A Low Budget American Classic

I first saw "The Legend of Boggy Creek" at the Robert E Lee theater in Baker Louisiana when it first appeared on screen when I was almost 12 yrs old. There was probably no other film at that time that caused more of a sensation among kids then. Sure, we can look back on it now and make jokes about it, but at that time it seemed pretty scary.
I think that the reason this film still gets talked about is simply because of its low budget effectiveness. It really makes you think that these people really encountered a monster in that rural area of Ark. It has all the elelments of a classic "ghost" story. Its funny to talk to people that saw this movie when they were young and still feel shuddery about it and at the same time laugh at some of the sillier things in it like the "Travis Crabtree" song and the scene with the girls talking about their boyfriends just before they are frantically trying to load the gun to shoot at the monster right outside the house.
Charles Pierces use of lighting in this film is very effective as well, we never see the creature clearly , just a large hulking thing that is just there in the shadowy woods. The scene of the boy going over the fence then turning to look at the dark treeline is very effective as is the godawful howl the monster is supposed to be making. Honestly,if I ever heard something like that while I was in the woods I would run indoors and would not come out for a long time!
This is the type of film that could never be effectively remade, it is a classic of its time and should be appreciated just like it is.