The Beast of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke Monster

I was impressed by the extensive amount of research and attention to detail that the author paid to this subject. I too watched the Legend of Boggy Creek in the early 70s and this booked provided a lot of detail and information that was never introduced in the movie - the movie primarily focuses on a very narrow period in time while the book provides an extensive overview of all reported sightings in the general region. If you're a Boggy Creek enthusiast I would highly recommend this book.

This book makes an excellent companion piece to the classic film, [[ASIN:B000G296X4 The Legend of Boggy Creek]]. Lyle's style of writing is easy to follow and very engaging. He presents the journey of the Fouke Monster from before his claim to fame. Additionally, Lyle covers both the time period of the film and the event that followed after the movie all the way until 2010. The book is presented in a manner that leaves the existence of the beast undetermined, which is the case with cryptids. That said there's far too much that has occurred for the creature to just be written off. All in all Lyle Blackburn's [[ASIN:1933665572 The Beast of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke Monster]] is a fantastic addition to the cryptid lore that is out there. Well worth the read for both the historical and cryptid content.

Author Lyle Blackburn has a mellow, easy-going writing style that informs the reader without sensationalizing the events. He doesn't jump to wild conclusions or shove half-baked theories in your face. Too many "authors" in this fringe field of study throw together thin, poorly-written "books" on the subject that are just re-hashed internet mish-mash, full of wild speculation and conspiracy theory BS, with little or no proof of ANY kind to back up their claims. Most of these "studies" leave you wandering just how tightly cinched their tinfoil hats are. Sadly, that kind of dreck only succeeds in further eroding what little respectability the truly dedicated creature hunters out there have within the mainstream scientific community. (Read = ZERO.)

I felt that The Beast of Boggy Creek was a well-researched book that managed to collect a lot of scraps of information from several sources in an honest attempt to piece together the most complete account possible of one of the world's (and certainly America's) most famous cryptids. I found it to be a good, entertaining read, whether you're a fan of such subject matter or not. I am a sort-of believer, but am admittedly also far more skeptical now of such things than I was in my youth. Blackburn's book is certainly a must-have companion for fans of cult movie classic "The Legend of Boggy Creek." Helps fill in the gaps and more thoroughly explain the details behind the accounts portrayed in that famous film. Makes me want to seek out more from this author.

As a youngster who saw "The Legend of Boggy Creek" growing up, I really appreciated Lyle Blackburn's book.

From the little known historical sightings of the Fouke Monster, to the behind the scenes lowdown on what was factual as presented in "The Legend of Boggy Creek", it was a real treat.

Thoroughly researched and written in an entertaining, yet gripping fashion, I can wait for his next book!

One night in early May 1971 brought attention, a lot unwanted, to a 500-person town that eventually became apart of the cultural zeitgeist thanks to surprise blockbuster. The Beast of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke Monster by Lyle Blackburn examines the events of 1971 and the surprising aftermath as well as the events long before and up to the present-day to give context to those of early 70s.

Before his examination of the string of incidents, Blackburn gives a physical and cultural background of the Fouke, Arkansas region before incidents that brough the little town to the national monster zeitgeist. Then Blackburn goes right into the 1971 incidents using newspaper accounts and interviews of those directly involved or who investigated them in the aftermath including local law enforcement officers to examine all of them. Blackburn then goes back to previous sightings in time over the course of the previous half-century that occurred in the nearby but equally small Jonesville, including those that involved the family of Smokey Crabtree. Blackburn then examines the events leading up to, during, and aftermath of the filming of The Legend of Boggy Creek including its surprise box office performance—leading to horrible sequels—and cult classic status even today. Blackburn then transitions after the “heyday” of the 1970s to explore if there had been anymore sightings and relating many of them through to and past 2000. The last fifth of the book is dedicated to examining theories of what, if anything, the monster could have been from misidentification to an unknown bipedal ape as well as any incidents of hoaxes, particular with the three-toe foot tracks.

Aside from Florida’s Skunk Ape, Fouke Monster is the essential Southern Bigfoot within the cryptozoological community. Blackburn keeps his focus on events directly in Fouke or connected with it from sightings and interactions to the guerilla-style filmmaking of the surprise smash hit that is based off events within the community. As stated above, Blackburn only really goes into analysis and speculation at the end of the book as the primary focus is on those events in 1971 that created the phenomenon and then if there were any similar events before and after the 70s heyday. The most important thing I found in the book is that Blackburn took years researching this book and traveling to the area so often that it appears those in the community that were suspicious of his motives realized he was not there for a hatch job on the community and were willing to be interviewed, some of them relating events for the first time to an ‘outsider’.

The Beast of Boggy Creek is a thorough look into the early 1970s cryptozoological and box office phenomenon as well the history before and after those defining events. Lyle Blackburn writes in an engaging style the clearly brings the events and facts to the reader so they can come to a informed conclusion of their own.

Deeply and incredibly well researched, Lyle Blackburn's "The Beast of Boggy Creek" is one of the best books on the general subject of bigfoot that I have read in a while. However; it is somewhat unique of course, in that it specifically focuses on perhaps the most "famous" bigfoot of them all; namely "The Fouke Monster" from the classic film by the late Charles B. Pierce, Sr., "The Legend of Boggy Creek". This film is quite often mentioned by many of today's bigfoot researchers as the inspiration for their interest in the subject.
Blackburn does a meticulously thorough study of both the general history and mythology of the Fouke Monster and the movie itself.
If you have any love or interest for the film, then this is a book that you should read. It works on many levels and certainly does not disappoint. I had a hard time putting it down.

I buy monster books for the stories of encounters or sightings. This book has some good stories but spends too much time talking about the movie and the people who made it.

It was an interesting book because it went into more detail and history of the Fouke area, and wasn't just a chronological list of sightings. I wish Lyle had gone into more detail about alternative theories of what people may have experienced. Otherwise, a well balanced treatment of the "Fouke Monster."

Lyle Blackburn does a great job researching the history of the sightings and contacts of Bigfoot in the Fouke / Jonesville area. A must read for Bigfoot enthusiasts.

A great read and well organized. A must for any fan of the movie or anyone who is interested in the Legends of the Fouke Monster or just cryptozoology in general. Picked up the second book from the Monster Mart In Fouke. It's also a great read.