Review of Willow Creek (2013) by Carrie R — 05 Aug 2014

Written and directed by ex-Police Academy alumni Bobcat Goldthwait, this home-video found footage film shows a couple heading into the woods looking for the legendary Bigfoot. Shot in this raw documentary style, the handheld camera work begins as they head into Willow Creek and wander the gaudy visitor attractions named after the mysterious sasquatch with street names, restaurants and a Bigfoot hotel all alluding to the beast.

A colourful cast of idiosyncratic locals give their thoughts on the creature as we get told "tall" stories interspersed with quirky musical interludes. One such patron tells of the curse of Bigfoot and then after what feels like an age we actually get to a forest.

And that's the film's issue. I'm all for build up but after 45 minutes + of interviews and scene-setting the film takes forever to finally get some dramatic beats. With its scary noises, tents and wooded settings, the inevitable Blair Witch comparisons come to the forefront but with none of the tension of that film as the story grinds to a sudden halt with a 10 minute static shot (a Paranormal Activity trick).

This long segment of the couple's reaction to random sounds outside their tent could have worked if the film hadn't lost the audience way before. The similar Troll Hunter at least showed some trolls and Paranormal Activity gave some hints of the malevolent force in fleeting shots, there's no such luck here as Bigfoot ironically barely makes an appearance.

A clichéd unsatisfying finale, some human dragging (like REC) and the obligatory night-time low-shot "selfie" (a la Blair Witch again) means you can see where Willow Creek's influences come from, although it adds up to not much at all.

A hard to pin down horror that is as elusive as the legend and despite the two lead actors the film struggles to find its (big) feet and ends up mostly abominable. 4.5/10 Midlands Movies Mike.