Smile for the Camera
”You oughta be in pictures”, you would not think this would be a line attributed to something quite as unattractive as Bigfoot. But, in actuality, he probably gets more offers than Julia Roberts does right now.
Evidence of this is the recent release of his first major film Primal Rage (which did a one night only showing this past January). He has been portrayed as anything from lovable family friend Harry, from "Harry and the Hendersons" to ripping off male anatomy in the 1970s movie "Bigfoot" starring John Carradine (there was also other cringe-worthy scenes if I recall). It was tough going there for a bit. To date, Bigfoot has been the star of as many as 50 films or more and I am surprised to have seen many, if not all of them. Starting with "Abominable Snowman, Beast of the Himalaya", Hammer House of Horror film with Peter Cushing (one of my favorite actors) and ending, most recently, with "Primal Rage" I've seen more than my share. Hmm, I may need to take a long look at this life of mine.
Although I'm trying to review all of them individually, I will still give you a sneak peek of some of my favorites, and a few I would like to sue the writers for to get my precious time back. I always rate a Bigfoot movie in a few different ways. I'm looking for a decent script, a unique retelling of the legend, and a kick-ass creature. There is no accounting for a good suit after all, right? Or so I hear, anyway.
I'm constantly surprised films that I thought would be unwatchable have been a few of my favorites. Here is just a few that pleasantly surprised me;
"Holler Creek Canyon", starring Ron Jeremy. I assumed it would be...you know... it's Ron Jeremy. But I believe this movie about typical teens in the woods with a Bigfoot running amuck was aiming for fun and campy and they delivered. Another little-known movie I caught on Amazon Prime was called "Sightings". This movie offered a creatively different approach to the Bigfoot legend. A very clever one, actually. Two friends on their way to a party in the mountains take a shortcut on an old logging road and run into a hairy situation. I don't want to put out any spoiler,s but you'll have to trust me that it is definitely worth watching. The last, at least in this post, was called "Stomping Ground". This movie had "indie" written all over it. The music, the feel, and the character study,which gives the Big Guy a much smaller role then he's used to,but still made an impact.
Now every genre of movies has some stinkers, but none have more "hate it so much you almost like it" movies like Bigfoot does. So, number one stinker was the aforementioned movie above. But I "hate-like it" though, because I have a friend who loves MST but hates gore. So when I started the Carradine movie"Bigfoot" my first thought was "Oh, this is going to be funny!" I called that friend and told her she should turn it on and watch... before anatomy parts were flying through the air. Her last text said, and I quote, ”I hate you, never speaking to you again. Call you tomorrow” . I didn't answer my phone for two days. The next bomb was the 80s era movie "Demonwarp". I did review this movie and I stand by the phrase I used then, because it says all you need to hear, UFOs, monsters, Bigfoot and George Kennedy. Oh, My! It had a good looking creature, a known actor, 8os camp, then at the end they threw the Daleks in from Doctor Who, and a few zombies in for extra measure. The last half hour of that film I wasn't sure who I was. I don't recommend watching that under any influence of any kind. For the last, I am picking "The Giant of the 20th Century". I am not sure where to start here. They defrosted a giant Yeti/ man. The world goes Yeti crazy. No one seems to be to put out by a giant hairy man walking through their town and all the girls are wearing t-shirts with blue Yeti hands on their boobs. He isn't blue and l was pretty sure he wasn't a Yeti either. Just a tall hairy guy trying to cop a feel on a girl too young for him.
He has a few more on the horizon, including a film titled "Cherokee Creek". even though he may not be Brad Pitt in the looks department. I hope he is getting his money because he is working hard, barely aging a day and currently making better quality films then, well, Brad Pitt.
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