FILM REVIEW: Chasing Bigfoot

New movie from Cranked Films asks and answers the age-old question: Is Bigfoot real?

Tammye Nash  |  Managing Editor
nash@dallasvoice.com

I grew up in Deep East Texas. Not East Texas — DEEP East Texas, the heart of the Piney Woods, nestled there between the Big Thickette, national forests, the swamps of Louisiana and the two largest lakes in Texas. And I grew up out in the country with woods and creeks and rivers and swampy areas. I never doubted the stories my great-grandad and my grandad and my dad told me about the critters that lived out in those woods, either.

When Dad told me that a panther (cougar, catamount, mountain lion or whatever you wanted to call it) lived in those swampy woods across the road from our house, and that Bigfoot lived over there with the panther, I had no reason to doubt him. After all, NOBODY that I knew went into those woods. And it was not unusual to hear odd, make-your-hair-stand-on-ends howls and growls coming from somewhere over there.

At least, that’s the way I remember it. Matter of fact, the last time I was home, a few months ago, Dad was telling about how Bigfoot and the panther shared the territory, staying at opposite ends of the creek to stay out of each other’s way, and trading ends every now and then.

Let me make this clear: My dad has long been known for loving to spin a tall tale. And he is good at it. But sometimes, I think he actually does believe in Bigfoot, at least a little bit. And either way, Bigfoot has been “a thing” in our family for as long as I can remember.

So when I was offered the chance to review a movie called 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot (#1 Will Blow Your Mind), I knew it was, really, my duty to my family to do the review.

15 Things is a comedy, a spoof that lampoons overly-intense hipster millennials yearning to be taken seriously and to land that ultra-cool job, a spoof of click-bait “documentaries,” and a spoof of earnest cryptozoologists who see proof of Bigfoot (or some other mythical monster) in every mysterious swish of a branch or wisp of hair or pile of poop.

Nobody here is safe from being made fun of. Except for maybe Bigfoot.

Here’s the set up: Brian (Brian Emond), a young clickbait journalist at a “hip millennial internet news outlet” called Compound has spent his whole young life wanting to be a serious journalist, covering serious stories that could change the world. Instead, somewhere along the way, he got tagged as a “culture” journalist, and he hasn’t been able to shake that tag.

Just when he thinks he is about to get a big promotion and rise about the clickbait into the heady atmosphere of serious journalism, his hopes are dashed when he finds out another “culture” reporter — Dirty Dolla$ign$n (Tevin Williams), whose gig is eating crappy junk food til he pukes and who is so clueless he thinks Justin Trudeau is mayor of Canada — has gotten the promotion instead.

And Brian, with his trusty cameraman/producer Zach (Zach Lamplugh) at his side, is sent to the backwoods of Georgia to cover a Bigfoot hunters convention. They meet well-known Bigfoot expert and “outdoorsman” Jeff (Jeffrey Stephenson), who leads them into the woods on what is supposed to be a three-day Bigfoot hunting expedition. Both Brian and Zach, of course, think this whole thing is stupid and that Jeff is a moron. But on the first night, something happens to change their minds.

Even then, Brian spends the entire time moping about, being rude and superior and insulting everyone, including Zach. Jeff always starts out spouting ridiculous crap about Bigfoot but then ends up talking about how his fiancée left him. And Zach, the nicest of the three, is still a bit of a whiney wimp.

Truth is, not a one of them is very likable. Not Brian or Zach or Jeff or the smug small-town cop or the aggressively drunk cousin or the weirdo who drinks urine so Bigfoot can’t smell him sneaking up on him. (I really wasn’t clear on how that was supposed to work, but I didn’t care because it was too gross to think about.)

Then again, they aren’t supposed to be likeable. I mean, this is a spoof, right? That’s part of it.

Oh, and the film is shot in a “found footage” style. Honestly, had I known that before I started watching it, I might have skipped it entirely, family duty notwithstanding. I get motion sickness very easily and “found footage” usually makes me need to throw up.

But I did watch. And I liked it.

Look at the credits and you can tell easily that this was a film made by a small group of friends who rounded up more friends and said, “Hey y’all. Let’s make this movie making fun of ourselves and everybody we know and lots of folks we don’t know. C’mon, it will be a blast!”

I mean, Lamplugh is the director/producer/cowriter supporting actor. Emond is the co-writer/producer/star. Everybody else in the credits, it seems at least, is someone they have worked with or maybe are related to.

I can’t say that the surprise plot twists were really very surprising, but I didn’t expect them to be. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the acting and the cinematography and, especially, the special effects — despite the “found footage” style. After all is said and done, I say, if you are a fan of comedy (some of it a bit dark), spoofs, thrillers (kinda) and/or horror, and especially if you are a fan of all those mashed in to one, you are gonna enjoy 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot (#1 Will Blow Your Mind).

But is Bigfoot real? I’m not telling. The real question is though, “Do you really wanna live in a world knowing Bigfoot isn’t real?”

15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot (#1 Will Blow Your Mind) will be available on demand on Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango Now, Google Play and Vudu beginning May 7. For tickets and more information visit CrankedUpFilms.com/BIGFOOT.