Michael_Elliott Creature From Black Lake (1976) ** 1/2 (out of 4) The 70's were full of Bigfoot movies and this one here is probably the best of what I've seen. Two college students from Chicago travel to the swamps of Louisiana where they hope to find Bigfoot. They do find him but wish they didn't because he's in a rather grumpy mood. Outside from very poor comedy bits, this film manages to be quite successful in showing the legendary creature as a fierce and frightening being. The film manages to capture the mood and feel of the swamp very well and all the scenes dealing with the creature are very good. The performances are on the shaky side but what do you expect with this sort of drive-in fair. Jack Elam plays the crazy local and Dub Taylor of Bonnie and Clyde fame has a small role. Cinematography by Dean Cundy.

cutterccbaxter I first saw this film when I 13 years old and really liked it. Two guys cruising down to Louisiana in their van, picking up some local chicks, and chasing after Bigfoot really appealed to my 13 year old sensibilities. Plus it seemed like the two leads were having a good time and didn't take themselves too seriously. Having watched it again recently, I found their interaction to be a bit on the dorky side, but I still think the movie is a lot of fun. The film theorizes that Bigfoot doesn't really care for empty tents as he becomes quite angry when he enters the heroes' tent and they are are not in it. He also shares swimming abilities with the creature from the black lagoon. I remember the scene where he snatches Jack Elam's buddy from the boat really spooked me back in the day.

coughlinm This movie was to be the last respectful BIGFOOT movie to come out for along time. Hollywood had already begun turning the topic into a pop culture joke starting with the SIX MILLION DOLLER MAN/BIGFOOT travesty. This would eventually lead to the E.T.-ing of our favorite bipedal primate with films like HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS. Hairy hominids just didn't seem very scary following this film. This movie stars one ticked off sasquatch. Even more so than his cousin in the previous film, LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK. The story is about two anthropology students on a trip to investigate a supposed swamp creature in OIL CITY LA. The chills and suspense are plenty, there is a lot of comic relief, especially from veteran actors Jack Elam and Dub Taylor and the acting is miles above The acting in BOGGY CREEK. There is however one major flaw in the script. So much so that I even noticed it when I first saw the movie at age fourteen. You see, in real life most bigfoot investigators spend their entire lives searching for the beast and end up at best finding a few hairs or maybe a foot print or two. I know this is only a Fictional movie but our two main characters seem to be running into this creature constantly from the moment they hit town. This seems even more glaring when you add the fact that most of locals, who presumably have lived there all their lives, have never seen the monster. These two (lucky?) guys have three encounters with the creature, on three consecutive nights, in three different locations, presumably miles apart. You begin to wonder who's searching for who. The movie's continuity would seem smoother if one or two of these three particular encounters were with different characters, and the two main characters show up later to investigate. These issues shouldn't take away from the overall entertainment value of the film, they just seemed obvious to me. If your into all things crypto-, see this movie. Its the last really scary bigfoot flick.

consulgeneral This is a fantastic bigfoot movie showing the creature in a dark and disturbing manner. "Creature From Black Lake" is quite possibly the greatest bigfoot movie ever produced. The lead characters, Pahoo and Reeves are complex and interesting, and by the end, we care about their trials and even feel the desire to join in their hunt for the elusive creature. Jack Elam is as grumpy as ever, adding some humor to his part on occasion. The sound track also deserves a two-thumbs up. Jim McCullough, jr does it again!