Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Willow Creek’

Written by Scott Edwards

Like many people, I love looking at local legends and lore. While the entire story may not be true, there might be something behind it that really did happen. Trying to pinpoint the real events however is next to impossible since they have been covered up by time. As technology continues to evolve, I hope that our future selves will have some sort of way to verify what happened in our lifetime so that they are not as confused as we are. But you never know, maybe technology is not the answer to all of our problems, since it will only take one good hack to take out the entire system.
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Since he was a child, Jim has always had the dream to find out if Bigfoot was real or not and now, he is finally getting his chance. With his girlfriend Kelly along for the ride, the couple are making their way down the Bigfoot Highway to Willow Creek, close to where the infamous Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot footage was filmed. Arriving in town and seeing that it is nothing but Bigfoot items everywhere they look, Jim knows he is in the right place and with camera in hand he will document everything he possibly can.

Getting their lunch at the Bigfoot Diner and enjoying a Bigfoot Burger, the couple discusses what their plan of attack will be for the film. Being able to get a couple of interviews with the locals, they find out that some believe, while others believe that the oversized beast is just a sham. But after talking to former Park Ranger Troy about what happened to his dog in the middle of the woods, Kelly is starting to have second thoughts about the hunt, but Jim is not willing to give up just yet. Making their way down to Bluff Creek, the exact location where the Patterson-Gimlin film was shot, they are stopped by one more local telling them to leave the story be and go home. Knowing another way to the location, the couple is able to come to a place to park before heading into the brush.

Hiking into the wooded area, the two are able to find a good place to camp and while Jim leaves Kelly to set up camp, he is able to locate Bluff Creek. Showing the stunning location to Kelly, the two retreat for the night and after a critter scare in the woods, they are privy to someone or something stalking their tent in the middle of the night. Waiting until dawn to make their way back to civilization, the two head out and find that they are walking around in circles. Taking a break by the creek to get their heads straight, Jim comes across the tracks of a Bigfoot and hearing the same strange calls from the previous night, the couple is forced to run for their lives from a beast that may or may not have plans for his new fans.

While this movie might not be at the top of found-footage genre lists, it is pretty much essential if you are into Bigfoot and what goes bump in the night in the woods. This movie really focuses on more than finding the Bigfoot as you get to see how the couple interacts with each other which mainly involves Jim not listening at all. The obsession with Bigfoot or the Bigfoot Curse is something that can be real and that is seen early in the movie when Jim will not even listen to the woman he loves when their lives are on the line. With a town full of Bigfoot lovers, some Bigfoot haters, plenty of Bigfoot merchandise, a fighting couple, a missing woman, and a pitch-black camp site being stalked by a crazed beast, this is just what you need to watch before trying to go out to the wilderness to find something that does not want to be found. Stay Scared.

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