The found footage subgenre may be dead or have grown tired at the least. The Bigfoot subgenre seems to have never been worth acknowledging. (Unless Lance Henriksen appears in the picture. He seems to be the Harry Dean Stanton of Bigfoot movies. Roger Ebert once said no movie can be totally bad if Harry Dean is in it, so I'm applying that Henriksen rationale here.)
I digress.
So what if you have Bigfoot AND found footage? I've seen a lot of bad found footage, and a ton of awful Bigfoot movies going back to the 70's. Snowbeast anyone? Willow Creek is a bit different. This 2013 film is about a couple who are using a vacation to make a Bigfoot documentary of a sort. They're an endearing pair, attractive, smart, and funny, and they win you over quickly. This is due to nice dialogue writing by comedian/director Bobcat Goldthwait.
Yes. THAT Bobcat Goldthwait.
His skill makes this rise a bit above. You learn a lot about this couple, almost as much as you do Bigfoot, as they tour Bigfoot country. Trouble is, as smart as these two are, they don't heed warnings, signs, omens, harbingers, or even outright redneck threats. So, needless to say, trouble is on the way to the pair's intended destination where the historic 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film was shot.
Said trouble is made all the more effective by these well drawn characters, and their performances. Yes, this is a low-budget found footage Sasquatch flick, but Goldthwait draws every inch out of it. Who would think a single lengthy, unedited, non-moving shot could be increasingly intense and unnerving? Well, it can. Willow Creek's subtlety is what gives the film true horror as its eventuality.
Now, if subtlety isn't your game, perhaps Exists is more up your alley. This little found-footage Bigfooter has many more detractors compared to Willow Creek, but I find it exciting, fast-paced and with a great twist. As directed by Eduardo Sanchez, one of the two primary figures responsible for the Blair Witch Project, it has a pedigree. Here, however, Sanchez seems to adjust the camera movement, editing choices, and adds a nifty score, trying to satisfy those that may be uncomfortable with your basic found footage films.
The characters are a bit thin, but there are more than two in this case, and they're not lacking in humor. So as they make an ill-advised visit to one of the group's uncle's East Texas cabin, the film fires up almost immediately and once it does, it doesn't let up. Despite the found footage effect, there are some amazing shots here and top flight creature work.
Both films do not lack for gorgeous scenery, Willow Creek placed in the upper Northwest, Exists in the brush of Texas. Eye candy is not at a minimum.
So, if the ambiguity and slower build of Willow Creek (despite the almost exact same running time) is not your cup of tea, Exists may be more for you.
The Lance Henriksen Factor
If it's Lance Henriksen you're looking for with your Squatch, there's Abominable (also including lead Matt McCoy, Jeffrey Combs and a snappy score by fucking legend Lalo Schifrin). This unheralded mini-classic includes late great Paul "You're a gutless turd", "We're gonna need more FBI guys, I guess" Gleason, CSI Miami's unsung hero Rex Linn, and grande dame of the horror film, and criminally underrated Dee Wallace. Seriously, Ms. Wallace should have been monster successful. Spielberg cast her in E.T. for Cripe's sake.
There's also: mediocre Sasquatch (AKA The Untold)
Devil on the Mountain (AKA Sasquatch Mountain) featuring the always wonderful Tim Thomerson, the late great Rance Howard, horror icon Craig Wasson, and scream queen Cerina Vincent.
Abominable and Devil are pretty fun, so, to paraphrase Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks, "you got 2 out of 3 working for ya, AND THAT AIN'T BAD!"
Actually, there's a more recent one called Big Legend, so hey, bonus Henriksen Squatch action, if you go looking.
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