(1976/USA)
(aka. DEMON OF THE LAKE)
REVIEW BY- Devin Kelly
CAST: Dennis Fimple, John David Carson, Jack Elam, Bill Thurman, Jim McCullough Jr., Dub Taylor, Roy Tatum, Catherine McClenny, Becky Smiser, Michelle Willingham, Evelyn Hindricks, Chase Tatum, Roger Pancake, Karen Brooks, Bob Kyle, Joy N. Houck Jr.
DIRECTOR: Joy N. Houck Jr.
PRODUCER: Jim McCullough, Jim McCullough Productions Inc.
RUNNING TIME: 92 min. 41 seconds
VIDEO SOURCE: Lightning Video
Let’s trek down an old Southern back road and veer left into Bigfoot territory…spiced up with a Cajun connection! That’s right – it’s time to venture where no Nocturnite has yet gone before…seventies sasquatch stomping grounds. There’s no better way to enter the hairy fray in my eyes than with a personal favourite – the Joy Houck Jr. gem, CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE (1976). This is good ol’ down home filmmaking folks, chalked up with both chills and charm. Filmed in boggy, lightly populated Northern Louisiana, this enjoyably relaxed entry in the cycle is appealingly tongue-in-cheek. Dennis Fimple (THE EVICTORS ’79, HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES ’03) and John David Carson (EMPIRE OF THE ANTS ’77, THE FIFTH FLOOR ’78) play Chicago anthropology students, Pahoo and Rives – a pair of tight-knit buddies who go creature crazy over a monster said to wander the surroundings of Oil City, Louisiana’s Black Lake. Getting the Bigfoot bug after much discussion on the subject in class, the two spring the wild idea on their professor (none other than director, Joy Houck Jr. himself) of spending their Summer tracking the title beast. At the same time, in the wooded Louisiana swamp, recent sightings and occurrences have increased rampantly. This is all too apparent at the beginning of the picture when two trappers – grizzled Joe Canton (Jack Elam) and his backwoods bud, Willy – come face to claw with the thing and Willy gets pulled from the boat and dragged under.
There are indeed shaggy shenanigans going down around these parts! Meanwhile, Pahoo and Rives start on their road trip down South in a beat up van, enthusiastic about proving the monster’s existence. “All right big creature, here we come”, Pahoo announces. Unfortunately, that upbeat attitude may take a nosedive when they discover the cold shoulder mention of the monster brings among the locals. From the moment they arrive in Oil City, the two are all but shunned as they try desperately for any possible leads. A stern warning from the Sheriff (Bill Thurman) directed at Rives in particular, shifts them towards a cold trail. Luckily though, someone listening in on the inquiries has a story to tell. Pahoo and Rives connect with a man named Orville Bridges (Jim McCullough Jr.), who as a youngster, came within inches of being scooped up by the ragged relic. With an invitation for some home cookin’ in place, the lads are told ahead of time not to bring reminders of what happened all those years ago in front of Orville’s Grandparents when they arrive. Grandpa and Grandma Bridges (Dub Taylor and Evelyn Hindricks) were traumatized at the loss of Orville’s daddy to the beast that dreaded day, and any talk of it around Grandma may send her into a panic. Of course, Pahoo totally forgets this at the dinner table. After several near collisions with the approaching monster and a secured tape recording of it in all it’s roaring glory, their best bet is to hook up with old Joe Canton – the secluded trapper who watched his friend grabbed up.
Too bad for them, he’s a raving drunk as menacing as the Bigfoot itself. Between finding Joe, avoiding the Sheriff, trying to get in good with his daughter and her friend, all in the quest for an informal meeting with the Creature From Black Lake, this is set to be rougher going than the boys had imagined. For the viewer, it’s a big fur ball of fun getting there! I honestly have a huge soft spot for this movie. As a young horror fan building up a collection of forgotten flicks, CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE was one of the first I developed a big adoration for. Maybe it’s the way all of the actors involved just seem to bring out their true, mostly likable personalities into the project. Dennis Fimple and John David Carson are a great team here. As Pahoo, the late and underrated Fimple – a reliable and easily recognized supporting film and television actor – proved he could make a worthy lead when given the opportunity. He’s a little silly and at times, oddly serious here, with a big passion for a hamburger, fries and Coca-Cola combo. The scene where he clashes with Rives at the campfire is a strangely compelling personality shift, with memories of his time in Vietnam bringing out a momentary dark twist. “You know, I don’t think you understand how dangerous this can be”, he suddenly lashes out at Rives. “I mean, I’ve been in places just like this…JUST LIKE THIS…in Nam. Yeah, I was running around getting’ my butt shot at while you were probably lollygaggin’ around Canada!”.
It’s actually a fairly powerful moment in an otherwise easy going film. Sadly, Dennis Fimple passed away of natural causes in California around 2003, but not before getting a little twisted for Rob Zombie in his final performance as Grandpa Hugo Firefly in the cult smash, HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES. John David Carson is equally good in the picture as Rives, proving to be a persistent yeti hunter and understanding friend…and according to my lady, quite a heartthrob as well. The also California bred actor, who’s father was no stranger to Westerns, went on to a successful career in his own right, mostly appearing on television programs, before winding down with a spot in the not so B, PRETTY WOMAN (1990). The highlight of CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE by far though, is the legendary and versatile, Jack Elam (ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST ’70, RIO LOBO ’70). As trapper Joe Canton, you’re either waiting for Elam to fall down utterly wasted (which he does all too well with comedic perfection) or rip someone’s head off their shoulders. Elam definitely delivers the most memorable line in the film, exclaiming with an ample amount of slobber, “I’m gonna get my shotgun and I’m gonna make a rug outta that damn thing!”. No question a bad year for fans of veteran actors, Elam also passed away in 2003, but most long time film lovers know, you can rarely go wrong with the unmistakable Jack.
Horror fans will likely clue in to seeing Bill Thurman before too – the Sheriff here who has also been spotted in such fare as S.F. Brownrigg’s KEEP MY GRAVE OPEN (1972) and Black Lake producer Jim McCullough’s, MOUNTAINTOP MOTEL MASSACRE. Jim McCullough Jr., while we’re talking the McCullough’s, not only appears as Orville, but also wrote CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE and contributed the song ‘Exits and Truck Stops’ to the film’s twangy, feel good soundtrack. On an unimportant side note: The young blonde boy who plays little Orville in the flashbacks is Chase Tatum – who later went on to become a brick house sized WCW wrestler in the very late 90’s. When it comes down to it, CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE is one of the best of the Bigfoot bunch and comes highly recommended from not only myself, but a wide assortment of seldom-seen cinema goers. If it doesn’t give you the creeps, it should at least bring a smile to your face.
OVERALL FILM: 4 BITCH SLAPS
© 2006 cinema-nocturna.com
