The Creature from Lake Michigan - 21 Years in the Making!

Thanks to Avery for the information about The Creature from Lake Michigan, a horror/comedy that turned into a real horror for the people involved. It started way back in September of 1989 in Portland Oregon and the feature was shot on a 16mm camera and cost less than $130,000 to film the movie.

The film was initially intended to launch Nocturnal Pictures a Chicago based movie studio and they had the intentions to have the movie completed in a month and in a movie store within 6 months, but things went spectacular wrong, from clashes between people involved to charges and revoked permits, the whole film was on a roller-coaster to hell and nothing was going to plan.

Two years later things continued going wrong and this would be the end of a movie that started out so innocently and became a burden which torn friendships apart. The gruelling production of the movie and not having any money left brought huge guilt on the producers side who borrowed money from friends and family, although the film was finished they had no musical score and would cost another $50,000 to transfer and edit the print on the technology at the time.

So The Creature from Lake Michigan was shelved and although it was always on the mind of the people involved, other priorities and work commitments became top priority and the fact that friendships had been broken, so it stayed shelved for 21 years!

Between all the horror and nightmares involved in the gruelling process the producer met his future wife on the set of The Creature from Lake Michigan who have since had two lovely kids. Finally 21 years later and looking dated compared to today's standards the film was finally put together and in 2006 it had it's make-over with a gruelling digital transfer and in June of 2010 it was fully edited, and put together and it was finally complete.

It looks dated but I think that adds to it's strengths and looks like a fun time with 80's hair and fashion included, I say give them some support and get the DVD when it arrives. It is said to have commentaries and extras and the writers and the director sre trying to hunt down all the people involved to be included in the DVD but it's proving difficult, I hope the DVD doesn't take another 21 years eh? You can read an in-depth interview with co-writer Jim Hardison HERE. Checkout the official website fot more information, stills and an updated blog by the people involved.

The Creature from Lake Michigan is produced by Nocturnal Pictures and is written & directed by Michael Browne and co-written by Jim Hardison and stars Emile Levisetti, Donna Shreve, Joe Quinn, Gregg Yeager and Lenny Wilson.

Synopsis: "The Creature is about an environmental activist, a marine biologist and a band of surfers who get together to battle a hit-man, low-budget filmmakers and a warrior from beyond the stars in order to help a mutant monster from the depths of Lake Michigan survive the greed and perfidy that plagues cryptozoological anomalies worldwide and has done so throughout history."

Checkout the trailer below, that was 21 years in the making!: