Willow Creek was a bit boring. There are good found footage movies out there but this thing was slow, bad acted and the ending wasnt something special. On the other hand, Exists is fun to watch and is actually what u really expect from a film about... Bigfoot!
"That is not dead which can eternal lie.. Yet with strange aeons.. even death may die"
I agree with you. Willow Creek was the second movie in a row that I've watched that was about Bigfoot WITHOUT a Bigfoot (the other being Bigfoot County). I'm pretty much disgusted with this genre.
shareYeah, and they didn't have any willows or creeks, either.
shareYeah, and they didn't have any willows or creeks, either.
No Creeks?
1.) If you're talking about flowing water, we saw it twice.
2.) If you're talking about Creek American Indians, then unless either Kelli or Jim were Muscogee Creeks, then, yeah, they didn't have any of those.
It did have a big fat naked lady but I don't know about her feet.
This movie was worth watching for the tent scene alone.
I really enjoyed Willow Creek. It was quite well acted & the cinematography was great.
Yes it did take a while to get into it (I could have done without that second song in the bar ugh LOL!).
But all this made you get to know & care about the characters, which I love when filmmakers make this effort.
The only things I didn't care for was the (surprisingly!) bad acting of the husband in the tent scene when the 'tent' moved!
The actress playing the wife was terrific...he looked almost unconcerned at all!
What the hell was that about?!
The second thing was the very poor choice of a rock song in the credits.
I just rented Exists from netflix, haven't watched it yet but looking forward to it!
I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.
Watched 'Exists'.
One word to describe it: Awful.
'Willow Creek', even with some flaws, is a much better film.
'Exists' was a mishmash of indecipherable images, horrid acting, a boring plot (and that's being kind).
Even the ending falls flat.
I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.
Everybody on here is saying that the guy never had a serious/scared face. You have to remember that the fact that these things exist to him is incredible. In the tent he says he doesn't want them to stop, it's all evidence for him and it all looks good on film, so the adrenaline for him would probably counter-act whatever fright he feels. The bird just didn't want to be there full stop, hence she shat bricks.
shareExists is better.
shareWillow Creek had a lot of depth that Exists was missing and this made it a much better film. This is what a lot of horror films lack - character development and contrast. The first half of Willow Creek is mainly the couple traveling towards the Patterson/Gimlen site and making a documentary as they go. This is good because it provides a chance to get to know the characters and have some levity before the film gets serious. This means you invest more in the characters, as well as a way to really highlight the scary part of the film, which makes it more effective.
Exists, on the other hand - one dimensional characters throughout. Frankly, you wouldn't be remiss to have been cheering on the Bigfoot in that one.
This is good because it provides a chance to get to know the characters and have some levity before the film gets serious. This means you invest more in the characters, as well as a way to really highlight the scary part of the film, which makes it more effective.
I sure didn't feel that way. They didn't need to spend an entire hour going around town interviewing weird people and making lame jokes. I never felt interested in the couple at all. I just wanted the actual adventure to begin already.
Some people want a film that makes you think a little bit, and others want the immediate and the easy.
Them looking for Bigfoot is not exactly the meat of the story to me, though, although it is what the film appeared to be sold on, because that is more succinctly summed up. I would imagine Goldthwait felt the same, otherwise he wouldn't have dedicated most of film to the couple's preliminary investigations. That first hour of the film or so that 'dragged' was about the couple, their relationship - which the film casts some doubt on at times, the place they were in and the people you encounter on the Bigfoot trail. I enjoyed watching them eat their Bigfoot Burgers, 'cause they looked delicious. I enjoyed the 'Roger & Bob' song as a catchy little Dylan-esque tune and I enjoyed the couple's back and forth on the existence of Bigfoot, because it reminded me of my own conversations on the topic, and I really enjoyed the scenery. That whole first hour allowed me a nice immersion into that corner of the PNW and the couple's life, which I appreciated because it made that final half-hour much more effective for me than the entirety of Exists, clichés and all.
shareI agree with your points in all these posts, lunchboxattacks. I liked the couple and thought Bryce Johnson and Alexie Gilmore did a great job in making them believable and nice enough but also a bit irritating - like most real people. I enjoyed the entire "here we go on a [silly but fun/indulging my boyfriend/dream of a lifetime - pick one] adventure" start to the picture. I like quirky places, tourist traps built around offbeat attractions, and unexplained phenomena. (That doesn't mean I believe in them; the fact that I don't believe in them makes them entertaining.)
With found footage, a certain amount of setup and character development is important. The biggest appeals of this genre are (1) the sense that what you're seeing is happening to real people and (2) the ability to make the viewer feel that he's a part of what's happening. Unless you provide adequate setup, (2) is impossible, and unless you develop the characters, you won't care about the "real people" you're watching.
This is why, time after time, in film after film in this genre, you see the same complaints about how nothing happened in the first XX minutes of the film and about time "wasted" while the characters talk, argue, party, hang out, whatever.
If you need constant action and don't care to watch a slow build, most FF films are not for you, and Willow Creek is no exception. It's not meant to be a movie everyone will love ... but I did.
As for "Exists" - it was pretty good. Maybe a bit better than WC on the elaboration of the Bigfoot story, but it failed on characterization. I did not care about the characters at all because they were so generic, and we were told nothing about them - like where they were from or why they were going together to this cabin in the middle of nowhere. In that sense, it's the opposite of WC. I preferred WC but I get why some viewers would prefer Exists.
If you need constant action and don't care to watch a slow build, most FF films are not for you, and Willow Creek is no exception.
I hate to reply so late, but a point I needed to make.
I enjoyed watching them eat their Bigfoot Burgers, 'cause they looked delicious. I enjoyed the 'Roger & Bob' song as a catchy little Dylan-esque tune and I enjoyed the couple's back and forth on the existence of Bigfoot, because it reminded me of my own conversations on the topic, and I really enjoyed the scenery.
Both are ridiculous films about a nonexistent fantasy. BTW, aren't Sasquatches supposed to be peaceful? I mean we don't even have a specimen of such a creature, but there also are no reports of Bigfoots harming humans. So goes the mythology..
shareThere are violent Sasquatch but they generally shave themselves down and attempt to make a name for themselves in the UFC.
shareLOL that was a good one.
shareI watched both today. Willow had it's moments, though it was boring with unlikable characters. Exists was much better with characters that I did not like at first but felt for as the story went on.
Great cinematography for a handheld movie, wonderful creature effects too. It was pretty good and close to what I always wanted in a bigfoot movie. The ending makes it all make sense in Exists too.
Next I'm watching 2006's abomination starting Lance Henriksen. Seems much more of a hollywood production though.
I say willow creek wins based alone on the naked hottie at the end
sharei watched both back-to-back. willow creek isn't great, but it's by far the better movie. much better atmosphere, and the slow build up to the end worked pretty well. the tent scene alone was better than anything in exists. exists felt very inauthentic and the characters were obnoxious, cliche, and annoying. wow, horny young adults who all look like clothing supermodels go to a cabin in the woods? what a unique idea! *rolls eyes*
share