The Legend of Boggy Creek

I remember being a child of about ten years old, sitting down to watch 'The Legend of Boggy Creek' with my family, excited by the thought of a bigfoot creature lurking in the swamps out there in America, and slightly terrified by the assertion by the filmmakers that this was a 'true story'. It's amazing (albeit unsurprising) how much scarier things are when you believe them to be true.

When I sat down to watch it recently, I cast my mind back to that childhood experience. I remembered so vividly the creature's unearthly scream, its terrifying silhouette in the landscape, its rattling of the doors of the caravan in the film's most frightening scene of all.

I prepared myself to experience all that terror again.

Except it wasn't terrifying. It wasn't even the slightest bit scary.

No doubt about it, watching 'The Legend of Boggy Creek' recently was something of a surprise and a disappointment. Admittedly I don't believe in Bigfoot anymore, so the 'true story' claim no longer holds any power. This isn't a re-enactment, its just a story. And robbed of the potency of 'fact', that creature is now just a guy in a hairy suit, just like any other movie monster.

But still. Seeing that potency vapourise in front of me felt rather sad. A memory diminished.

Anyway, all that aside, is 'The Legend of Boggy Creek' any good? Well yes, it is, in its own idiosyncratic way. For a start, it adopts an effective mock documentary style. The 're-enactments' are presented as such, and Arkansas locals are interviewed about their sightings of the creature. In fact its very hard to say if these interviews are scripted or genuine (a trick that 'Blair Witch Project' emulated less successfully). In many ways 'The Legend of Boggy Creek' plays out much like a modern dramatised documentary. It is very effective (it certainly fooled one ten year old).

The film is also superb at capturing a sense of place, with its use of nature footage and audio tracks. In many ways 'The Legend of Boggy Creek' is a loving tribute to Arkansas, its wildlife, and its way of life. Indeed the monster can be seen as a personification of Arkansas (or should that be monsterification?). I'm reminded of the British mythology surrounding the Green Man, whose spirit inhabits Britain's woodlands. There's certainly no doubt that director Charles B. Pierce views the creature with much affection (there's even a folk song lamenting his loneliness at one point).

All that said, there's no denying that the film is slow paced, even laboriously dull at times. And no, it isn't scary.

But if you fancy a real slice of Americana, enjoy mockumentary film making, or have an interest in Bigfoot-type creatures then this is definitely worth checking out.

'The Legend of Boggy Creek' will always have a special place in my heart.