Line #24 Film/TheLegendOfBoggyCreek


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5f8edb7e4a31cimage.jpg]]
2
3	->''Here, the sulfur river flows,''
4	->''Rising when the storm cloud blows,''
5	->''This is where the creature goes,''
6	->''Save in the land he knows.''
7	->''Perhaps, he dimly wonders why,''
8	->''Is there no other such as I? ''
9	->''To love, to touch before I die,''
10	->''To listen to my lonely cry. ''
11	-->-- The song in the end credits.
12
13	''The Legend of Boggy Creek'' is a horror film from the year 1972.
14
15	It centers around a cryptid called The Fouke Monster, a [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti sasquatch-like creature]][[note]]probably based on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_ape Skunk Ape]][[/note]] which prowls in the state of Arkansas. It is shot in a documentary style which varies between with interviews of locals and [[{{Dramatization}} dramatized]] encounters with the Monster.
16
17	The film portrays the sightings of the Monster escalating slowly, starting with random caught glimpses of it in the woods and then ending with an attack against a house shared by two families.
18
19	It was followed by two sequels: ''Film/ReturnToBoggyCreek'' in 1977 and ''Film/BoggyCreek2AndTheLegendContinues'' in 1985.
20
21	----
22	!!Examples in this work:
23
24	* AgonyOfTheFeet: It is mentioned that Herb lost half of his foot in a hunting accident. [[TheDeterminator He then dragged himself several miles through the swamp to find help.]]
25	* AsHimself: The interviewed cast.
26	* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: The Fouke Monster certainly looks the part.
27	* CampingACrapper: One man is almost attacked when he goes to the bathroom.
28	* CreateYourOwnVillain: The narrator notes that early sightings of the Fouke Monster tended to be peaceful, and argues it only becomes violent towards humans later on because of the townsfolk repeatedly shooting at, chasing, and generally fearing it, causing it start seeing them as threats.
29	* DangerousWindows: Fouke Monster tries to grab one person through a window.
30	* DeepSouth: Specifically Fouke Arkansas near the Texas border.
31	* DontGoInTheWoods: The idyllic woods and rivers are home to plenty of dangerous animals and are downright terrifying at night, even without the Fouke Monster's involvement.
32	* EverybodyLives: Surprisingly. Despite the Fouke Monster's growing aggression, it never kills any humans… not for lack of trying in at least one case. It claims plenty of animal victims though.
33	* EvilDetectingDog: Dogs go absolutely ballistic with fear at the scent of the Fouke Monster, foiling efforts to pursue it with bloodhounds. Animals in general are terrified of the monster, which is unsurprising given that it is shown to be at least somewhat carnivorous and regularly kills domesticated animals. One poor cat is outright frightened to death by it.
34	* HellIsThatNoise: Any of the Fouke Monster's calls are eerie to this day. Many were reused in later bigfoot movies such as "Creature of Black Lake".
35	* HollywoodDarkness: A few shots taking place at night were pretty obviously shot at dusk or twilight, though this was to help keep things visible.
36	* HostileWeather: Thunder can be heard in the background when the sheriff come to check up the Ford house.
37	* HystericalWoman: Fouke Monster's appearance causes three women to go into hysterics when it grabs for them through an open window. To be fair, the men didn't do much better.
38	* ItsProbablyNothing: After three women hear the Fouke Monster outside their house, they dismiss the noise just being the wind.
39	* JumpScare: One sighting sees the monster nearly give a constable — and probably the audience — a heart attack by dashing suddenly across the road without warning.
40	* LastOfHisKind: Suggested with the Monster. Its observed how the sightings are always of a single creature, leaving the question of whether its multiple individuals being spotted separately and they're just solitary animals, or if the Fouke Monster is the last of its species in the region.
41	* TheLegendOfX: Its in the title.
42	* {{Narrator}}: Jim, whom we see as a child in the beginning and a grown man in the end.
43	* NotSoDifferentRemark: The narrator argues that the townsfolk and monster that terrorizes them probably feel the same way about one another; confused and frightened.
44	* PoliceAreUseless: At the end, when the two young couples in the Ford house call the cops, the police tell them not to worry, there's no monster around, it's just a mountain lion trying to break in and eat them! [[LampshadeHanging Even one of the characters says, 'This is supposed to make us feel safe'?]] On the other hand, the sheriff does leave a pair of flashlights and shotguns behind so they can protect themselves.
45	* ProtectThisHouse: The last shown encounter with the Monster plays out like this.
46	* PublicDomainFeatureFilms: The movie was thought to be this up until 2018, when the director's daughter purchased film rights from the Ledwell & Son firm after discovering they still owned it.
47	* RiddleForTheAges: In keeping with the nature of the film, a lot is left unclear by the end, like why the Fouke Monster behaved as it did or whether there's more than one or its a single creature.
48	* SceneryPorn: Expect a lot of shots of the Arkansas bayous, fields, and forests.
49	* ScreamingWoman: Mary-Beth starts screaming when she sees the Fouke Monster outside from the window. Again though, the men don't often do any better.
50	* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: The Monster's encounters with humans become gradually more and more violent and confrontational, culminating in the siege on the house at the end. It's speculated to be in response to getting attacked the few times it dares to come near humans.
51	* SwampMonster: The Fouke Monster is a a Bigfoot that roamed around a swampy area. Supposedly inspired by real-life sightings of this cryptid, the film had him terrorizing rural residents. It was successful enough to beget a sequel.
52	* TragicMonster: The Monster is portrayed as such, with speculation that it may be the LastOfHisKind in the area and only became violent because it approached humans in search of some kind of kinship only to be attacked out of fear.
53	* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The film takes a great deal of inspiration from actual sightings, folklore, and local history around the Fouke Monster, to the point of featuring many witnesses and townsfolk AsHimself, but is far from accurate in it's depictions; it dramatizes much and is more of a mystery story loosely inspired by the legends and those similar to it than an actual documentary.
54	* TheXOfY: Used for the title.

Context Film / TheLegendOfBoggyCreek