It’s only fitting that I return to HorrorSociety full-time with a review of Small Town Monsters’ latest cryptid documentary. During my previous tenure, I jumped at every opportunity to sink my teeth into whatever creature they were profiling, and in my opinion, their work is marginally better than half the shit you see on television. Things at STM have changed since my last review in 2022 with ‘American Werewolves.’ The man, the myth, the legend, Seth Breedlove is missing from ‘Cursed Waters,’ but luckily frequent collaborators like Eli Watson, Courteney Swihart, Heather Moser and Helen Bowers still manage to make this baby feel like home. Having a deep connection to waterways myself, ‘Cursed Waters’ also felt like home for a completely different reason. Again, I’m talking about a full circle moment here.
Small Town Monsters deep dives into the legend of Ogopogo in ‘Cursed Waters: Creature of Lake Okanagan.’ Which is funny because there were rumors of a giant snapping turtle that haunted the lake in the town I grew up in who was also named Ogopogo. Now I know where the locals got the name from. Can you say plagiarism? It’s not the other way around, of course, as STM’s Ogopogo has been around since the time of the settlers… or even longer. Unlike The Loch Ness Monster, researchers don’t believe that the sea serpent is a trapped dinosaur. And while Ogopogo and Nessie live in two completely different countries, they’re both described as nothing more than mischievous and elusive. Though early stories of Lake Okanagan’s beast were slightly more terrifying.
Lake Okanagan, as you’ll learn and see for yourself in ‘Cursed Waters,’ is a lake that spans for 80 miles and reaches 2,500 feet at its deepest. Obviously, there’s a lot of area to hide and explains how such a creature could hide from locals/tourists in British Columbia, Canada. From settlers, to the 1920s, to the 1960s and even in current times, dozens (hundreds?) of people have witnessed something they can’t quite explain in Lake Okanagan. Luckily, just a few of them – and a handful of researchers – were able to come forward to lend testimony to ‘Cursed Waters.’ And better yet, Small Town Monsters was able to gain footage from several sightings including two pieces of video and a very mysterious picture. While none of the evidence is truly definitive, it does get your mind racing about what could be lurking in those deep waters.
‘Cursed Waters: Creature of Lake Okanagan’ was directed by Eli Watson and narrated by Heather Moser. Watson and Moser also produced the feature documentary with Courteney Swihart. It features artwork by Jonathan Dodd and visual effects by Fakhar Gill. In typical STM fashion, the doc feels like a motion graphic novel, fueled by stunning sounds and effects and beautiful narration by Heather Moser. It features candid interviews, scenic landscapes, overhead aerials and a number of other elements that keep your attention from start to finish. I’ve never had an issue with STM films from a production standpoint, and ‘Cursed Waters’ absolutely continues that trend. The story roll-out was masterful and ying-yang’ed itself in a very clever way. And, of course, beautiful camera work and perfect audio helped it along like a sturdy fishing wire.
A wonderful swim back into the waters of Small Town Monsters. Now, let me go punch my ticket to Canada to go look for this serpent! Final Score: 9 out of 10.
