Bog (1979)

Excellent adaptation.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

BOG is another creature feature of the 1970s perhaps inspired by the success of THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK. Once again the eerie wilds of Wisconsin are used to good effect in a story which is a little reminiscent of THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON in the tale of a swamp-creature stalking mankind. This film is bogged down by some cheesy tacked-on romantic sub-plots and a lot of over-emoting from the cast members. Old-timers like Aldo Ray, Marshall Thompson, and Leo Gordon all find themselves enmeshed in the predictable plotting which lacks the verve of something like KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS. The monster itself is little seen and much better use could have been made of the story's elements had the writer and director been so enthused. In the end, it's pure hokum.

This movie was filmed in Wisconsin in 1978 and took five years to be released; haven't figured why. Just kidding. Pretty cheesy, but really not too bad to watch...when you want to give your brain a break. An unlucky old backwoods fisherman goes fishing in Bog Lake using dynamite. Two unfortunate couples try a little fishing; but the wives end up as dead as the old feller that woke up some mutant from decades of sleep. More become 'booger' food and doctors Marshall Thompson and Gloria DeHaven are almost as baffled as the sheriff Aldo Ray. Some local actors get their chance to be in a movie...on the screen and not just in the audience. Jeff Schwaab is credited as the Bog Monster. Grainy and full of shadows, but still a hoot.

"Bog" is a complex movie of many parts, what some would call a mystery wrapped in a riddle, enveloped in an enigma, drenched in hatred. However, despite the immediate allure of this modern retelling of the classic tale, the dip thirsty bog creature soon chaffes beyond all previously recorded levels. The scene where the creature emerges from his filthy lair and proceeds to hurl wildly outrageous claims at the townsfolk is one thing - however, when the dip cups begin to pile up and the horrifying creature pulls out the guitar, it is almost too much to watch. The viewer is left to ponder the wild fabrications of this primordial monster and cannot help but feel the pain in this fratted-out lair of terrible run-on stories and hair blowdriers. The viewer can only be left as a battered, broken shell of their previous self, completely devoid of all value and fully revirginified. Fantastic performances by Liam and the Firecracker.

There must be many different ways to look at BOG. I, however, can't find any of them. One has to wonder why the creators of this cinematic gem never chose to insert a "The" before the title, why an actress obviously plays two parts, or why the titular "bog" in question is actually a lake. Possibly the only defining moments in this film can be seen during the preview. Pay special attention to the cop who, completely off-cue, screams out "Look, look! Hey, look over there! Look!" Now there's some classic dialogue.