, Jr.
Writer: Jim McCullough, Jr.
Producers: Jim McCullough, Jr., Jim McCullough, Sr.
Cast: John David Carson, Dennis Fimple, Jack Elam, Dub Taylor, Bill Thurman, Evelyn Hindricks, Jim McCullough, Jr., Chase Tatum, Roger Pancake, Roy Tatum, Cathryn Hartt, Becky Smiser, Michelle Willingham, Karen Brooks, Bob Kyle, Joy N. Houck, Jr., I.M. “Buddy” Brumley, Jr. (uncredited)
University of Chicago anthropology students Rives (John David Carson) and Pahoo (Dennis Fimple) travel down to Louisiana swamp country to find proof of the existence of a Sasquatch. The huge, hairy biped has been sighted for years in the area. Upon arriving in the small town of Oil City, Louisiana, the two students try to get information about the creature that they are after from the reluctant townsfolk. Rives and Pahoo gradually learn more about the local legend and find out how dangerous it can be.
The Flashback Fanatic movie review
Creature from Black Lake is a flick that rode the wave of Bigfoot interest in the United States that was kicked off a decade earlier on October 20th, 1967. On that date at Bluff Creek in Northern California, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin were on horseback in a remote, wooded area looking for footprint evidence of the legendary, apelike creature. Supposedly, that is when they were surprised by the appearance of a huge, hairy anthropoid walking upright on two legs. Patterson managed to film a moment of 16mm footage of the creature before it disappeared into the wilderness. Whether a true Bigfoot encounter or a hoax, it is certainly a fascinating bit of film.
For all of those who want to believe in the authenticity of the famous film footage, there are just as many who doubt it, and several people have claimed to be in on the hoax. Patterson died in 1972, but fellow witness Bob Gimlin has continued to claim for decades that this Bigfoot encounter caught on camera is true. If this was a hoax, it was a masterful one. Someone would have had to go to a helluva lot of effort to make that furry outfit. It does not look like some cheap gorilla suit rented from a costume shop. However, since the supposed encounter was shot at a distance on grainy 16mm film, it is difficult to discern any defects in the costume, if it was just a staged incident.
Because sightings of big, hairy, bipedal cryptids were claimed in locations all over the US, Bigfoot was a down-home spectacle for many independent filmmakers outside the Hollywood mainstream. Throughout the 1970s, various documentary-styled features and fictional narratives incorporating some “true” lore about the mythical monster were lumbering across America’s movie screens. Creature from Black Lake is probably the most polished of those ’70s flicks to hop on the Bigfoot bandwagon. None other than Dean Cundy was the cinematographer and worked on the creature makeup. He would soon gain a lot of prestige, especially with horror fans, for his cinematography on such John Carpenter-directed classics as Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), and The Thing (1982).
Until recently, Creature from Black Lake was a film I had not seen for decades. My strongest recollection of it was the intense trauma my teenaged buddy could have suffered if we missed it. In that pre-internet and pre-mobile phone era, you found showtimes for films in the local newspaper listings. There was no Google searching available and no mobile devices for such double-checking on the road. The stakes were high, folks. Miss the movie that may not be playing for long at your local cinema and you were screwed. You would have to hope it would get a television showing one day that would be even harder to catch. There were no daily multiple showings lasting a week or two on your boob tube. Just one broadcast and then, maybe, a rerun some day in the far-flung future. Most movies were not being released on home video at that time, and home video cassette recorders were not yet widely available. Movie fans really had to have their shit together.
Apparently, my friend assumed that my feces were in disarray. Perhaps he thought that I was unsure of the correct theater where the movie was playing or that the assumed start time was wrong, for when we arrived at the theater to see Creature from Black Lake, the title of the film was not displayed on the marquee and there was no showtime for it posted outside at the front of the movie house. For some unfathomable reason, my allegrophobic friend was going absolutely apeshit about possibly missing a Bigfoot movie. When I suggested that, if we were late for the film’s start time, we could check out the other flick on the second screen, which I believe was Beyond the Door (1974), my punctuality obsessed pal exploded, “I CAME TO SEE THE FUCKING CREATURE!” His rage provoked much hilarity from me, which continued to further incense him, which further amused me. What are friends for?
Much to his relief, we were at the correct theater and at the right time to see Creature from Black Lake. Remember that movie, folks? It is probably the reason you have hung in there this long. Therefore, I will now commence sharing with you my impressions of this film before you hop all over my ass screaming, “WE CAME TO READ ABOUT THE FUCKING CREATURE!”
Creature from Black Lake is rather refreshing because it does not purport to be based on any real-life incidents. It is a leisurely-paced, light-hearted buddy film that gets progressively more intense as the two hapless heroes run afoul of the mean and mysterious creature that they are after in the swamps of Louisiana.
The story certainly takes its time as we travel along with the two protagonists. The anthropology students Pahoo and Rives are on a road trip from Chicago, Illinois to Oil City, Louisiana. They goof around a bit, can tease and occasionally irritate each other, but they are not snarky wiseasses. They seem sincere, and that goes a long way toward keeping us engaged with their quest.
One interesting exception here to many films about city slickers arriving in small town, rural settings is that there is very little animosity between the visitors and the locals. All of the small town residents seem quite decent. Even Sheriff Carter (Bill Thurman), while warning the researchers not to rile people up with alarmist creature talk, does not get portrayed as an authoritarian bully.
The two most familiar faces in the cast would be Western film veterans Jack Elam, as the swamp trapper Joe Canton, and Dub Taylor, as Grandpaw Bridges. Both characters are interesting for their rustic qualities and contribute more anecdotes about their experiences with the creature.
Creature from Black Lake plays out in an almost mundane manner that ultimately rings true. There are no contrived character conflicts and backstories to deal with. The researchers are not armed to the teeth with weapons and technology. Our heroes are just a couple of college classmates of limited means hitting the road in a van loaded with camping gear, a camera, a tape recorder, and a rifle to find a mythical monster.
After establishing the setting and threat early on, Creature from Black Lake seems rather deliberate in doling out the occasional indications of the monster’s presence. This may seem like a narrative necessity to remind the audience that they are watching a monster movie. Rives and Pahoo do spend a lot of time associating with the Oil City locals for research leads, as well as trying to score with a couple cuties (Michelle Willingham and Becky Smiser) that they meet in a diner. This movie’s motive is not to really figure out what the creature is, but to maintain its elusive and mysterious menace. Rationing out the monster action that gets more intense late in the picture gradually adds momentum to the simple story.
Taking a less-is-more approach, the creature is only seen fleetingly, and often that is in the woods at night. This is a tried-and-true technique in monster movies that keeps us from becoming too accustomed to the creature’s presence and helps approximate that fear of the unknown for the audience that the movie’s protagonists are feeling. Fortunately, this only-see-it-a-little technique must have also been effective for my friend. Otherwise, he probably would have demanded to see the theater manager and insist on a refund by bellowing, “I CAME TO SEE THE FUCKING CREATURE!”
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