This title is currently available on Blu-ray from Synapse Films.
In the 1970s, independent genre pictures were seemingly at their prime. If you could raise a bit of money, take an interesting concept and bring the right people together, you could make a movie and get it distributed (at the very least, regionally) at drive-ins and local movie houses. One such example is Creature from Black Lake, a homemade flick from Louisiana that capitalized on the sudden wave of public interest in cryptozoology and fantastic creatures. Specifically, the giant, hairy beast known as Bigfoot.
The movie was profitable during its original run, on television and on home video formats like VHS in the 80s, but the picture was always dark and blurry. Perhaps that is why in more recent times the film had fallen into obscurity. Thankfully, Synapse Film has rescued the title from the vault, cleaned it up with a 4K restoration and is now presenting it on Blu-ray. While this is a very low-budget affair, it features excellent photography from a future big-time cinematographer and the end result is actually quite atmospheric. It is great to see it all restored in high definition so that audiences new and old can see the film in all its glory.
Based loosely on the Fouke Monster legend, the story begins near the Louisiana/Arkansas border. Viewers are treated to a couple of effective scenes including a pair of fishermen and a family who are assaulted by a Bigfoot-like monster. Meanwhile in Chicago, curious university students Rives (John David Carson) and Pahoo (Dennis Fimple), hear a lecture on the myth. They convince their professor to send them down south to investigate the legend. They immediately find the small-town locals unwilling to assist them, but as they hang around and get to know a few individuals, they begin to hear more about the attacks from witnesses like Grandpa Bridges (Dub Taylor) and Joe Canton (Jack Elam). All skepticism from the leads disappears after they come into contact with the creature. As their obsession grows, the danger rises.
To be fair, this is a very low-budget effort and so there aren’t many attacks in the movie. The opening does include a couple of striking daytime encounters and the one with a family (including a very upset toddler) does send chills down the spine. But after this zippy opening, the film simply follows Rives and Pahoo on their trip. It’s certainly good for developing the quirky characters and adds a documentary-like feel to the proceedings, but everything is fairly relaxed and low-key for a suspense flick. We see the pair discuss the legend in their van, camp, as well as talk to people for the next hour. At least there are some funny and awkward encounters. This is particularly true at a diner when the protagonists play an audio recording of the monster and upset the staff and customers. However, the lives of the heroes aren’t really at risk until the final act.
But at least the two quirky men are charismatic and relatable enough to keep viewers watching. The climax includes some unexpected and unexpectedly gripping elements. And the cinematography is far better than one would expect for a movie like this. Despite being shot on real locations, everything looks beautifully lit. The widescreen swamp images are beautiful, as is the nighttime material. While films like this are often so dark and muddy that one can’t see anything, all important elements here are clearly visible while still being surrounded by darkness. Additionally, we only really get brief glimpses of the title beast, which helps add to the atmosphere.
This marked an early feature for director of photography Dean Cundey and he shows a natural gift. It’s no surprise that he would go on to shoot classics and notable titles like Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, Psycho II, Romancing the Stone, Back to the Future, Big Trouble in Little China, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Jurassic Park among many other credits.
So, the film is a better-than-average, fun little drive-in monster movie that makes the most of its limited resources and also serves as an interesting time-capsule of an era.
The Synapse Blu-ray includes a beautifully sharp widescreen image and the movie probably looks better here than it did during its original run. There are also some great extras. The first is an entertaining film historian commentary. The two hosts are very aware of the movie’s eccentricities and discuss its more unusual characteristics. They share detailed information on the production, or at least everything they could find out about the filmmakers and how the independent project came together and managed to find a release. They give some fun factoids about the cast and note that Hollywood character actors like Jack Elam were reported as being exceptionally professional and helpful onset (despite the picture being labeled as drive-in fare). Additionally, they discuss the resurgence and popularity of Bigfoot/Yeti movies during this period and name a few obscurities that horror fans may want to hunt down.
My personal favorite feature is a lengthy interview with Dean Cundey himself, who relates his personal experiences on the film. He notes that at this point in history, the number of independent productions allowed him to find work on numerous projects, experiment and hone his craft. He’s proud of this early effort and is enjoyable to listen to. In fact, one of his best revelations involves the creature itself. While even the experts don’t appear to be certain who was responsible for the monster’s make-up, it turns out that Cundey himself was the man who designed the beast and made some of the face and hair appliances. It’s a fascinating revelation. There is also some great publicity material like a trailer (that has also been cleaned up) and a radio spot.
Creature from Black Lake isn’t the greatest genre film ever made, but it does have a unique voice and is beautifully shot, fun and atmospheric. The new Blu-ray from Synapse really helps display its strongest attributes and adds some engrossing background details about the production. If you enjoy Bigfoot movies or low-budget drive-in genre pictures, this enjoyable release will be a pleasant surprise.