Photo courtesy of Live for Films.Although writer and director Bobcat Goldthwait is best known as a comedic icon, his most recent film is far from funny.
“Willow Creek,” Goldthwait’s entry into the found-footage subgenre of horror, follows a couple who journey to Willow Creek, Calif., to make a documentary that will provide evidence that Bigfoot exists. The film stars Alexie Gilmore and Bryce Johnson as the two leads, both of whom have previously worked with Goldthwait on “World’s Greatest Dad” and “Sleeping Dogs Lie,” respectively.
“Most found footage films have a lot of suspense, hardly any action, and characters that really aren’t believable,” Goldthwait said at a question-and-answer session following a recent screening of the film in Tucson. “I wanted to change that and make sure the suspense and action were balanced and that the characters were believable.”
Goldthwait said there were only two scenes that were officially scripted, with the rest improvised by Gilmore and Johnson.
"For example," Goldthwait said, "one page in the script just said ‘Jim proposes, Kelly says no.’ The way it was worded and how it was handled was all filled in by Bryce and Alexie, and I think they did a great job with it.”
Goldthwait’s unique directorial style is evident throughout the film, however it shines the most in the film's climactic scene, a 19-minute single take within a camping tent that features Jim and Kelly listening to the terrifying and mysteriously ominous sounds outside their tent in the middle of the night.
“The first time we shot it, Bryce started crying. And I told him, ‘Jim wouldn’t cry, man,’ and he said, ‘I know. I’m actually crying,’” Goldthwait said. “We shot it one more time, and it looked really good, and then one more time just to be safe.”
The film, which was shot on location, only took five days to film. Before making the decision to shoot a found-footage film, Goldthwait says he toyed with the idea of making a mockumentary in the vain of something like director Christopher Guest of “Best In Show."
“But then I realized that taking the subject matter seriously would be more effective,” Goldthwait said. “There’s this whole subculture who believes in Bigfoot, and nobody really cares or wants to hear what they have to say, so I thought it would be a bit in bad taste to mock them.”
On top of the film's dialogue being improvised, any civilians interviewed by the characters in the film are in fact, real residents of Willow Creek telling real stories, including, ironically, one visitors center employee who does not believe in Bigfoot.
“That wasn’t planned,” Goldthwait said. “We weren’t expecting that, but I think it’s one of the best moments in the film.”
When it comes to Bigfoot though, Goldthwait considers himself a believer.
“I believe in it,” Goldthwait says. “I’d like to live in a world where it does, in a world where the question of ‘what if?’ isn’t one that gets asked all the time, rather one that’s already been answered.”
Reach the reporter at seweinst@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @S_weinstein95
