Creature: Movie Review
New cover art has just been released for this movie, but read the original review with art!
I had the pleasure of listening to Sid Haig discuss Creature at Chicago’s Flashback Weekend not that long ago. He mentioned how he enjoyed the filming, but had not had the pleasure of viewing the final cut of the movie. I can only loosely quote him as saying that yes, he felt it would be a good movie, “as long as the producers don’t go and fuck it all up.” That honesty is why I love me some Sid Haig. I was thrilled to be given the chance to review it and thought I should wear my snazzy snap bracelet I received at the convention, as well as tape the poster up, but I resisted the urge.
First-time writer and director Fred Andrews, along with writer Tracy Morse, would do Mr. Sid Haig proud. I’d be interested to hear what Haig had to say of the final cut of Creature, but I’d be willing to bet that he was pretty pleased.
Along with loving Sid Haig, I also always love me some dumb kids out in the wilderness. The story writes itself! Some friends in their early 20s are traveling through a small town in Louisiana when they stop at a general store for supplies. Here they meet Chopper (Haig), who fills in the holes of a local story about an alligator-type creature who has attacked citizens.
The story of this backwoods creature derives from a family who lived in the swamps of Louisiana long ago, whose last two inhabitants were halved by a great white gator. Grimley (Daniel Bernhardt) was the man who was left, so bereaved that he tracked the killer creature to get his true love back. He wrestled with the albino reptile, but was never seen again. However, the tale states that Grimley slowly turned into a creature similar to the alligator, and he haunts his former home and swamplands.
Are the friends going to go explore this mythic tale of the reptilian Bigfoot? Of course! Better yet, why not camp on the property? Now there’s a good idea!
As the movie progresses, however, you soon learn that this isn’t a typical swamp-monster tale—monster kills people; end of story. Not so with Creature. There is more to the grim Grimley tale than you think.
Creature is not just about a monster in the lagoon. There are creature movies, and there are CREATURE movies. The first subset of the kind includes slapstick humor, over-the-top fake blood, and extremely bad special effects. The second kind of creature movie includes a decent storyline, not-too-cheesy actors, and a believable-looking creature. Creature is the better kind in my book. It is not just about some folklore of a monster in the swamp. The story actually takes on a life of its own as it weaves its tale of history and tradition.
Have I lost you? No worries. There is nudity, some chick-on-chick action, and even incest to keep you interested. Plus, a few of the characters actually make valiant and long-standing efforts in their fights for survival, namely Niles and Emily (Mehcad Brooks and Serinda Swan).
So. Should you read some other reviews that panned Creature? That’s up to you. Should you sit back and enjoy a monster movie with actual substance? Yes…because the producers didn’t “go and fuck it all up.”
Review originally published on Terror Tube: http://www.terrortube.com/review-creature-2011/
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Sharon Foss has been writing professionally since 2000. She began her career in newspapers, but has since moved on to writing for websites, including eHow.com, Terrortube.com, About.com, and Horrorsociety.com, and editing college courses full-time. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication, specializing in print journalism, from Illinois State University.