Colorful characters munch up screen time in “Creature from Black Lake” — a monster movie that brings Bigfoot to the bayou.
A couple of students head to the wilderness to prove the existence of a mythical beast. Let’s dig into 1976’s CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE, directed by Joy N. Houck Jr.!
As I See It
The sheen of a seventies creature feature set in the South is what got me through this one. Not that it was terrible. It wasn’t. Three-quarters of the film was the same gag: asking locals about their encounters with the titular beast.
The characters are great. I just wish they did more with them.
We get treated to one brief monster moment with our leading men until the climax, which never goes far enough.
No wonder the beast is so ornery; you would be, too, if you were covered in fur and skulking through swamps filled with moisture and mosquitos.
Dean Cundey really shot the hell out of this film in some dark and dank locations. The late Cundey is, of course, best known for his work in this genre as DP for many John Carpenter films.
It never gets action-packed enough, but I enjoyed the hell out of seeing Dennis Fimple in an earlier role.
It also featured one of my favorite cheesy pickup lines when the city boys are wooing the country girls: “Ready for the North to meet the South?”
Famous Faces
Dennis Fimple (Pahoo) had his last feature role in Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses as the riotous Grampa Hugo. He passed away before the film was released.
Of Gratuitous Nature
It’s rather timid.
Heartthrob
I’m going to go down Dennis Fimple’s filmography and choose another one to take in because he’s now two for two in my book. I see why Zombie cast him.
Ripe for a Remake
Are there ever enough Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti/Skunk Ape stories? Most definitely. But if you can make something as fresh as, say, Troll Hunter (2010) was for that mythology, I’m down with it.
Spawns
No progeny to report, though the earlier The Legend of Boggy Creek is based on the same creature.
Where to Watch
Synapse Films released a limited edition slipcover Blu-ray of Creature from Black Lake with new art from Justin Coffee and a 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative. It also features an interview with the late, great DP Dean Cundey (Halloween 78’, The Fog, The Thing, etc.). You can stream it on Prime, Roku Channel, Plex, and Tubi.
Overall Rating (Out of 5 Butterflies): 2.5
THE DAILY DIG
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