I have an extensive collection of Bigfoot documentaries. I’m sure I could go much further with more obscure findings, but honestly any time one comes on and I don’t have it, I tape it. The other day, I played the documentaries I’ve seen many times before in a day-long marathon (it was my day off, why not?) So, I took some notes. There were some that were hits, others that were flops. If you’re obsessed by Bigfoot and those delicious documentaries that show the majestic woods of the Northwest and leave you wondering if he’s going to cross the film crew’s path, then hopefully this post will aid you in knowing which ones to put in your collection.
I’m going to cover just the ones I think are worthy of having and why:
Television show favorites
“Destination Truth” Episode 201 “Yeti.” Josh Gates just makes everything wickedly awesomely fun. He has the kid-like enthusiasm and goofy sense of humor that I tend to exhibit on my adventures. He’s like the dream travel partner. When he goes in search of Yeti, it’s not only creepy scary, but he finds a footprint and makes a plaster cast that sets the crypto world into a frenzy. With such success, he had an encore on Episode 309 “The Bhutan Yeti” which was one of the funniest episodes and one of the creepiest. They find a bunch of hairs on a tree and have them examined to find out they’re not human. They’re not a known primate. What the heck are they? Exciting stuff! (Josh, baby, please head up to the NW to look for Bigfoot--puh-leeze!)
Monster Hunters TV show “Sasquatch Attack” This episode was really creepy. I love when they don’t just interview experts, but take us to a remote location to sit in the woods with them for the night. In this case, it’s a very lonely fishing cabin on a lake in Canada hundreds of miles from others and reached by a pontoon boat. Here the team undergoes an assault by rocks being thrown on their roof. They also find some interesting blood and tissue samples that are inconclusive. To me the ultimate thing that would terrify me the most is to sleep alone in Bigfoot’s woods, which is what one of the researchers does. I don’t know how he did it. My palms sweat just to watch it.
“In Search of” Bigfoot (2002 SciFi channel series): This one has the most evidence and witnesses crowded into one show. An interview with a counselor who was hiking with his family is one of the most convincing witness accounts I’ve ever heard. Some questionable photos and film and accounts are also presented and allow you to ponder their accuracy.
Documentaries
“Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science” The logic-minded side of me really appreciated that this program took some of the most famous footage of Bigfoot and evidence and put it to scientific testing, from whether a man could have worn a Bigfoot suit and been filmed in the famous “Patterson-Gimlin” film to footage taken during a Memorial Day picnic that showed a Bigfoot running across a meadow in the distance. It’s really a fresh and enjoyable new way of getting around just witness retellings to show us just how feasible what they’re saying is.
“Sasquatch Odyssey” Admittedly, in the right weather and the right mood, I get into a Bigfoot documentary mood. This is one of the ones that invariably ends up in the marathon and for some crazy reason, the music used in it makes me want to hunker down for a nap. That’s actually a good thing. This is a very nice tidy documentary with that 1970s feel that we cut out teeth on. It’s spooky, haunting sounds, and a narrator that has that “put me into a trance” feel like the dude who narrates “A Haunting” on Discovery Channel. I consider this to be the best classical typical Bigfoot documentary.
“The Trail of Bigfoot” This has a wide variety of accounts and outdoor excursions. It’s not particularly scary or suspenseful or filled with moody music, but has a big body of information. There are also interviews with lots of professionals.
“Giganto: The Real King Kong” This documentary is based on the concept of Bigfoot being a relative of the Gigantopithecus from early man’s history. This show utilized all the big names in the Bigfoot hunting world, scientists, hunters, researchers. It took them to many parts of the world to find answers. Not a lot is concluded by this documentary, but it did give you a sense of what the origins of this creature might be and where and how it might be hiding.
The worst of the worst
(which cancels itself and makes them deliciously bad)
“Bigfoot Lives!” Remember that Bigfoot in the refrigerator fiasco? The PT Barnum of that event was Tom Biscardi. This opportunistic Bigfoot “stalker” did this wickedly awesome documentary. I wouldn’t want to him to benefit financially from it (he’s probably still paying off the Bigfoot hoax), but if you do happen across it, check it out. He has “evidence” that absolutely delights and amazes you including supposed body parts from a baby Bigfoot. Yeah, it’s that kind of documentary and so worth checking out. It’s kind of the “Ghost Adventures” of Bigfoot hunting.
“The Legend of Boggy Creek” This is an amazingly long and sleepy documentary with reenactments that amaze like the famous scene where the narrator says, “the women were huddled inside the cabin until dawn” and it shows a man with a mustache with the women who looks like he’s wearing a woman’s housedress or something… It’s unbelievably slow and corn-pone and folksy and perfect for an afternoon nap on a Sunday. It came out in the 70s and believe it or not, I wasn’t allowed to see this “scary” movie.
“Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie” This documentary isn’t really about Bigfoot so much as the two rednecks trying to hunt him down. They’re sad cases and you just feel for these good ole boys. Life’s been hard and it seems to get harder, but hunting Bigfoot is their one chance at some kind of achievement that’s noteworthy. Ironically, their vary rich and complex lives are much more of an achievement. It’s both funny, creepy, and sad at the same time. You can’t help but kind of cheer for these guys to be the ones to find Bigfoot, but you’re not sure they’d know what to do with him when they found him.
If you’re done with the documentaries and still want some more Bigfoot, here’s some movies I suggest:
"Mystery Science Theater 3000 Legend of Boggy Creek 2"
"Harry and the Hendersons"
"The Creature From Black Lake"
"Snowbeast"