Love of B-horror film ‘Frogs’ leads to discovery of Eden Gardens

Sometimes, when you’re a couple of weirdos like Sweetums and I are, strange-and-seemingly-useless tidbits of information can lead to fun discoveries. On our recent trip to Cape San Blas, Florida, I turned on the TV our first night and saw “Frogs,” a B-horror movie fondly recalled from my childhood, was streaming on Amazon. I turned it on as a lark – the 1972 film stars Sam Elliott, Joan Van Ark and Ray Milland – and we were having a laugh when we remembered looking it up years ago on IMDb and learning it was filmed in Florida.

I looked again and, sure enough, the filming location was a state park in Santa Rose Beach, only a short way off our route, so we decided we’d stop on the way home and be among the handful of people on the planet who were interested enough in “Frogs” to go see where it was filmed.

It turns out, not only do lots of people go there, but the state park folks have a sense of humor and promote the fact that an obscure B-movie from 1972 was filmed there. In summer, “Frogs” is shown on the grounds.

Eden Gardens State Park may be a strange name for a place a horror movie was filmed but it is a great name for such a serene location.

The park comprises the 163 acres that once made up a family estate. Its centerpiece is an 1897 mansion, prominently featured in the film, that visitors can tour. Outside the home, the grounds are dotted with live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and camellias, heritage roses, and azaleas that promise to be a riot of color in spring.

Visitors can stroll along nature trails or walk down to the Choctawhatchee Bay, where fishing is allowed. The house and lawn are also rented for weddings and events.

The house was built by lumber baron William Henry Wesley, according to visitsouthwalton.com. The interior, filled with antiques, was used in the movie, as well. A reflecting pond seen in the film is located to the side of the home.

For those who’ve read this far to learn what the film is about, well, it’s about frogs … and lizards and tarantulas and snakes and alligators and snapping turtles and all kinds of critters that have joined together to kill humans. It is considered one of the eco-horror films from the 1970s.

Milland, of “Dial M for Murder” fame, was reportedly disgusted with the script and left before the final scene was completed, forcing the use of a body double. I think it’s a little hypocritical of him to dislike a movie about killer frogs when, the very same year, Milland starred in a movie called “The Thing with Two Heads,” in which his head was grafted onto football star Rosey Grier’s body. My big brother, Doofus, and I grew up in Warner Robins, Georgia, and were big fans of Friday Night Frights on what was called SuperStation WTBS when it debuted in 1976. The station showed all the old B-horror films and we watched lots of them, including both of the Milland films.

Fond memories of “Frogs” made the trip to Eden Gardens worth a detour but fans of beautiful old mansions, massive trees and flowers would also enjoy the park.

Read more about it here.