SasquatchHunters

Sasquatch Hunters (2005)

Who doesn’t love a good Big Foot movie? I know I’m a sucker for them, but there are so many bad ones to wade thru. The setup to this movie has a group of forest rangers trekking into the woods as they escort a group of scientists that are following up on a strange bone discovered in their collection. Well to be fair the movie actually opens with a disposable group of hunters getting torn apart by a Big Foot, before then getting to the main characters. After hiking to what ends up being the burial ground of the Sasquatch and digging it up, they are then picked off one at a time as they try their best to get the hell out of the woods.

This is a fairly typical setup for a Big Foot movie, which is really not that much different then most creature features. You set up a group of characters, isolate them, and then have the “monster” pick them off one at a time until you are left with just a few survivors. Sasquatch does a decent job with this formula. I was a bit disappointed with how long it takes to get to the good stuff, as we are forced to watch far too much strolling thru the woods. This does give us a chance to get to know the characters, but that isn’t’ a good thing. The movie is filled with just about every stereotype you would expect from a creature feature. The flawed hero, the comic relief, the “horn dog” looking for girls, of course the pretty girl for him to chase after, and the smart scientist (2 this time!). Not only are the characters predictable, but so are their fates. Though a couple made it thru that I didn’t expect it is obvious who is going to become fodder for the Sasquatch.

In spite of it’s flaws Sasquatch Hunters does have a few things going for it. The movie has a good score, not some recycled metal music that unfortunately dominates so many modern low budget horror movies. I also thought that the creatures look pretty good, when they aren’t using crappy CGI. And yes sometimes there is a terrible looking CGI Big Foot! But when they go back and use the guy in a suit it works well. There are also a couple of decent kills, including a fun tree-smashing bit. Big Foot should be a big and scary creature and in this movie he really is. And while I’m not fond of the pacing when the movie is introducing the characters, once the Big Foot shows up it picks up and is a fun watch.

Bottom line for me is that Sasquatch Hunters is a harmless way to spend 90 or so minutes. It isn’t a great movie, but for a creature feature it is okay. And if you are a fan of Big Foot, like I am, I think you might want to check this one out. I can recommend Sasquatch Hunters as a rental.

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer