'Creature' Screenwriter Tracy Morse Unveils the Hidden Dangers of Roadside Convenience Stores

"Creature," a new throwback thriller written by Tracy Morse, contains several important life lessons, including one about the inherent dangers of roadside convenience stores. While on a trip to New Orleans, 6 friends stop at an out-of-the-way store owned and operated by a man named Chopper (Sid Haig).

"They are the kind of places where the beer is warm and the hearts are cold," Morse said when reached by telephone last week.

While shopping for supplies, the tourists learn the tale of Lockjaw, a deadly white alligator. Legends say that the alligator was once a man who, after losing the woman he loved, was transformed by the tragedy into a deadly creature with a hunger for human flesh.

As the unwary travelers set up camp for the night, they soon learn that there is more to this story than just some tall tales. That ill-advised pit stop at the convenience store unveils a bigger mystery and a deadlier secret than any of them could have imagined.

And when you see a proprietor that looks like the hulking Sid Haig, it's best to keep on driving until you find the nearest 7-11 or Circle K.

Morse said the script, which was first written several years ago, originally was about alligators and toothless hillbillies chasing hot babes around a swamp. "When we dusted it off, we had just seen 'Wicker Man'-not the remake but the original one," Morse said.

As the story progresses, the tourists learn that the town and surrounding swamp are populated by a group of religious fanatics for whom human sacrifice is not out of the ordinary.

"I love when you stumble into a cult. You don't know how much they (the townspeople) want to feed you to their alligator-toothed hillbilly," he said.

"Creature" also marks a resurgence of the "monster suit" popularized in movies such as "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." Andy Serkis, the star of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," may be the king of motion-capture suits, but there is something to be said about putting an actor into a full-sized, rubbery suit and turning them loose in front of the camera.

"I loved that stuff growing up, 'Creature From the Black Lagoon' and 'Pumpkinhead." All these great, visceral monster movies, which I love. I am so into practical effects, monster-making. CGI has its place, but I like to see things more tactile and changeable. I'm really glad we went that way," he said.