- Directed by Eli Watson
- Stars: Jason Hewlett, John Kirk, Caralee Miller
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 17 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAZabI50-ds
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
This was another well-put-together documentary exploration piece about a cryptid that may or may not exist. There is a little actual footage mixed with speculation footage, along with eyewitnesses, experts, and indigenous folks who offer their takes and theories on the creature. This was especially interesting to us because we’d never heard of this lake or creature before.
Spoilery Synopsis
We open with a history lesson about the American settlers and how they took what they wanted, how they wanted, not respecting nature. One man, John MacDougall, crossed the lake with some horses, and something started eating the horses– the demon of the lake. In the 1850s, the story eventually became a myth, but the lake is now a heavily populated area.
Lake Okanagan is in Canada and is a reasonably big tourist area. There are still stories of Ogopogo, the monster of the lake. We meet the three filmmakers who are investigating the creature. There are two major cities, one on each side of the lake, connected by a bridge.
Ogopogo is not a “dinosaur” like Nessie; it’s more of a snakelike “Chinese Dragon” style creature with big horns. The first videos of the beast were taken in 1964 by a man with a handheld camera. For the most part, Ogopogo is looked upon as harmless or at least non-aggressive. Ferries in 1926 were armed against Ogopogo, but it never attacked anyone. In 1872, Susan Allison watched her husband in a boat on the lake, and she saw it out in the waves; she was the first European to see the creature.
One native woman explains Ogopogo is a dimension-walker, a water spirit, not a regular monster. It’s used as a tourist attraction now, heavily commercialized and non-respectful. ‘If you saw something you couldn’t explain in the water, would you tell the media? Ninety-two percent wouldn’t do it.” That’s a very specific number.
Many describe what they saw and how the creature behaves with all the motorboat activity. We watch several blurry film-camera recordings of the monster from years ago. There is some discussion about the lakes of Canada being connected with underwater passages and the sea monsters traveling from lake to lake; many lakes are said to have monsters.
Brian’s Commentary
As with previous Small Town Monsters productions, this one has excellent production values, looks good, and is nicely polished. The drum soundtrack is slightly overpowering when people are trying to talk. The filmmakers speak to various experts and locals about Ogopogo; they’re all interesting. It’s a very scenic place, and it looks like everyone had a good time making the film.
People love their cryptids; I’m not convinced.
Kevin’s Commentary
This organization does good work with their cryptid explorations, and this is another well put together piece that flows well and is interesting. I remain especially skeptical this time around though. It’s a beautiful area that draws many people. That lake is so heavily populated at the shores and so heavily used for fishing and recreation that it seems there should be more clear filmings and evidence if there really were giant serpentine creatures living there.