A week before Christmas,1981.
A Thursday evening,my old man says to me 'There's a film on BBC 2 tonight you'll like son,six o'clock I'm sure...'
Sure enough,BBC 2 at 6 sharp,he and I sat down to watch this 'film' ;my younger siblings having been tucked up in bed.
I was nine years old and was already fascinated by horror movies,and what transpired in those next 80 minutes or so absolutely terrified me!
To think that a creature like that may actually exist!
It was the talk of the playground the next day,with the 'tall story tellers' and 'Billy Liar's' spouting their own bullshit tales of their Uncles' best mates' brother who actually spied a creature like this in the forrests of West Scotland!
However,having been lucky enough to have owned (Well rented) a fine new game changing VHS recorder,we taped the damn thing!
All that weekend myself and my younger brothers terrified ourselves with repeat viewings!
Those were the days eh?
Here's the original pitch in December 1981's Radio Times.....
18.00
: Monster Movie! The Legend of Boggy Creek
A true story
The Abominable Snowman, the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster -do they exist? In ' Boggy Creek', in the heart of Arkansas, there is another legendary creature - ' the Fouke Monster'. Tonight's feature film, shot on location, captures the mystery of the southern American swampland, and its famous, elusive monster.
Screenplay and story by EARL E. SMITH
Produced and directed by CHARLES B. PIERCE (First showina on British television) Films: page 17