We
start off with some shots of some southern swampland. Into this wilderness
comes a small boat outfitted with a small outboard motor, not much bigger
than a canoe and with two men in it. This is Joe Canton and his pal
Willie, who are out checking on their game traps. They find evidence
that someone has been stealing from their traps.
We
cut now to a classroom at the University of Chicago, where some professor
is lecturing his students on BHM’s (Big Hairy Monsters) of all
varieties: Sasquatch, Skunk Ape, Yeti, etc. As he babbles on about animals
believed to be extinct that really are not, we return to Joe Canton
and Willie in the swamp, who are finding that more of their traps have
been tampered with. Willie doesn’t believe that an animal is responsible,
believing another person is behind the thefts. As we see them cruising
down the waterway, a large, hairy figure (for last time in this review,
let me make it clear that this is NOT Ron Jeremy ) steps into frame,
blocking our view. It seems the two men are being watched.
They
stop to check another trap and Joe shushes Willie, thinking he heard
something. They both listen carefully, the faint sound of heaving breathing
and/or grunting fading away in the distance. Willie gets freaked out
and insists that they skedaddle.
A
quick jump back to that professor in Chicago, where he is saying that
there has never been a report of a BHM attacking or harming a human
being. Sure...
Returning
to Joe and Willie, we see that their boat gets caught on something in
the water, the small craft coming to a stop. Willie leans over the side
of the boat to find the obstruction and a large hairy hand rises from
the water to grab him. Willie vanishes into the murky water with a scream
and a splash. The large hand returns, but Joe smacks it with an oar
and then gets the motor running again.
It
is at this point that I must point out that this film has provided invaluable
information on the ecology of the BHM…or more to the point, the
BHM native to the Southern United States. I never knew that such creatures
were amphibious! How else to explain how the creature could stay underwater
for so long? During this entire encounter with Joe and Willie, the monster
never once surfaced, only sticking his hand up to grab at the men. This
shows an ability to hold its breath and swim better than Michael Phelps!
Jumping
back to the university of Chicago, we see Pahoo and Rives talking to
that professor about an exploratory trip to the south in order to find
an elusive BHM that reportedly haunts parts of Southern Arkansas and
Northern Louisiana. All they need to make the trip are funds and a vehicle.
One
last jump back to Joe Canton shows him hauling ass out of the swamp,
Willie's body sinking out of sight beneath the dirty water. As Joe vanishes
around a bend in the waterway, a hairy figure once again stands in front
of the camera, at an angle that practically puts its hairy ass and nutsack
right in our faces. I may require therapy after that visual.
Pahoo
and Rives have found the money to fund their trip as well as a van to
transport them. They drive all day towards their destination and spend
the first night at a campground, which allows them to test out their
gear. Here we learn that Pahoo grew up eating so much chicken, he has
developed an obsession with hamburgers. Rives takes the opportunity
to tell Pahoo a scary story about a man torn to pieces by some sort
of BHM, “right around these parts someplace.” Pahoo walks
off into the woods to take a leak, where a large, hairy figure (I wonder
just how many times I am going to use those three words in this review)
steps into frame. Alas, it’s just some guy with a bushy beard
and big hair.
The
next day the pair hits the road again and eventually arrive in the small
town of Oil City, Louisiana. They then ask locals about Joe Canton and
the creature, but no one seems to know a thing about them. Rives then
enters the barbershop and asks about the creature, perhaps thinking
that such a hairy individual frequents the place quite regularly for
a trim. It just so happens that a much more frightening personage awaits:
Sheriff Billy Carter, who is getting a shave. He informs Rives that
he is welcome in town as long as he doesn’t get people riled up
over some mysterious monster. In other words: don’t mention the
creature again to anyone.
Pahoo
makes his way to the local diner, where he orders his favorite meal:
a hamburger, fries and a coke (oh…how I can relate). He meets
Eve the waitress, whom he asks about the local “Bigfoot Creature.”
She calls to a diner patron named “HB” who relates to Pahoo
a story about his encounter with the creature. Alas, he is pulling Pahoo’s
leg and when he reveals the hideous creature in his story to be his
own wife, everyone in the diner laughs. Everyone except Joe Canton,
that is.
Joe
announces that he doesn’t think it was funny and “Willie
don’t think it’s funny.” Well, of course not, Willie
is dead! Joe storms out. When Pahoo realizes that the man who just left
was the man he and Rives have been trying to find, he runs out (without
his hamburger, fries and coke, no less). Alas, Joe has vanished. Pahoo
sees Rives and tells him about his brief encounter with Joe while Rives
relates to him the warning he received from the sheriff.
Long
about now, a man calls to the pair and runs up to them. This is Orville
and he was in the barbershop getting a haircut when Rives entered earlier.
Having overheard his interest in the creature, Orville offers to tell
them of his own brush with the monster, if they can give him a ride
home. Pahoo and Rives agree, so the three pile into the van. Once underway,
Orville has trouble “remembering” his story until the tape
recorder is turned off. He does not want what he has to say to be repeated.
We
now flash back to when Orville was just a toddler. One day he, his parents
and two of his Grandparents head out for a drive and a picnic. When
the car gets a flat tire, Orville, mom and grandma get out and sit in
the shade while pops and gramps fix the flat. Kids being kids, little
Orville soon wanders off from where his mother and grandmother are sitting
and into the surrounding trees. Mom walks into the woods to collect
him, but just as she catches up to him, a large hairy figure (sigh)
steps out of the brush and regards them.
 Naturally,
mom screams up a storm. This brings pops and gramps. Before you know
it, pops has scooped up little Orville (damn near giving the tyke whiplash
in the process) and everyone is piling back into the car. The monster
screams in anger or fear or just plain annoyance as the car takes off,
the flat tire forgotten. However, without that tire, steering the car
at such a high rate of speed proves to be too much for pops and the
car collides with a tree. Since little Orville was sitting on Grandpaw’s
lap in the back, I wonder what kept the kid from getting squished between
Gramps and the front seat when the car came to a sudden halt.
Returning
to the present, Orville tells Pahoo and Rives that his parents were
killed in the crash and that he has lived with his Grandparents ever
since. What is strange is that within just a few minutes, we will learn
from Grandpaw Bridges himself that his daughter was Orville’s
mother. If that is the case, why does Orville have the same last name?
If his mother was a Bridges and then married and had a child, wouldn’t
Orville’s last name be different? Was it changed after his parents
died, to reflect the status of his Grandparents as his legal guardians?
Or is the truth just plain icky to contemplate? This is the
south after all. Orville’s mother could have easily married a
man with the exact same last name..because he was just a branch or two
over on the family tree.
They
arrive at Orville’s home, where he warns the pair to not say anything
to his Grandparents about the creature. No sooner have they exited the
van and greet Grandpaw Bridges than Rives mentions their work investigating
the creature. What part of “don’t say anything” was
that? Grandpaw gets mad and tells them to get lost, not wanting to be
ridiculed.
Rives
tries to explain that they are not there to ridicule them, but Grandpaw
doesn’t seem swayed. It’s not until Pahoo invents a twenty-five
dollar cash reward for the person who cooperates with them that Grandpaw
changes his mind. I know twenty-five bucks doesn't seem like a lot to
you and me, but in 1976, it was the equivalent of about ninety-three
bucks today. Now Grandpaw’s eyes light up like Kirstie Alley at
an all you can eat buffet. He tells Orville to go inside and make sure
there are a couple more place settings at dinner. Suddenly he is very
friendly towards Pahoo and Rives, especially once they have forked over
the twenty-five bucks. Eventually, Grandpaw tells them of the first
time he saw the creature, when he awoke one night.
We
now flash back to that night and see the frightening sight of a shirtless
Grandpaw emerging from his house onto the front porch. The creature
can barely be seen in the distance, fighting with Grandpaw’s two
hound dogs. And when I say that he can barely be seen, it’s because
the film print is so dark, it’s hard to make out what is transpiring.
A vague shape moves around and dog cries denote the demise of two poor
canines. Grandpaw gets off a shot with his shotgun, though it doesn’t
seem to do any good.
Back
in the present, Grandma Bridges appears and announces than supper is
almost ready. Before they head inside, Grandpaw warns them to say nothing
about the creature in front of his wife, as it would only scare her.
Considering their actions after Orville told them to do the same thing,
and I’m thinking Pahoo and Rives won’t be able to keep their
big mouths shut.
They
sit down to eat, Pahoo’s face dropping when he realizes that the
main course is fried chicken. After a quick prayer from Grandpaw, they
all dig in. Later, as the meal is winding down and everyone is in good
spirits, an awful howl can be heard outside. Instantly Pahoo shouts,
“Is that it? Is that it? Is that the creature?” Um…no.
That would be Grandpaw’s mule. Alas, the damage has been done.
With a frightened expression, Grandma gets up and leaves the table.
Needless to say, Grandpaw is livid. He promptly tells both Pahoo and
Rives to get out.
Outside,
Pahoo apologizes to Orville. The pair ask him if there is any place
nearby where they can spend the night. Orville tells them to just stay
in the barn. Later, the pair are stretched out in the hay, Pahoo is
regretting having eaten chicken while Rives dictates a progress report
into a tape recorder.
Outside,
some Monster-Cam shows us that the creature is approaching the Bridges
property, no doubt having heard his name mentioned so many times. The
beast lets out a deafening roar, which is heard inside the barn as well
as the house, waking all who were asleep and startling those who were
still awake. Pahoo and Rives run like mad for the house, where Grandpaw
lets them inside.
In
the morning, Pahoo is ready to pack up their stuff and skedaddle back
to Chicago, he is so scared. The pair heads into town where they call
their professor, Dr. Burch and relay to him the latest news in their
search. Then they head to the diner, where once again Eve is working.
Pahoo is quite hungry, as he orders two hamburgers, two
orders of fries and a single Coke. Rives decides to have the same thing.
As
the two sit there, waiting for their food, they notice two local gals
checking them out. Lots of looks are exchanged, but no one makes any
sort of move to initiate a conversation. Rives plays the tape recording
from the night before, trying to determine if the horrendous cry they
heard was in fact from some monstrous creature. When the roar sounds
throughout the diner, Eve the waitress jumps and screams. Unfortunately,
she was carrying a tray loaded with food, which has now landed all over
the place…mostly on her. She throws food at Pahoo and Rives before
chasing them out of the diner.
The
two young women from inside now approach Pahoo and Rives and introduce
themselves as Becky and Michelle. The guys ask them what they do around
this town at night, to which Becky answers, “What comes natural.”
Is she trying to make a subtle reference to sex, or is she referring
to sleep? Both seem pretty natural to me…along with eating and
crapping when you think about it. Rives invites them to stop by their
campsite later that night at the state park just outside town, which
the two gals accept.
Sheriff
Carter can be seen walking up and Rives’ eyes nearly pop out of
his skull when Becky greets him with a “Hi, dad.” He tells
her to not stay out late and to get moving before continuing on himself.
POW.
We instantly jump to that night. We see Pahoo and Rives at their campsite
when Becky and Michelle pull up in a Volkswagen beetle (aka bug). Beers
are handed out but before any drinking can get done, it starts to rain,
forcing all four of them into the nearby tent. Rives secretly plays
the tape with the creature’s roar, scaring Pahoo just as he is
about to lay a kiss on Michelle. Everyone laughs.
Becky
notices that the rain has stopped, so she and Rives step outside, unaware
of the Monster Cam approaching through the woods. They discuss the creature
and whether it is real or not. The two then move close and kiss. As
they stand there, snuggling, Becky looks over Rives’ shoulder
and sees just a few yards away…the creature, watching them. Do
you believe he’s real now, sweetheart? Not only is he real, but
he’s a freakin' peepin’ Tom!
Becky
screams and runs into the tent. Rives catches a brief glimpse of the
creature as it runs off, then dives into the tent after Becky, grabbing
his rifle in the process. The four listen as the creature stomps around,
breathing and grunting loud. It seems to be getting closer to the tent,
so Rives points his weapon in the direction of the opening.
A
horrible figure bursts through the opening, a terrifying expression
of anger etched into its features. Alas, it is not the creature, but
Sheriff Carter. He makes the girls leave and then runs Pahoo and Rives
into town and locks them up in the slammer. I wonder how poor Becky
is ever going to get another date, if that’s what happens to every
guy she goes out with.
We
now turn our attention to the shack that Joe Canton calls home. Joe
is currently passed out in his grimy, oily-looking bed. No doubt snoring
off a liberal dose of moonshine. A shadow passes by his window, waking
him. He turns on his light and sits up, taking another couple pulls
from his jug. He walks to the window and looks out, but sees nothing,
so he douses the lights and heads back to bed. This is when the creature
tries to bust in through the window. Joe grabs his shotgun and fires
off a couple shots. Re-loading, he heads outside to look around, but
the hairy one has long since departed. Joe heads for his truck.
Joe
heads to town where he bursts into the Sheriff’s office, screaming
about the creature. The Sheriff doesn’t buy his story, choosing
instead to believe that Joe has been drinking. He gives him a sobriety
test, which the greasy old drunk fails spectacularly. Almost instantly,
Joe passes out and collapses on the floor, so the Sheriff shoves him
in the cell with Pahoo and Rives.
When
he eventually regains consciousness, they ask him about the creature.
Joe tells them how his pal Old Willie was snatched out of the boat and
had his neck snapped. As he’s describing what the monster looked
like, Sheriff Carter enters and releases Joe, telling him to go home.
Joe leaves, but tells Pahoo and Rives to come out to his place if they
want to hear more. Once Joe has left, Carter releases Pahoo and Rives,
telling them to get out of town ASAP. He also tells them to ignore Joe’s
talk of a monster, which you and I know isn’t going to happen
in a million years.
Outside,
they see Joe and take him up on his offer, following him out to his
place. Once there he talks about how he found tracks deep in the swamp,
further than he had ever gone before. The tracks continued on even deeper
into the wetlands and after following them a while, he noticed that
aside from some birds, there was no larger game to be found. Eventually
he found a dead boar, all clawed up and with big bites taken out of
it. Further on there was another and then another and then another and
so on. At this point he noticed the utter silence around him and felt
like he was being watched.
Proving
that he left his good sense back in Chicago, Rives asks Joe for directions
to this area of the swamp. Pahoo isn’t thrilled with the idea
of going further, but his companion talks him into it. They make their
through the wilderness and eventually reach a point where the van can
go no further, so they set up camp a couple hundred yards beyond the
vehicle, among the trees at the base of a small hill.
Night
comes and Rives warns Pahoo to not eat too many beans, so he won’t
scare the creature away. HAHAHAHA. If that guy farts anything like my
dad did while I was growing up, the creature as well as every deer,
beaver, raccoon and boar in a hundred mile radius will be charging like
mad for the state border. Pahoo gets upset and says that Rives is not
aware of how dangerous it can be out there. He mentions his time in
Vietnam and accuses Rives of hiding out in Canada during the war. Rives
tells him to take the van and go. Pahoo agrees and packs up his stuff.
Before
Pahoo can go, Rives offers him some beans. The two sit, eat and in the
classic manner of males since the dawn of time, apologize to each other
for their harsh words without actually saying sorry. Rives then drops
the bomb that he thinks something has been circling the camp. GULP!
Note
- It is at this point that the movie enters its final segment, so if
any of you really feel the need to watch this film and not know the
ending ahead of time, skip the rest of this section.
Beans
forgotten (at least until their gastronomic legacy comes back later
with a vengeance) Rives grabs his rifle while Pahoo grabs a flashlight.
The two walk away from their fire and into the darkened woods. Wait
a sec…a flashlight? All Pahoo has is flashlight? What’s
he gonna do, momentarily blind the monster? Under the circumstances,
I wouldn’t step foot out of camp without at least an Uzi or a
shotgun.
They
stumble around some and find some huge footprints in the soil on the
hill overlooking their camp. They realize this is where the creature
had been watching them. Pahoo then discovers that Rives failed to load
the rifle. I don’t know about you, but in my book, failing to
load the only weapon under such circumstances is justification for an
instant ass beating.
Rives
runs to the van in order to retrieve the ammunition while Pahoo stays
put. Bad move, dudes, bad move. You should always stay together. Waiting
alone in the darkened trees, Pahoo starts to freak himself out. Being
the fool that he is, he calls out repeatedly to Rives. Sure, just go
ahead and announce to the creature your exact location. Moron. He then
hears heavy breathing approaching his location. He spins round and sure
enough, it’s the monster! He screams, the creature screams and
then the monster knocks him upside the head. POW, he hits the dirt,
unconscious. The creature drags him off into the night.
At
the van, Rives hears the scream. He also hears the creature going nuts
at their campsite, throwing things around and tearing things up, having
no doubt assumed a party was in progress. The rifle finally loaded,
Rives hauls ass back to camp, finding nothing but a mess. He calls out
to Pahoo, but receives no answer. He looks around and sees his companion’s
discarded flashlight. I told you that damn thing would do no good!
Rives
now runs back to the van and tries to use the CB radio to call for help,
contacting Sheriff Carter. He tells him where they are at and requests
help. Apparently the idea of the Fuzz stomping around his private swamp
sends the creature into a fit of rage, as his fist comes flying through
the window at this instant. Rives fights it off with a knife and during
the scuffle the van’s parking break is released. The vehicle rolls
down the hill and hits a tree.
As
Rives is recovering from the impact, the creature returns and begins
pounding the exterior of the van. Eventually the monster manages to
turn the vehicle over and it tumbles down the hill, landing on its side.
Rives crawls out, cradling his left arm. He grabs the rifle with his
good limb and aims it at the creature, which is slowly descending the
hill towards him. POW. He fires and hits it. The creature stumbles back
and falls, but picks itself up rather quickly. Unable to get the rifle
to fire again, Rives abandons his position and runs off into the trees.
Good thing, too. At that moment a loose wire sparks and hits some gasoline,
igniting the fuel. KABOOM! The van goes up in a ball of flame. Rives
runs through the swamp, stumbling and falling more than once.
At
Joe Canton’s place, we see Sheriff Carter arrive.
In
the swamp, Rives has lost his way. He hears movement in the distance
and is sure the creature is coming to finish him off. He grabs his knife
and hides behind a tree. When the figure comes walking, past, he jumps
out and plunges his blade into his pursuer's gut. Oops. Looks like it
was Pahoo that was following him, having woken up from the ass beating
visited upon him by the creature. The other man falls to the ground,
a look of surprise on his face.
In
an instant, the sun is high in the sky and we see a police car zooming
down a road, the voices of Sheriff Carter and Joe Canton heard talking
inside. They eventually find Rives and Pahoo by the roadside and help
them back to town.
In
the hospital, Sheriff Carter admits to Rives that he was wrong about
the two young men. Joe Canton storms off, vowing to get his shotgun
and make a rug out of the creature. Finally, Rives gets to see Pahoo,
who is bandaged up almost as bad as the Aztec Mummy and is asleep. Rives
talks out loud to his friend, imploring him to live. Getting all emotional,
he wonders of there is something he can do for his friend or if there
is something he can get for him.
Pahoo’s
voice abruptly breaks the silence. “A hamburger, French fries
and a coke.”
It
seems Pahoo will okay. More than okay, in fact. Apparently he is upset
that they have to start the project over from scratch, but is committed
to doing so since they know for a fact the creature is out there somewhere.
Cue
up the corny country song.
The
End.
Review
It’s
no secret that the 1970’s was the Bigfoot decade. There was a
cultural obsession with the legendary beast that seemed to permeate
everything. Countless films and television shows exploited this interest,
leading to some classic and none-too-classic moments in entertainment.
Creature from Black Lake came at the height of this Bigfoot
craze. One might be tempted to pass it over when considering the glut
of such films, but this movie is much better than initial assumptions.
First
off, the film benefits from some well written characters. Pahoo and
Rives behave like real people and interact with each other as you’d
expect friends to do. They laugh, tease each other and sometimes piss
each other off, but in the end they apologize and move on. Each one
has his own personality quirks that really helps bring them to life,
such as Pahoo’s obsession with hamburgers, French fries and Coke.
Each one is fallible, yet continue on their quest despite setbacks brought
about by others as well as themselves. Their friendship helps drive
the film, more so than their quest to find the Bigfoot monster.
For
all the stereotypes they adhere to when first introduced, the supporting
characters manage to rise above such initial limitations by film’s
end. Sheriff Carter comes across as a real hard ass, but ends up being
quite helpful and even apologetic. Grandpaw Bridges, despite his dislike
of Yankees, still shows his positive side when push comes to shove.
Joe Canton maintains his status as crazy, drunken trapper throughout
the movie, but even still, he’s interesting to watch.
The
film does a great job of establishing mood and atmosphere. The Louisiana
swamps and woods look quite spooky, even in broad daylight. When night
comes, the creepiness factor gets ramped up a couple of notches. An
effective use of light and shadows, coupled with the eerie locations,
makes for a near palpable sense of dread and foreboding. The monster’s
chilling cry (which in reality sounds a lot like a hog or boar) adds
to the scariness of it all.
As
for the monster, it is wisely kept off screen for most of the film.
The suit is rather cheap looking and doesn’t stand up to scrutiny
very well. Thankfully, most of the time the creature is shown in shadow
or is a vague shape against a brighter background. While necessitated
by the low budget and corny monster costume, this method actually helps
increase the creature’s mysterious nature. Like Pahoo and Rives,
the viewer will be struggling to get a better glimpse of the monster,
never knowing exactly what it may look like.
Overall
this is a fun movie. Rather than overt monster action, it goes for a
steady build up of tension and terror, using its monster sparsely until
the final act. The characters never come across as forced or fake, which
almost gives the film a documentary feel, a notion made even stronger
by the grainy film quality. This will never be considered the best monster
flick of the 70's, or even the best Bigfoot film from that decade, but
it certainly is worth seeing and is not to be missed by B movie fans.
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