Boggy Creek Monster Film Inspiration for UFO Mockrumentary

Charles B. Pierce may not be a filmmaker on par with the great Orson Welles, but his first movie made a lot more money than "Citizen Kane." In 1972, Pierce, an advertising executive from Texarkana, made "The Legend of Boggy Creek," a cheesy, truth-or-hoax documentary about a Bigfoot-type monster who roamed the areas surrounding Fouke, a tiny Arkansas town. The film, now a cult classic, is the subject of parody in "The Top Secret UFO Project," filmmaker R. J. Thomas' valentine to 1970s low-budget docudramas in general and UFOs in particular.

"Those 70's thriller documentaries always promised the answer to some great mystery, be it UFOs, Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness Monster," Mr. Thomas said. "They were cheesy, but fun, especially if you were a teenager."

Based on Mr. Thomas' 2004 novella of the same name, "The Top Secret UFO Project" chronicles the UFO-related events experienced by Jasper, a tiny Colorado hamlet south of Denver. According to the film, the town dealt with one unusual event after another in the summer of 1956. After a farmer saw a spaceship fly over his house, scientists rushed into Jasper to investigate, reporters rushed in looking for stories, and government officials rushed in to keep it a secret from the world.

Mr. Thomas plays a documentary filmmaker who, in 2003, discovered (by accident) some top secret government films pertaining to the 1956 Jasper Incident. This inspired him to make a documentary about Jasper's UFO story, and to discover the truth behind what really happened that mysterious summer in Colorado.

"The Legend of Boggy Creek" put Fouke on the map, and the town took it all to heart. There are monster T-shirts and stuffed dolls on sale and a yearly event called "Monster Days" to celebrate the sightings of the mysterious creature. In "The Top Secret UFO Project," the town of Jasper takes advantage of its' own truth-or-hoax legend, with local businesses working UFO themes into their merchandising and annual events honoring the strange encounters.

In 1972, Charles B. Pierce made "The Legend of Boggy Creek" with a borrowed 16mm camera, a handful of high school students, and some non-thespian locals as actors. He opened the film himself in Texarkana, and its' instant popularity lead to distribution across the country and a gross of $22 million.

"My film is a tribute to Charles B. Pierce and people like him," Mr. Thomas said. "I saw 'The Legend of Boggy Creek' at 15 in a theater full of teenagers and everyone was screaming, especially the girls."

Mr. Thomas visited Fouke himself the following year, amused by all the monster-sighting news articles pinned to the local gas station bulletin board. The owner of the station told Mr. Thomas' father, in a very serious tone, that the monster had been seen the week before near the town church.

But does Mr. Thomas believe in the Fouke Monster or UFOs?

"Oh, no. But everybody likes a mystery," Mr. Thomas said. "Every town wants its' own legend."

"The Top Secret UFO Project" is available on DVD at
BooksAndSuchMart.com.

"The Top Secret UFO Project (DVD Promo)" is available for viewing on GoogleVideo.com.