The Truth Is Out There

People, it's important that we all recognize the threat posed by Bigfoot....
Yes -- Bigfoot, or the Sasquatch. He's a creature widely believed by scientists to be constantly roaming the forests of the northern United States and southern Canada. The government tries to keep Bigfoot a secret from the public for fear of causing a panic, but the truth is well-known in certain circles. Bigfoot is real...and he's angry.

(Let's get him!)

See, us humans are increasingly encroaching on Bigfoot's land. Once a peaceful creature who merely wished to consume berries, Bigfoot in the 1950s got his first taste of meat when some tourists in western Minnesota fed him raw venison. Ever since, he's been out for blood. In the last few years, in particular, Bigfoot has been getting bolder.

Perhaps you heard a story recently about a tourist in Yellowstone National Park who was mauled by a supposed "bear." Well, lemme tell you, "bear" is government code for Bigfoot. Yeah, Bigfoot killed a guy. And it's not the first time.

Ask any scientist, and he'll agree -- we should all be afraid of going into the woods. There's no telling where Bigfoot might be hiding. Sooner or later, he'll get us all!


Now here's a movie that blows the lid off the entire thing. Pay close attention to its lessons. They could just save your life.

Bigfoot (2006)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0834897/


Netflix description:
Dishonorably discharged army vet Jack Sullivan (Todd Cox) returns home to the marshlands of northeastern Ohio, where the series of livestock mutilations and murders plaguing his old buddy, Sheriff Bob Perkins (Bob Gray), might be the work of a bloodthirsty Sasquatch. Jack is the first one to spot the Bigfoot and name it as a suspect, and it takes a while to convince the folks in town that he hasn't gone completely nuts in this horror thriller.

Well, first of all, Bigfoot is a Troma release. I've written about Troma Films before, and it's always nice to see what the company is up to. Hats off to Lloyd Kaufman and his crew for continuing to fight the good fight.

Anyway, this movie is about a guy named Jack who moves with his young daughter to a small town in Ohio. He's apparently down on his luck and looking for some friends. Jack's got a bad reputation in this little village, due to his recent dishonorable discharge from some elite military unit. Sounds pretty bad, but something tells me that Jack's training just might come in handy later on in the film.

Jack hooks up with a saucy little parks department employee named Sandy, and the two of them start to notice odd things happening around town. For example, a bird watcher is found ripped to shreds out in the woods. That's bound to raise a few eyebrows just about anywhere, right?

Jack and Sandy think that Bigfoot may be responsible, but the local sheriff ain't buying it (as always). He believes that the ever-growing pile of mutilated bodies in town is the work of (you guessed it!) a bear. The situation kind of simmers, until a group of rednecks decides to take matters into their own hands and go do some bear huntin'. They load up on guns, bring their friends, and head off into the woods to track down this supposed grizzly that's been killing so many people. It's hardly surprising when they end up running into Bigfoot and getting killed in short order themselves. CAN Jack and Sandy convince the sheriff to take the Bigfoot rumors seriously? WHO else will die before the Sasquatch is stopped?? COULD the acting in this movie be any worse???


Bigfoot isn't your typical Troma movie. Unlike such offerings as Class of Nuke Em High and The Toxic Avenger, this one features no slapstick comedy or nuclear waste. Nope -- it's kind of a straight shooter, save for a few sex jokes about the sheriff's wife. That's not what I was expecting; I'd assumed it would take itself far less seriously.

Still, the movie isn't quite as BAD as one might suspect. Sure, Bigfoot is (as already indicated) terribly acted, and the overall plot is ridiculous....Plus, the camera work, sound, and lighting are all substandard. Heck, one could point to all sorts of technical problems with this motion picture. But that doesn't change the fact that Bigfoot actually makes an attempt to paint the Sasquatch in a negative, scary light. Few movies have really pursued this opportunity before. Why is it such an untapped resource?


And the Bigfoot here IS kind of scary. He's all mean looking, with slimy skin, razor-sharp teeth, and beady eyes. The creature rips open throats like there's no tomorrow. Too bad he gets a relatively small amount of screen time. This film would have been much better with more outrageously violent Bigfoot action. What, did they run out of money for blood effects, or something?

I liked the characters here, and for as low-rent as it is, I even kind of liked the movie itself. On no level is Bigfoot GREAT, but there's a certain charm to it that made me say, "Awe, shucks." Plus, it's important for us all to support Troma (even though this one is nothing like most other Troma films). I advise you to rent Bigfoot with some friends. Pound back several beers, eat some microwave popcorn, and have a few laughs. It's...somewhat OK.

3 out of 5.

b.