Bigfoot
(2006)
review by Head Cheeze

There have been a lot of movies about Bigfoot, but has there ever been a good movie about everyone’s favorite cryptozoological journal cover boy (and, no, I will not take Harry and the Hendersons as an answer)? I mean, we are talking about one of the most popular myths of the twentieth century yet, with the possible exception of the first of the Boggy Creek flicks (which benefits from truly creepy locals that still give me Deliverance-style heebie-jeebies) I can’t recall a single flick in which Bigfoot was used effectively. Ohio-based filmmaker Bob Gray apparently felt the same way when he set out to make his low-budget/highly entertaining Bigfoot, which is just as big on laughs (of the intentional variety) as it is on scares.

Jack Sullivan (Cox) and his daughter return to the small town in which Jack grew up after he is dishonorably discharged from the army (for suitably heroic reasons involving an abusive superior officer). Jack is welcomed home by his lifelong buddy (and town sheriff), Bob (Gray), and the two get to catching up about old times. Meanwhile, out in the town’s local marsh, Ranger Sandy Parker (Foster) discovers yet another mutilated deer, one of several animals found brutally killed in the area over the past few weeks.

Later that evening, Sandy shares her discovery with Bob and Jack over drinks at the local watering hole, prompting the town crazy to suggest that the killings are the work of a Bigfoot creature he claims to have encountered as a child. When Jack drops a very drunk Bob off at home later that evening, he gets a glimpse of the creature, himself. Soon, there is a human victim, and, at the scene of the murder, Jack tells Bob about the creature he’d seen the night before. Bob, of course, writes it off as his friend having had too much to drink and an overactive imagination, but, when as the body count grows, it becomes apparent that they are dealing with something that’s much smarter (and deadlier) than the average bear.

Shot on video, and for a fraction of the budget of your average Sci-Fi Channel Movie of the Week, Bigfoot is one hell of a fun flick that, once it hits its stride, transcends its budgetary restraints with a smart script, solid performances, and loads of effective scares and laughs. While no one’s bucking for any Academy Awards here, Gray makes great use of his “professional” talent and the found talent that he rounded up in his hometown, and even furthers his own cause by turning in what I think is the film’s best performance as the laidback and likeable town sheriff. The real star of this show, though, is the titular character, as this is easily the creepiest looking on-screen incarnation of Bigfoot yet. For a low-budget flick, the special effects work is pretty well done for the most part, but the costume…man, that suit really sealed the deal.

As of this writing, Bigfoot is currently gearing up for a DVD release, and should be hitting the shelves of your local video store sometime in the very near future. I think that if viewers give this one a chance, and look beyond the budgetary limitations, they will discover a remarkably polished splatstick gem that is sure to please the monster in all of us.