There’s a hairy humanoid beast lurking in the Louisiana swamps, but only trapper Joe Canton (Jack Elam, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST) has seen it and lived to tell the tale, and the other residents of Oil City, Louisiana don’t talk about it. But that’s not about to stop intrepid grad students Pahoo (Dennis Fimple, HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES) and Rives (John David Carson, EMPIRE OF THE ANTS), who are determined to track down the Bigfoot-like creature. Defying local sheriff Billy Carter (Bill Thurman, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW), the duo trek deep into the wilds of Black Lake, and a series of frightening encounters make it clear the monster is no mere legend. Following in the (big) footsteps of THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK and similar docudramas, 1976’s CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE is a fictional Sasquatch saga, albeit one inspired by real reports. With a colorful cast, also including Dub Taylor (THE WILD BUNCH), and plenty of rural atmosphere courtesy of cinematographer Dean Cundey (HALLOWEEN, JURASSIC PARK), scripter Jim McCullough Jr.–who also co-stars–and director Joy Houck Jr. bring touches of humor and humanity that complement the mystery of the monster, and the terror of its attacks. A longtime late-night TV favorite, CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE now roars onto its Blu-ray debut with a new 4K restoration and a boatload of special features!
For thoughts on Creature From Black Lake, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Creature From Black Lake comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Synapse Films in its original 2.35:1 sourced from an excellent 4K restoration of the original 35mm camera negative. This presentation is a pretty striking effort from the label that should make fans of this hard-to-find feature very happy. The film has often been chopped up and mis-framed for old television airings, but now we have a film that is in its natural form which impresses with a favorable amount of natural grain intact. There are rarely any moments where things seem clumpy or swarm around the frame, as this encode makes sure things are nicely resolved. The gorgeous photography captures both the boggy swamp and the more dense rural landscapes with great precision.
The new transfer shows off more depth and enhanced detail than you would have thought possible. There are certain elements like close-up shots of the creature that look amusingly quaint in their clarity. This also applies to enhancements when it comes to other elements such as the textures on the clothing and in the landscape. Black levels are fairly deep with minimal black crush and compression artifacts, although some shots can verge on appearing a bit milky. The contrast is firmly defined with white levels not appearing overly bright, and print damage has been cleaned up immensely save for a few stray specks. This transfer serves as a good presentation for the film.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track with optional English SDH subtitles. This is an instance where the source material of the production was obviously of a lower level of quality since the initial capture. Dialogue can be a bit fuzzy, but it rarely falters at the hands of any competing sounds. Environmental effects and the music are typically delineated strongly enough to avoid buried information. The film employs some memorable sound effects during creature-based moments that are given the appropriate weight within the mix. The film has plenty of dialogue, but much of the drive survives on a general atmosphere of the Louisiana swamp with its environmental effects. Considering the enterprising sound capture and overall age of the material, this audio track does everything it can to provide a nice experience.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Author/filmmaker Michael Gingold and film historian Chris Poggiali provides an information-packed commentary track in which they discuss its status as a staple of late-night cable, the relative scarcity of its release, the inspiration for the production, the background of the performers in the film, how it stands out in the genre, the environment in which the feature was shot, the career of director, the legacy of the film, and much more that makes this a valuable listen.
- Swamp Stories with Director of Photography Dean Cundey: A 19-minute interview in which Cundey provides some great anecdotes about working on this film including the realities of filming in this swamp environment, memories of working with the performers, fighting to shoot this film in a widescreen aspect ratio, the butchered version shown on television, the legacy of the film and more.
- Original Theatrical Trailer: The minute-long trailer is provided here.
- Radio Spots: A 35-second radio spot is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Creature From Black Lake is a fun throwback creature feature which never tries to be more than it is. The plot is rather rote and familiar, but it offers a keen sense of fun without going overboard into knowing camp. The established performers in this one lend a bit of gravitas that benefits it quite a bit, so much so that you almost forget about the more rickety performances from the main duo. This one is a bit of an oddity, but it is worth a watch if you are a fan of the genre. Synapse Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a wonderful A/V presentation and an array of special features that fans will eat up. If you have been waiting for this one to have a proper release, be prepared for something special. Recommended
Creature From Black Lake is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Synapse Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.