NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Synapse Films Blu-ray (December 2022): Synapse Films have transferred Joy N. Houck Jr.'s Creature from Black Lake to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "new 4K restoration". The 1080P is very strong with solid contrast, true colors and a clean, consistent representation of the film. There is no damage or speckles. The HD presentation exports depth and handles the darker scenes later in the film well. All good.

NOTE: We have added 40 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Synapse Films use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Creature from Black Lake has a few aggressive sequences with gunfire, an explosion, fire plus hand-to-hand combat with the creature. The score is by Jaime Mendoza-Nava (The Brotherhood of Satan, Aloha Bobby and Rose, The Stewardesses, The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Grave of the Vampire and Equinox) supporting the film well in the lossless transfer. The adept audio compliments the strong video. Synapse Films offer optional English (SDH) subtitles - see sample - on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Synapse Films Blu-ray offers a commentary by horror scholar Michael Gingold and film historian Chris Poggiali. They discuss Creature from Black Lake as a "Drive-In Chill" film kind of a Macon County vs. the monsters, the cinematographer Dean Cundey (Halloween), Jim McCullough Sr.'s "Charge of the Model Ts" also with John David Carson, Roy Tatum (a pro wrestler and 'Fred' the creature), Dub Taylor, the film 'Sasquatch' from the 70's as well as various Bigfoot and Yeti movies. A handful of reviews of Creature from Black Lake are read - with a few surprisingly positive. It's a solid commentary exporting plenty of information and they are obvious experts of this genre. Swamp Stories spends 20-minutes with director of photography Dean Cundey and his recollection of the shoot, plus there is a trailer and Radio Spot. The package has a leaflet advertising Synapse film's extensive catalogue. 

Creature from Black Lake is a superior film than many might expect. It plays upon the Arkansas folklore of the Fouke Monster - an ape-like creature, similar to Bigfoot haunting swamps and bogs of the south. I have friends who love this genre - and I have a big soft-spot for it myself (see The Man Who Killed Hitler and then The Bigfoot.) Despite its low budget there is nothing obviously inept or weak about the production of Creature from Black Lake. The scarce on-screen visibility of the 'monster' works as creature-feature films of the past by building suspense. So, a suspicious creature is sighted near a Louisiana lake, and two college students (Dennis Fimple, John David Carson) travel to investigate its existence - talking with locals and camping out in the woods. I enjoyed it. The Synapse Films Blu-ray offers highly pleasing a/v, an informative commentary and interview. If you are keen at all - this is certainly recommended!

Gary Tooze