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Horror Movie Review: Willow Creek
Willow Creek Review
No matter how sick and tired you are of any given type of film, that lack of interest typically doesn’t apply when such a film is made by one of your favorite filmmakers. And that’s why I was incredibly excited to hear that comedian Bobcat Goldthwait (World’s Greatest Dad, God Bless America) was working on a found footage film, despite the fact that I strongly feel it’s time for the beaten-to-death sub-genre to crawl back into the woods it came from.
Released into limited theaters and onto VOD outlets, Willow Creek is inspired by the real-life story of Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin, who in 1967 filmed the most iconic and well-known piece of Bigfoot footage the world has ever seen.
In the film, young couple Jim and Kelly travel to the same creek in California where the video was shot, with Jim convinced that he’s going to find what Patterson and Gimlin documented. Kelly, on the other hand, is just along for the ride, supporting her boyfriend but not believing that there’s anything unusual out there in the woods.
Where most found footage films – and most horror films, period – falter is in their lack of interesting characters, which typically make for a boring lead-up to the horror that you just know is right around the corner. In the case of Willow Creek, however, the characters are the strongest suit of the film, with Jim and Kelly both written and played as being highly likable, with an entirely believable dynamic. Perhaps most important of all, it makes complete sense why the two characters never let the camera go, and so the found footage aspect never feels like it’s a crow-barred gimmick.
Before the young lovers make their way into the woods, and encounter anything out of the ordinary, they spend a good portion of the film’s run-time simply documenting the various Bigfoot-heavy tourist attractions they come across, including a Bigfoot-themed motel, a Bigfoot-themed burger joint and, well, anything else Bigfoot-themed you can think of. They chat with the locals and the Bigfoot enthusiasts/experts, consume said Bigfoot burgers – which look delicious, even though I’m a vegetarian – and poke fun at the various artistic depictions of the mythical beast in the area. Though not much is going on, the first half of the film is nevertheless quite entertaining, with Goldthwait’s humorous touch very much felt.
Unfortunately, just as I had feared, even an incredibly talented and original filmmaker like Goldthwait isn’t able to prevent the latter portions of the film from heading into Found Footage 101 territory, as Jim and Kelly find themselves the unwitting stars of Blair Witch Project knock-off #524. In many ways, Willow Creek almost feels beneath Goldthwait, a filmmaker who’s far better than copying the work of others. The comedian’s Bigfoot flick comes off like his most impersonal film to date, a patchwork of other entries in the sub-genre that is frustratingly generic and feels all too familiar.
That said, though Willow Creek is ultimately a generic found footage film, it’s nevertheless a fairly well done generic found footage film, in comparison to most. The highlight of the second half, and the most original aspect of the entire movie, is a nearly 20-minute long scene that was impressively shot in one single take, which is worth the price of admission alone. When night falls, Jim and Kelly find themselves zipped up in their tent with someone, or something, prowling around outside, and the whole ordeal is documented in real-time, making for a highly effective scene with palpable tension.
The whole film is an exercise in the ‘less is more’ approach to filmmaking and the extended tent scene is an absolutely perfect example of why movies are oftentimes a whole lot scarier when things are largely left to our imagination. Goldthwait’s use of unsettling sounds to unnerve us is quite frankly masterful, and the scene will no doubt go down as one of the most memorable of 2014’s horror offerings. Yea, Bobcat is as good at scaring us as he is making us laugh… who knew?!
But again, Goldthwait ultimately plays the film way too safe, and that’s its downfall. It’s not that the movie is bad, and it’s certainly not that the funnyman isn’t capable of delivering thrills and chills. It’s simply a matter of Willow Creek being far too inside the box, as it comes off more like Goldthwait’s first director-for-hire film, rather than one of the deeply personal projects we’ve seen from him in the past. That’s not the case, given he also wrote the film, but it certainly feels that way.
While it’s admittedly a pretty well-executed found footage Bigfoot flick, Willow Creek is at the end of the day a conventional film from a highly unconventional filmmaker, and it’s for that reason that I can’t honestly label it as anything but a disappointment. If you’re not tired of the sub-genre, there’s enjoyment to be found here. But if you’re of the mind that enough is enough and it’s time for a change, you won’t find what you’re looking for in Willow Creek.
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‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt
Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.
In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.
This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.
Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.
“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”
The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.
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Movies
‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time
It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?
It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.
Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.
Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.
The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.
It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.
The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.
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Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween
Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.
The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.
This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.
This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.
“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”
But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.
This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.
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