The Curse of the Swamp Creature

[Vince]

One of my favorite movies....Wish it was on DVD----did find it on VHS...anyone else like it?

[Dunners]

curse of the swamp creature? whats it about? when did it come out?

[The Burgomaster]

CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE used to be on the local "Creature Feature" show (here in Massachusetts) quite a bit. I remember watching it several times as a kid back in the 1970s.

"Creature Feature" was on Saturday nights around 7:00 or 8:00. It showed mostly "giant" monster movies (like GODZILLA and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS), as well as "science gone wild" type monsters (like CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE). It seemed like they only had about a dozen movies and they kept showing them over and over again throughout the year.

Immediately following "Creature Feature," (at about 9:00 or 10:00) they had "Tales of the Unknown." It showed mostly normal-sized monsters like THE WOLF MAN, THE MUMMY, FRANKENSTEIN, etc.

I used to look forward to Saturday nights for these classic double-features.

Anyway, back to CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE. I remember when I was a kid, I waited impatiently for the scene where the swamp creature reached up out of his tank to grab a turtle. Its hand would pull the turtle back inside the tank, and then you would hear crunching sounds while it ate the turtle's shell. I got a real kick out of that when I was 6 or 8 years old. Maybe that's why I turned out to be the way I am . . .

*
*
*

[Chris K.]

CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE is a 1966 sci-fi/horror film made for television by Larry Buchanan and released by American International Pictures-TV (A.I.P.-TV). It is basically an uncredited remake (Buchanan called it a "spin-off", and I can see it that way too) of the American International Pictures film VOODOO WOMAN (1958).

Currently it's available on video via Somethign Weird Video taken from the 16mm TV print. However, MGM does own the film as well and recently showed it on AMC, remastered from the 16mm negative. MGM also owns the other Buchanan/A.I.P.-TV films. Hopefully, MGM will give CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE a DVD release under their Midnite Movies label, but don't expect it anytime soon.

[Foywonder]

Actually, from what I understand, the movie has fallen into public domain as most of Buchanan's late 60s AIP-TV movies have.

[Chris K.]

MGM bought the American International Pictures film vault and, according to some sources, they do own most of the A.I.P.-TV Larry Buchanan films. Of course, their are some exceptions (i.e., Susan Hart, A.I.P. producer James H. Nicholson's daughter, owns a few of the early A.I.P. 50's flicks. Other A.I.P. titles have gone to other distributors, for example Something Weird Video owns GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON and VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET). And like I said, MGM issued CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE on AMC and one person who saw it told me that before the film started the MGM lion logo appeared before the A.I.P.-TV logo. So again, that should tell us something.

But as I said before, don'e expect CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE to be out on DVD anytime soon.

[Foywonder]

Well, somebody better tell RetroFilm.com and DesertIsleFilms.com (two companies that specialize in distributing broadcast quality tapes of public domain movies to TV stations) because they still distribute pretty much all of Buchanan's movies.

[Haze]

Sounds like haphazard tripe to me... perfect for me I think.