The Horror Show
Willow Creek
by Bobcat Goldthwait
If you mess with the Big, he’ll mess with you Big time. Let this found footage flick show you how it’s done.
Willow Creek follows the story of Jim (Bryce Johnson) and Kelly (Alexie Gilmore), an adventurous young couple in their search for Bigfoot in the raw wilderness of Trinity National Forest. Located near the remote rural town Willow Creek, the thick forest with its running creek forms a picturesque setting for the couple to retrace the legendary Bigfoot and capture the hairy monster on camera.
As it usually goes in low-budget found footage films, Jim and Kelly grab a camera and set off on an adventure that can only happen once in a lifetime. Their aim is to end their journey at the sight where the last known footage of Bigfoot was taken more than 50 years ago. Their passion and high expectations drive them to the infamous Willow Creek, where the locals have scary stories to share and Bigfoot is a star.
The entire movie lasts 77 minutes, which is too short for a great horror movie and too much for a horrible one. In this case, almost the first whole hour passes by with random dialogues, indifferent interviews with locals, a cold-blooded proposal rejection and fun visits to the Bigfoot tourist attractions in the area. And that was too much. It is not until the last 20 minutes or so, when the action starts and things get heated. And that was too short.
When Jim and Kelly find themselves lost inside the vast Trinity forest, their worst nightmare is likely to come true. In the pitch dark right in the middle of nowhere they’ll make an encounter that will drive them crazy. A distant knocking, a strange howling that hasn’t been heard before and branches creaking outside their tent will haunt their night and make their desire to run away even more intense.
If you watch the first hour in fast forward you certainly won’t miss anything and you’ll get quickly to the most worthy part of the movie, when the first signs of an ominous presence appear and the couple starts to feel uneasy. If only this part could last more than 20 minutes.
I am willing to get over the fact that the adrenaline scenes are overly limited and that I spent more than 50 minutes listening to pointless blabbering, as the ending left me with a bizarre mix of feelings. On one hand Willow Creek is capable of keeping you on the edge of your seat and it had great potentials of becoming an agonizing horror movie (granted that Bigfoot’s presence or even hint of presence lasted more). However, a viewer and a fan would be thirsty for more…much, much more.
Gilmore’s great performance is unfortunately not enough to keep the interest alive and the great comedian – and director - Bobcat Goldthwait could certainly have given us more. The movie gets ruined by its own storyline, as it fails to make it stand out and offer the terrifying choice it could have been.
Maria Kriva, HMS
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