The Beast of Boggy Creek
Author: Lyle Blackburn
Publisher: Anomalist Books
Released: March 1st, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-933665-57-3
Aliens and ghosts are popular culture mainstays and great ways to start conversations or arguments, depending on how passionately those involved feel about the subject. However, cryptozoology pops up much less in mainstream media. This is strange because cryptozoology has achieved something ghosts and aliens are still struggling to do: jump into science books as empirical facts supported by tangible evidence. Bigfoot might still be a mystery, but gorillas, giant squids, coelacanths, and the giant panda are all animals that belonged to the realm of the mysterious and leaped into science books in the past century or so.
In the United States, reports of humans encountering bipedal hominids in the wild can be found in almost every state. However, the plethora of information out there is not always readily available. Author and Musician Lyle Blackburn was very interested in one of these creatures, the Fouke Monster. Not finding a definitive tome on this large, human-like primate, which is thought to live in the woods of Southern Arkansas, Blackburn decided to write the book he would otherwise never find. The result is a very well researched tome that focuses on encounters with the ape-like animal, it’s history, and the historical impact its presence has had in the town of Fouke, cinema, and popular culture.
Blackburn approaches the Fouke Monster with an academic mind and not the over-enthusiastic conviction that skeptics might expect from such a book. The time and effort that went into investigating sightings, conducting interviews, taking pictures of the area, and doing archival work are evident in every chapter. Still, as he clearly states in the introduction, the author is not trying to conclusively solve the mystery. Instead, what readers get is a gripping, wildly entertaining read that presents the available evidence in a very subjective way.
While encounters with the Fouke Monster abound, The Beast of Boggy Creek also contains a remarkable amount of information about the town of Fouke, the Sulphur River Bottoms, and the film The Legend of Boggy Creek. In fact, this last element of the book makes it an enjoyable read for those interested in cryptozoology as much as for those fascinated by film trivia. For example, Blackburn’s in-depth research leads to interviews with legendary figures such as Ralph McQuire, who was responsible for the film’s poster. McQuire also crated posters for many blockbuster films like Battlestar Galactica, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek, Back To The Future. More importantly, he helped design many of George Lucas’ classic Star Wars creatures, including Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Yoda, Boba Fett, the stormtroopers, and others.
The existence of an bulky ape-like creature in the secluded Arkansas waterway known as Boggy Creek is still up for debate, but The Beast of Boggy Creek makes a weighty point in the ongoing argument. By steering clear of fanaticism and carefully deconstructing the flawed theories against its existence, Blackburn has written the most convincing document in favor of the Fouke Monster.
The Beast of Boggy Creek is creepy, very well researched, and one of the most engaging reads I’ve read in a while. As a bonus, it also makes for a great conversation piece.
Review by
Gabino Iglesias
