Swamp Creature

Swamp Creature is the fourth episode of the first season of the thriller horror docudrama found-footage television series Lost Tapes. It originally aired on Animal Planet on January 6th, 2009, that included Monster of Monterey. It was directed by Douglas Segal.

Plot
On October 13, 2006, university professor Diane Chasny and her nephew Ethan decide to examine the ecosystem of the Honey Island Swamp following Hurricane Katrina, especially the alligator population. While attempting to test her equipment, an alligator suddenly wanders by and steals the backpack containing the maps, compass and GPS.

As they try to find their way out of the swampy terrain, Ethan hears a strange sound, but dismisses it. They become completely lost, but luckily encounter a local fisherman, Bud Ray, who agrees to boat them out of the swamp after giving them a tour of his camp area. During the walk, Ethan hears more strange sounds and sees the obscured shape of a creature moving through the bush, and becomes briefly separated, accidentally stepping on a nest of eggs and destroying one of them. They then discover a bizarre footprint that they conclude must belong to an upright animal, and the fisherman urges them to return to his camp before nightfall. As Diane examines the photographs she took of the footprints, Bud tells them stories about a creature purportedly half-man, half-alligator, but the professor dismisses these as being superstitious stories about a bogeyman.

Around midnight, Bud wakes the two because of strange sounds that they heard, and he leaves the tent they had been sleeping in. There are strange growling sounds, sudden gunshots, and a yell of pain as the creature attacks the fisherman, then tries to get into the tent. Bud returns, injured but still alive, and the three manage to fend off the creature. The creature eventually leaves, leaving behind the egg Ethan had destroyed. Diane recovered the eggshells, which matched no known species. Ethan eventually returned to the bayou to create a feature documentary based on his experiences. Bud Ray soon recovered from his injuries and still lives into the swamp, but is fearful of going out after sunset.