Bobcat Goldthwait you surprised the hell out of me yesterday at the Canadian premiere of Willow Creek. I’m already considering it a little horror gem that I think most people will skip because Bigfoot is a stupid myth, and the mysterious beast just isn’t scary. However, this isn’t the case with Willow Creek, which I find is a fun take on Bigfoot, but still far from original.
I’ll be honest here, I’m really not all that familiar with any of Goldthwait’s directorial work. In fact, I didn’t even know he helmed a movie in recent years, especially a suspenseful horror film in the woods, without the typical cabin of course. This is excellent work by him. From what I saw last night, Willow Creek made excellent use of a low budget thanks to a small crew of dedicated filmmakers and a passionate director. Without a doubt the two fine actors below steal the show in this 77-minute suspense about an old myth that we could care less about.
Willow Creek was mostly shot and improvised by actors Bryce Johnson (Jim) and Alexie Gilmore (Kelly) with an outline in hand, according to Goldthwait. That in and of itself is pretty amazing because both actors have such a great on-screen chemistry that it made me believe these two dated for years. Like I said earlier, they hands-down steal the show. Actually, the focus is nearly on them throughout the entire movie; 80% of the other people seen in the movie aren’t even actors. Willow Creek is completely shot in a found-footage style with Jim on the hunt to find Bigfoot at Willow Creek, and his girlfriend, Kelly, is in for the ride of her life. No pun intended!
Just bear in mind that there’s a huge and often too lengthy buildup about Bigfoot before the movie really starts to get intense. A 19-minute take with Jim and Kelly will freak you the fuck out!
It’s the big pay off everyone is waiting for.
The Verdict 
I said unoriginal at first because the movie kept reminding me of The Blair Witch Project, which isn’t a bad thing, but I felt it was identical in almost every aspect — without the witchcraft.
Goldthwait said that Paper Heart was his biggest influence, and I believe that it was, in his own kind of way. Personally, the film lacked something that other movies of this genre touch on, and it could have taken us on a wilder ride, like the Norwegians did with Trollhunter. I was expecting a bigger punch at the end of the movie. But I guess Goldthwait got what he wanted out of Willow Creek because I’m still thinking about it.
Anyone have a link to Roger Patterson’s original footage of Bigfoot? Anyone? Please?
- Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):
-
- Year Released:
- 29 April 2013 (USA)
- Director:
- Bobcat Goldthwait
- Cast/Crew
- Bobcat Goldthwait, Alexie Gilmore, Bryce Johnson
- Genre
- Horror, Suspense, Monster
- Official URL:
- none
