Legend of Boggy Creek, The (1972)

[bunniefuu]

What do you boys

think about going

turkey hunting this year?

-Think you ought to go...

-Mr. Willie, my momma

wanted me to ask you

would you come

down to our house?

There's some

kind of wild man

down there in the woods

by the creek.

Now, boy,

I want you to go

back down there

and tell your momma

there ain't a thing

in the world

to be afraid of.

I'll come down there

tomorrow and check it out.

Go ahead.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, sir.

You know that's

the third time

that ol' lady's

sent that kid

up here to tell me

there's a big ol'

hairy monster

down in my field.

I guess I'll have to

get down there tomorrow

and see about it.

I was seven-years-old when I first heard him scream.

It scared me then,

and it scares me now.

This is Fouke, Arkansas.

I grew up here.

The population was about

350 when I was a boy.

It still is.

Fouke is way down

in the southwest corner

where Arkansas joins

Texas and Louisiana.

If you've ever driven from

Shreveport to Texarkana,

you'll pass

right through Fouke.

Even if you don't

remember seeing it.

Aside from homes,

Fouke has several stores,

a couple of gas stations,

a post office and school,

garage and motel,

and two cafes for

the menfolk to stop by

for coffee and conversation

on the fish they've caught,

or the duck, quail, squirrel,

or deer they've hunted.

Fishing and hunting

take up a lot of

almost everybody's time.

Maybe Smokey Crabtree,

who lives way back down

on the edge of the Bottoms

will tell about

a mink or beaver

he or his son Travis caught.

Smokey raises beef cattle

and traps part time

and works as

a pipeline welder

when the good jobs

come along.

Travis walks and paddles

for miles every morning,

running his trap lines

before school starts.

Most of the people

who live around Fouke

are farmers or ranchers.

This country

is rich and fertile

with plenty of

grass and water.

Our land is veined with

a great network of

branches, creeks,

river and lakes.

Fouke is a right pleasant

place to live...

Until the sun goes down.

That day in the store,

Willie Smith

didn't believe me

when I told him

about a wild, hairy

creature in the woods.

He believes me now.

And he ran on East,

jumped over the fence.

It just seemed like

he just, sort of,

pushed it down

with his left hand,

just stepped over.

It was wounded and was

holding that right chest.

It had that right hand

on his chest

all the time that

it was in sight.

Maybe if it hadn't been

hurt pretty badly,

why, it might have

ran on all four legs,

I don't know.

But it wasn't.

It was running on

two legs at all times.

That was about

all I saw of this thing.

Something came through

here last night

and k*lled my two

prized shoats.

Found one of them

lying right here

deep gashes,

cuts and his tongue

was hanging out.

Looked like something

had strangled him.

I keep them off down here

by the creek in this pen.

And whatever it was,

got in the pen,

lifted both them 200-pound

hogs over the fence.

I couldn't find

no place where they'd

been dragged under.

I couldn't find no tracks,

so I figured

whatever it was,

came and left

travelling up and down

that creek.

Not knowing what

had k*lled them hogs,

I just threw them away.

I carried them way off

out there in the bushes

so the smell wouldn't

get back up to the house.

Next day,

I got up and

looked out there

and thought it

kind of funny

not seeing any buzzards

circling or anything.

So, came down here

and both hogs were gone.

That thing,

whatever it was,

must've come back,

and the grass wasn't

even disturbed,

where the hogs was.

What kind of thing

can pick up

200-pound hogs

and walk off with them.

I doubt if you

could find a lonelier,

spookier place

in this country

than down around Boggy Creek.

It twists and winds its way

across the Fouke countryside,

widening and narrowing,

sheltering within

its thickly wooded banks

a multitude of creatures

that run, fly, swim,

creep and crawl.

Eventually, Boggy

empties into Days Creek

and flows onward

into the Sulphur River.

Heavy rainfall half the year

causes our creeks

and rivers to flood

and spread over

wide sections

of densely thicketed

and forested bottomland.

In the Sulphur River Bottoms,

the water spreads out

for miles across

the bottomland.

A lot of which is

so densely thicketed

that only a few hunters

and trappers have the skill

to make their way

deep into this wild,

swampy country.

A lot of people believe

the creature prowls

back in here

most of the time.

But every now and then,

drawn to civilization

like a moth to flame,

he creeps out about dusk.

These nighttime visits

have set off waves of terror

around Fouke

for over 15 years.

What in the world

is this creature?

"Where did he come from,

and what does he eat?"

are questions I've heard

discussed a thousand times

around winter fires

and on hot summer evenings.

When the creature,

whom the newspapers

quickly named

"The Fouke Monster,"

was first seen,

he didn't seem to make

any special effort

to hide from people.

At least, Fred Crabtree,

a farmer who hunted a lot,

had that opinion.

He just didn't look like

anything I'd ever seen.

I thought at first,

it might be some

kind of a wild man.

I couldn't tell

under all that hair

just what it was.

I changed the shells

in my shotgun

from my squirrel shot

to my buck shot.

- More for my protection

than anything else.

If I'd have had my r*fle,

I believe I could have

knocked him down easy.

But I doubt if I would have.

'Cause I kept thinking

there's just a chance

he might be a man.

And if I had shot that thing,

and it turned out to be a man,

I'd have had to live with that for the rest of my life.

Although he was

never sure,

Fred got the impression

the creature had been

washing his feet

in the icy water.

A few months later,

James Crabtree

was squirrel hunting.

Only a short distance

from the spot

where Fred Crabtree

had seen it.

I've spent

a lot of my life

in these woods,

and there was something

strange about that evening

that I couldn't put

my finger on it.

It was just a feeling I had.

There didn't seem

to be as many birds

and little small animals

out as usual.

In fact, they seemed

mighty scarce.

It stepped right out

in plain sight.

Right out there

in front of me.

And he was...

It was some kind of thing

that I've never

come across before.

Well, he stared at me

for a little while

and just slipped

out of sight.

I never saw him again.

Neither Fred Crabtree,

nor his uncle James

told anyone about

their experience for years.

They figured nobody

would believe them.

He always travels

the creeks.

That was one of

the first things

we figured out.

This little branch

feeds into Boggy Creek.

The Searcy family

lives here.

Mary Beth Searcy

is a teenage student.

Right now,

her older married sister

and her baby are visiting.

Her father's working

in another town,

and her younger brother

is spending the night

with a friend.

So, this evening,

just the two girls,

their mother and the baby

will be alone in this house.

They have no phone

and the nearest neighbor

is a mile or so

across the woods.

Mary Beth?

Mary Beth, would you

please hang something

over the window?

There's a draft on the baby.

Yeah. Okay.

Just a minute.

Come here, kitty.

Come here, kitty.

Come here.

Come, kitty.

Mary Beth,

would you please

hurry up!

This draft's gonna

give the baby a cold.

Okay! Okay!

Mary Beth, what's the

matter with you?

What happened?

Tell me. Answer me...

It was a long

night of terror.

In a few minutes,

Mary Beth was revived,

and the three women,

shaking in fear,

freezing at every sound

in the darkness,

waited out the long

hours of blackness.

The baby slept peacefully

through it all.

Next morning,

they would discover

their dead kitten

completely unmarked.

Apparently, she had simply

been scared to death.

The beauty of the Bottoms

under soft moonlight

is transformed into

dark and menacing danger.

And the shadows of the night

trigger your imagination

into being places,

where possibly,

the creature is lurking.

Because you know

he's out there somewhere.

If, like this

13-year-old boy,

you've grown up as

a woodsman and hunter,

you never miss

an opportunity to

get yourself a deer.

Yes, there's

no doubt about it,

the dogs are

hot on the trail

chasing the deer

in this direction.

Later, they found

two-inch saplings

broken down by the creature

in his pain and fury.

They saw crushed underbrush

and blood stains,

which in the excitement,

no one thought to

gather a sample of.

But they did not

find the creature.

The terrifying stories

of face to face encounters

with the creature

triggered the Fouke

community into action.

A big hunt was organized

with some of

the best hunting dogs

in Arkansas

and Texas involved.

They even brought in

some famous dogs

from Tennessee.

I got to go along.

And I still vividly recall

how I was trembling

with excitement.

We'd heard that earlier,

some other dogs

had refused to

trail the creature,

cowering in fear

and running back

at the first whiff of his

sour pig-pen smell.

But we were confident

our dogs would

get the job done.

Hey, Earl, where did

that ol' boy go that

brought them dogs in here.

While several groups

hunted on foot,

others scouted designated

areas on horseback.

While we made our way

along the dirt road

he had been crossing,

the men on horseback

swept across the woodlands

along the creek areas.

About this time,

our dogs struck his trail

where he'd crossed the road.

- Go get him.

- Spot, go get him!

They found his trail.

Go get him! Atta boy!

Trail him now. Get him.

You've never seen

a more embarrassed

and angry group

of dog owners.

Neither one of these

famous hunting dogs

would trail the

creature's scent.

They whined,

tucked their tails,

and came running back

obviously scared.

I was sure disappointed.

Despite the failure

of the dogs to trail

the creature,

several groups of

hunters kept going

far into the night.

Later, we got word

that one hunting party

had got the creature

to scream angrily back

at a wounded rabbit call,

but moved deeper

into the forest

when they tried

to get closer.

Not too many of

the hunters were

interested in plunging

into thick woods

in pitch darkness

knowing he was out there.

Often I've tried to imagine

how the creature must feel.

Since his very appearance

and the sounds he makes

frightened us,

our immediate reaction

was to try to k*ll him.

I suppose if

a strange-looking creature

from another world

showed up,

he'd get the same reception.

Actually, at first,

the creature didn't

try to harm anybody,

but now, after being

hunted and hurt,

he suddenly disappeared.

So, far as we know,

he wasn't seen again

for eight years.

Where did he go?

Well, we believe

he simply headed back

deeper and deeper

into the Bottoms,

beyond the reach of men.

Only the alligator and wolf,

crane and possum,

and a thousand other

wild creatures

heard his occasional,

lonely cries

ringing out over

his watery domain.

♪ This is where

the story plays

♪ A world on which

we seldom gaze

♪ A page from the book

of yesterdays

♪ Birds and beast

and wind and water

♪ Here beneath

the bright blue sky

♪ No man's smoke

blinds the eagle's eye

♪ And things that crawl

or swim or fly

♪ Feed and breed

and live and die ♪

The seasons passed,

summers into falls,

winters into springs.

And somewhere in

the remote wilderness

of the Bottoms,

the creature spent his days.

♪ Here the Sulphur River flows

♪ Rising when

the storm cloud blows

♪ And this is where

the creature goes

♪ Safe within

the world he knows

♪ Perhaps he dimly wonders

♪ "Why there is no other

such as I

♪ "To touch

to love before I die ♪

♪ "To listen

to my lonely cry?" ♪

Now, none of us

Fouke boys would admit it,

but for a long time,

knowing the creature

might be around

had put a damper

on our pack trips

back into the wilderness.

But as time passed,

and stories and conversation

about the Fouke monster

died down,

teenage boys again

began to go off

on long camping trips

in the Bottoms.

Travis Crabtree

is the kind of fearless,

outdoor kid that

would have gone anyway,

even knowing the creature

was around.

There's nothing

Travis likes better

than to spend

the weekend camping

on one of

the hilltop islands

created by high water

deep in the Bottom land.

♪ Hey, Travis Crabtree

♪ Wait a minute for me

♪ Let's go back in the Bottoms

♪ Back where the fish

are biting

♪ Where all

the world's inviting

♪ And nobody sees

the flowers bloom but me

♪ Hey, Travis Crabtree

♪ Do you see what I see

♪ On the gentle

winds of morning

♪ A million birds are singing

♪ Like the bells

of heaven ringing

♪ And nobody sees

the flowers bloom but me

♪ Drop me on a patch of land

♪ Never stepped upon by man

♪ Where the crystal water

flows deep

♪ But the falcon flies high

across the yellow-eyed sky

♪ Lord, ain't it great

to be free

♪ Hey, Travis Crabtree

♪ It's the right life for me

♪ Rollin' alone in the Bottoms

♪ While the birds

and bees are crying

♪ Because the sun is dying

♪ And nobody sees

the flowers bloom but me

♪ And nobody sees

the flowers bloom but me

♪ And nobody sees

the flowers bloom but me ♪

When he's down

in the Bottoms,

Travis always stops off

for a visit and

a cup of coffee

with Herb Jones.

Herb Jones is a man

who likes a lot of privacy.

He's been living alone

in these Bottoms

for the past 20 years.

Hey, Herb!

Well, Travis.

Travis always enjoys

these visits with Herb,

and never fails

to bring him tobacco

and other supplies.

Herb can spin yarns

for hours

about his experiences

with the wild creatures

of the Bottomland.

Herb tells Travis

to be on the look out

for a big ol' wild boar

with double curled tusks

he spotted a day

or two earlier.

Herb limps because

he once accidentally shot

part of his foot away

in a boating accident.

Although he was all alone,

he made it out of

the Bottoms to a doctor.

I've been living down here

by myself for a long time.

About 14-miles by boat

from my place

to the nearest road,

then it's a pretty good

walk to town.

Them Crabtree boys,

especially that Travis,

always drop by

to see me

when they come

hunting and fishing.

They always brung me

tobacco and sugar

and stuff like that.

Even a bottle of wine

every once in a while.

Did you notice

my bottle tree

on the way in?

I use them bottles

as hooks on my trout lines.

I catch some mighty

big catfish and buffalo

on them lines.

And an old crane

flies over every day.

Looks at my place.

I don't know

what he's looking for.

Once you get to know

these Bottoms,

you never lack

for something to do.

People always ask me

why I stay down here.

I tell them I stay 'cause

I like it better here

than I would anywhere else.

Looks like they could

figure that out

for themselves.

And another thing,

people always ask me

have I seen

the Fouke monster.

Let me tell you something,

there ain't no such thing.

I've been living here

in these Bottoms

for better than 20 years.

I ain't never seen

nor heard no monster.

What was that?

I don't know,

but let's get out of here.

The creature was back.

Once again,

the lure of civilization

had brought him

out of the wilderness.

Soon, newspaper

headlines would herald,

"The Return of

the Fouke Monster."

And people would

get together around

Fouke to relate

the latest rumors

on the creature.

Every dead animal

found in the forest

was blamed upon him.

This dog and others found dead,

might well be his victims.

Excitement in the community

reached a new peak

when a farmer

named O.H. Kennedy

discovered these strange

three-toed footsteps

in Willie Smith's bean field.

Radio, newspaper

and television coverage

resulted in

nation-wide publicity.

...must not be over

four inches wide.

Mr. Kennedy,

you say you found

these tracks late Sunday.

Now, was that

late yesterday afternoon?

Yes, sir.

Just about sundown.

My wife and I went out

for a ride,

she's been feeling

poorly lately.

And we decided to stop by

the bean field

to see if the ground

was too wet to plow.

We called Willie Smith

right away.

Mr. Kennedy,

do you think

this creature could

be a sasquatch?

A... A sasquatch?

I don't believe I know

what that is, sir.

Well, the sasquatch was

the Indians' word

for a legendary giant tribe

of very shy people.

They live mostly in the woods

up in the Pacific Northwest.

Well,

I didn't see anybody.

All I've seen, sir,

is these tracks.

Well, now,

doesn't the sasquatch

have a normal five toes?

This thing here

has only three toes.

Yes, and the adult

sasquatch footprint

is bigger, too.

It's 18 inches long

on the average.

Could these be

gorilla tracks?

No, I don't think

it's a gorilla.

A gorilla has five toes,

and very seldom moves upright

on two legs for very long.

This thing, it had to

drop down on all fours

to travel this far.

What about

an orangutan?

This is the same thing

people around here

reported seeing

over the past few years.

He's reddish-brown,

that's the same color

as an orangutan.

Well, I don't think

this could be orangutan.

The number of the toes

are wrong.

Now, excuse me,

Mr. Kennedy,

you spend a lot of time

working in this field, right?

Did you ever see

tracks like this

when you were here before?

No, sir.

Can't say that I have.

There's a lot of fresh animal

tracks around this field

all the time.

Deer, wolf, bobcat,

and all kinds of

other tracks.

But I've never seen

anything like these before.

Well, Mr. Kennedy,

did you ever hear anything

out of the ordinary

down here?

Well,

I've heard some pretty peculiar things down here,

but I've never seen anything

unusual like this before.

I wonder

what moves the creature

to pick a particular patch

of woods

and return to it

again and again.

These woods next

to the bean field

must be one of his

favorite haunts.

More than what

I heard, I guess it was

what I didn't hear that

made it kinda spooky.

Even when that tractor

is running

and you can't hear nothing,

you get a funny feeling that

something's wrong.

Then, I think, wasn't sure,

but I think I'd hear

a low growl, a hoot,

a grunt or something

from back at the trees.

And you know that

someone out there

is watching you.

I tell you, there's some

kind of animal

hanging around this field,

all right.

And he's no animal

from this part

of the country.

He always

travels Boggy Creek.

That's Bessie

Smith's children

playing at the edge of

the woods over there,

where Kennedy

heard the creature.

Grandpa! Grandpa!

Grandpa! Grandpa!

Be quiet. You're gonna

wake up your grandpa.

I saw him,

I saw that monster.

You're getting filthy

down there...

Grandpa! Grandpa!

We saw the monster.

Be quiet! You're gonna

wake up your grandpa.

If you don't be quiet,

you'll get a switch.

Well, Mom, will you come down

and see it if I show you?

Show me what?

-Show you...

-The Fouke monster.

You know there isn't

anything there.

Yes, there is!

Come on, hurry. He might go.

He's over there.

Let's go back home!

Come on!

Where now? Where did you see it?

It was right over there.

Right over there.

See, there isn't anything

over there.

- Well, there was.

- He was.

He was.

That's where

we saw him last.

Run! Go! Run!

Go! Run!

Run!

That's Charlie Walraven

coming down the road.

This road runs along

the north side of the woods.

It was long about dark.

I was heading into

town that evening.

When I seen this thing coming

out across the road

in front of my car.

I just couldn't even

believe what I was watching.

You know, I reckon

there's a lot of folks

that don't believe anything

until they see it

for themselves.

Of course,

if they're like me,

they'd be wishing

they hadn't seen

what they did.

You know, that thing's gonna

up and k*ll somebody

one of these days,

sure as the world.

On a bright, moonlight night like this one,

you'd figure he'd

stay out of sight.

But nothing seems

to worry him

when the urge to prowl

comes over him.

It could've been

a fatal mistake

if the man who lives here

had been home tonight.

He has a high-powered

r*fle handy,

and knows how to use it.

His daughter, Nancy,

has invited

two girlfriends over

for a bunking party.

No, our team's

much better than Arkansas High.

-You know that.

-Arkansas High had a win.

I know,

but they're defensive.

Yeah,

look at their offense.

Nancy, I like the way

they cut your hair.

I think it's cute.

Well,

Frank liked it long.

He's been sulking

all week.

Now, don't pay

any attention to him,

he doesn't know

anything about it.

Did y'all hear something?

That's the wind.

I can't see anything.

Do you?

No, I don't see anything.

Then it must've

been the wind.

I hope.

Let's all have a Coke.

Do you all want one?

-Yeah, get me one.

-Yeah.

Nancy, there's somebody

moving around

outside this trailer.

Do you... Do you think

it could be some of the guys?

If it is, I'll k*ll 'em.

I can't believe it's them.

They went to that game

in Texarkana.

Listen.

I hear something breathing.

I can hear it, too.

Get the g*n! Get the g*n!

Where are the shells?

Where are the shells?

Go away!

Go away!

Shh. Shh. Hey, shh. Shh.

I don't hear it anymore.

I don't either.

Be still, I'm gonna look out.

No.

Next morning

when her parents returned,

they would find the girls

still half hysterical

with shock.

Before the creature

finally wandered off,

he smashed flower pots

and overturned

everything in sight.

These radical changes

in his usually

cautious behavior

may be caused

by lonely frustration,

for he apparently is

the only one of his kind.

Normally, he never comes out

of the woods before dusk,

and then moves

very cautiously,

staying within quick return

to the shelter of the trees.

But tonight,

he's on the rampage.

It wasn't the first time

the creature had

prowled in the vicinity

of Howard Walraven's

mobile home,

which is located only

a couple of hundred yards

from where Boggy Creek

flows across Highway 71.

We heard him

lots of nights.

Sometimes, it sounded like

he was right outside

of the window,

it was so loud.

And I had my two good dogs

tied up right there

behind the house.

And they'd always get excited

and scared, you know,

whenever he'd come around,

we heard him,

but, heck, I never figured

he'd attack them.

It just looked to me

like he grabbed my dog

and ripped the hide

right off his back.

Now let me tell you something.

He k*lled the finest dog

that I ever had.

But I'm gonna get him

one of these days

and that's gonna be

all she wrote.

Sometimes,

the creature sticks

to one patch of woods

for a long time.

Then, impulsively

works his way

far up the creeks

before being heard from again.

The creeks...

He always travels

the creeks.

When he next showed up,

it was several miles upstream.

In the spring, this house was rented to two young couples

who moved in together

to save money.

They were Charles Turner,

his wife, Anne,

and Don Ford,

who was Anne Turner's brother.

And Don's wife, Sue.

Each couple had a small child.

Don and Charles had just

been hired

by a big cattle ranch

in the Fouke area.

Since both men

would be required

to work late at night,

the girls would be

company to each other.

Thank you. Thank you.

The two families

moved in on Monday.

Thursday night,

the first of a series

of hair-raising

incidents occurred.

Shh!

What's the matter?

Shh.

-Did you hear that?

-Yeah.

That chair... Put that chair

under the door.

Who do you suppose

that was?

I don't know.

Let's take the kids

and go to the landlord's.

I had a pretty good look around

and I couldn't find a thing.

Are you sure you don't

want to go back to my place

till the men get here?

No, no. That's okay

if you checked and you're sure

there's nothing here,

then we'll be okay, I think.

I couldn't find a thing.

But I'll come back

in a little while

and check on you.

Okay, listen, mister,

we sure do thank you

and we appreciate it

-so much...

-Well, you're welcome.

I'll wait here till

you get in the house.

Okay. Buh-bye.

Bye.

The next day, Friday,

the Fords and Turners

had visitors.

Don Ford's younger brother,

Bobby Ford,

and a cousin,

12-year-old Corky Hill,

arrived for the weekend.

They'd heard about the great fishing around Fouke

and were anxious

to wet a hook.

Y'all be back before dark.

Yeah, yeah.

We're gonna bring back

some supper.

Bobby.

Who told you the fishing

was good here?

They're here.

Just have patience.

Bobby, come here. Come here!

What do you want?

Just come here. Come here!

Boy, look at the size of

that guy's footprint!

That ain't no footprint.

That's funny.

What's so funny

about that?

He's only got three toes!

Well, it's getting

kinda late,

and the fish

aren't biting anyway,

so I think we oughta go.

Sure is spooky

down here.

I still say, that's the biggest

foot that I've ever seen.

No.

Shh. I think I hear something.

Go get Annie and Sue.

Get up, get up.

Bobby heard something.

My gosh.

It's back.

Shh. I heard something.

Shh!

Is that him back?

It's gotta be.

Corky, go get the kids.

I seen him!

He's coming around the porch!

Bobby, put that chair

under the door.

I think I heard a car.

It's Don and Charles.

Hey, Don. Hey, Don.

Listen, listen. I swear...

You wouldn't

believe what happened.

You wouldn't

believe what happened.

I've never seen

nothing like this.

-All right. Hold it. Hold it.

-You wouldn't believe it.

You wouldn't

believe what happened.

I just can't

believe what happened.

- I just can't...

- I'm sorry, I ain't...

Calm down.

Everybody's talking at once.

That's right.

I saw it.

All right, just calm down.

He's been around

this house.

We can't all talk

at one time.

I told you there was

something funny

about that footprint I found.

I just told you there was.

Charles, this is the second timein two nights

that someone has been

around this house.

I think you oughta get

some protection, man.

Think we oughta

go to the landlord's

to get the g*n?

That'd be a great idea.

Why don't you go down

and get the g*n

- I'll stay here

with them...

Be careful.

...and everything will be

a little quieter.

Okay, I'm going

to go with you.

We're have a g*n here

so y'all don't be scared.

Go on in the house.

No way. No.

I'm just glad Charles

and Don are home.

Yeah, me too.

Listen, Corky,

you gotta get some sleep

and so do you.

I'm gonna go on the bed.

Okay.

What happened?

What happened?

I saw him!

I swear, I ain't ever seen

nothing like it in my life.

He just came through there.

I saw him.

He was long and hairy.

-It was like a bear

or something.

-Hold it, hold it, hold it.

Hold it. Don, go get the light

and we'll go see

what this thing is.

All right, once more.

If he's out here,

let's get him now.

I'll look back here,

just a minute.

Keep your eyes open.

Say, I ain't scared,

this ain't no thing.

What's that right there?

That right over there?

Is that him right there?

Yeah, that's him.

You better say something

out there.

-You better say something.

-Hey, man.

-Gonna sh**t.

-sh**t him.

He's not saying anything.

sh**t him.

sh**t him!

sh**t him!

See, right there.

-Get him?

-I don't know.

-Hey, I think you got him.

-I don't see a thing.

Shine your light over here.

I don't see anything.

Nothing out there either.

I think that you got him.

Hey, let's go get the sheriff.

Hey, let us through,

will you?

All right, leave the g*n

here with me.

Did you sh**t him?

We don't know. We don't even

know if we hit it.

He's going after the sheriff.

I'm gonna stay here.

-I'm gonna go with him,

all right?

-Go inside.

Hurry back.

There's something here

outside of the house.

What did it look like?

Well, best I can tell,

the thing was tall

and had a lot of hair.

Red eyes.

-Find anything, Constable?

-Not yet.

This piece been like this

the whole time?

No, sir, it hasn't.

Have you looked in

under there?

No, sir, we haven't

looked down there.

This is a panther track

and her little cub

with it under this house.

You mean a panther's

been living under the house?

That's what it is.

It's a panther track.

That wasn't any panther

we shot at, Constable.

That's what that track is.

You keep this shotgun

and this light, these shells,

and if you need me,

you come ask.

Okay, sir, we sure will.

I'm gonna drive

up the highway

to see if I can see anything.

We'd sure appreciate it.-Yeah.

And I'll pick the g*n up

tomorrow sometime.

I sure do thank you

for coming by.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you, sir.

You're welcome. If you need me,

give me a call.

Okay, we sure will.

-We're damn glad you came.

-Yeah.

- Good night.

- Good night.

What kind of place is this?

I mean, we have a panther

living under the house,

somebody trying to break in?

Well, we've got the flashlights,we've got the g*ns.

Now let's all go to bed

-and get some rest.

-I'm with you.

Let's go to bed.

Come on, Annie.

Let's go. Come on, Annie.

I gotta stay here with

the thing coming in

through the window?

Don't worry about it.

We got the g*ns.

I don't wanna stay here

no more with that thing...

I gotta go to the bathroom.

What's the matter?

Back there.

Tried to come through

the window.

What's the matter?

My God!

Right there. Right there.

Tried to come in through

the window.

Get your g*n, Charles.

Let's go.

There he is!

Hold this, Bobby.

Bobby, take the light.

You got him.

That's it! He fell.

I think you got him, man.

I think I saw him fall

over there.

Let's go see.

Be careful.

Be careful!

Don't get too far.

Come back!

Somebody come back here!

Bobby, will you go back

and take care of the girls?

Charlie...

Help! Bobby!

When Bobby

could not be aroused

from the state of shock

he was in,

everyone piled into the car

and raced to Constable

Walraven's house for help.

Walraven took one look

at Bobby,

arranged a police escort

and sent them on

to the hospital in Texarkana.

Nurse, what do you think's wrongwith him? He hasn't said a thingin the car on the way here.

Let's check him up.

Doesn't move.

Hasn't said a word.

Breathing's kinda funny.

You think he'll be all right?

Let's check.

We'll let you know.

Blood pressure's 60 over 40.

I think we better start

an IV.

He's in a state of shock.

Bobby recovered swiftly,

and the Fords and Turners

moved away.

They don't plan on coming back.

What the creature was after

inside the Ford house

is perhaps

the biggest mystery of all.

I was thinking about it today

when I decided to drive out

to our old home place,

now run down

and abandoned.

Standing out in this field,

it all comes rushing back.

And an icy tingle

starts down my spine

when I recall that

terrible, lonesome cry.

It was so long ago that

it seems incredible that the creature is still out there

somewhere right this minute,

maybe even watching me.

Of course, you may not

believe that,

or any of this story.

You may think

the whole thing is a hoax.

And that's your privilege.

But if you're ever driving down

in our country

along about sundown,

keep an eye

on the dark woods

as you cross

the Sulphur River Bottoms,

and you may

catch a glimpse

of a huge, hairy creature

watching you from the shadows.

Yes, he's still here.

And you know,

I'd almost like to hear

that terrible cry again

just to be reminded

that there is still a bit of

wilderness left.

and there are still mysteries

that remain unsolved,

and strange, unexplained noises

in the night.

♪ This is where the story plays

♪ The world on which

we seldom gaze

♪ A page from the book

of yesterdays

♪ Birds and beast

and wind and water

♪ Here beneath

the bright blue sky

♪ No man's smoke

blinds the eagle's eye

♪ And things that crawl

or swim or fly

♪ Feed and breed

and live and die

♪ Here the Sulphur River flows

♪ Rising when

the storm cloud blows

♪ And this is where

the creature goes

♪ Safe but in a world

he knows

♪ Perhaps he dimly wonders

♪ "Why is there is no other

such as I

♪ "To touch

to love before I die

♪ "To listen

to my lonely cry?" ♪

Where he searches,

where he goes,

this, of course, nobody knows.

But once you've heard

his lonely cry,

you can guess the reason why.

Whether he's a beast or man,

what drives him wandering

across the land?

His love for others

of his clan,

and loneliness,

he cannot stand.

♪ Perhaps he dimly wonders

"Why

♪ "is there is no other

such as I

♪ "To touch

to love before I die

♪ "To listen

to my lonely cry?" ♪