The Beast of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke Monster [ペーパーバック]

For too long, the story of the Fouke Monster has been mired in a murky morass where the distinction between legend, reality, and cult movies have been blurred together. In this fantastic tome, Lyle Blackburn deftly wades through the boggy bayous to chronicle the strange but true history of the greatest monster legend of the American South. It's an extremely enjoyable and spooky ride, one of the most satisfying cryptozoological books I've read in some time, and it's filled with incredibly eerie artwork that will give you the heebie-jeebies. Whether you're a believer, a skeptic, or open-minded on the subject of the creature, this book will make you wonder if a man-beast might indeed be watching you from the shadowy confines of the bottomlands. Essential reading for a dark night! -Sean Whitley, Director of "Southern Fried Bigfoot"

I remember back in 1974, my parents took me and my brother to the drive-in. They were playing a double feature. The first movie was "The Legend of Boggy Creek". Now, I had heard of this movie and wanted to see it. Well, the lights went out and the movie started. The first thing that came on was a single sentence "This is a True Story". I thought is this some kind of a warning? I sat there in our station wagon with just my eyes gazing over from the back seat, scared out of my pants, watching this movie. When the movies were over, we headed home and I was so scared and didn't even remember the second movie. All I could think of was this large hairy bipedal monster walking through the woods. We got home and as usual, I had to take the dogs outside to do their business. As I looked out at our dark back yard. I thought of the Fouke Monster. I wondered if he had left Fouke and was now in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Was it waiting for me, knowing that I just saw a movie about it? I went and got my little brother to go out with me. I figured I could run faster than him and if it was there, it would get him, instead of me. It turned out it was out there, but that didn't stop me from always looking over my shoulder when I went into the woods. As you can see the movie left a lasting impression on me. Later I got into monster hunting and I owe all of it to "The Legend of Boggy Creek. This movie is considered the quinessential Bigfoot movie, among cryptozoology fans. After reading Lyle Blackburn's book on the Fouke Monster, I have come to release that I am not the only one, that movie effected and inspired. Lyle has done what nobody else has. He has done the most complete and thorough research on the legend of the Fouke monster. The book is, to put it in one word "Awesome". This is not a book that Lyle took a couple of stories and slapped a cover on it. He has done his homework,that I suspect, involved a lot of road trips to Fouke and Jonesville and to the local newspapers. Not only is it well researched, but the whole format keeps you glued to the pages. It really is hard to put down once you start reading it. The illustrations are excellent. This is a must for anybody who is a fan of "The Legend of Boggy Creek". It has a lot of information about the movie that you probably didn't know. The book not only goes over the movie but the legend as well and you will come to find out that the sightings of the Fouke monster are continuing, to this very day. I highly recommend it to anybody who loves reading about cryptozoology. After you read it, you'll want jump right up and go on a monster hunt. Just make sure you take a flashlight, you never know what's out there in the dark.

For starters, 5 stars isn't nearly enough!

I was pointed toward Lyle Blackburn by "Bigfoot War" author, Eric S. Brown. Not only is Lyle an accomplished singer for the rock band Ghoultown, he is also one of my new favorite authors who shares a passion for the field of Cryptozoology (the study of hidden animals). I was thrilled when I heard the Lyle was going to be writing a book about the south's most famous Bigfoot-type creatures, The Fouke Monster!

The Fouke Monster hit superstar status in the world of cryptids with the documentary style horror classic, The Legend of Boggy Creek. The film has went on to inspire generations of fans, curious minds and monster hunters. I can't even begin to tell you the impact that the film had on me! But the whole story had never been told. The film did a superb job with giving you just enough information to make you hungry for more.

Enter Lyle Blackburn.

The Beast of Boggy Creek is basically a biography of the legendary creature and of the sleepy town of Fouke (pronounced Fowk) Arkansas. What follows within these pages is one of the most interesting reads that I've had the pleasure to crack open in a long time. It's highly informative and covers pretty much anything and everything you could think of. There is even a breakdown of the Boggy Creek films in which the author carefully separates fact from fiction. He goes into detail of some of the earliest known reports, all the way up to some of the most recent.

This book is a true treasure for many people. If you are a fan of the movie, then this book is required! If you are interested in the field of cryptozoology, this book is required! It could even be a fantastic piece for fans of drive-in era horror films as it gives an inside look at how the film came to be made and distributed and rose to cult status.

I can't recommend this book enough. It was worth every penny for the wealth of information that was provided and the history of another time. Buy this book! You will NOT be disappointed!

- Charlie Morgan
author of Sticks And Stones