The Capture of Bigfoot (1979)

User Rating:

1.6/10   

Director:

Bill Rebane

Writers:

Ingrid Neumayer (screenplay) &
Bill Rebane (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

November 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi | Drama

Plot:

Bigfoot is sited near a ski resort, and a local business man wants to capture him for publicity.

Plot Keywords:

Bigfoot | Small Town | Ski Resort | Businessman | Monster

Cast

Janus Raudkivi	...	The Legendary Creature of Arak
Randolph Rebane	...	Little Bigfoot
Stafford Morgan	...	Garrett
Katherine Hopkins	...	Karen
Richard Kennedy	...	Olsen
Otis Young	...	Jason
John F. Goff	...	Burt (as John Goff)
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Jake (as George Buck Flower)
John Eimerman	...	Jimmy
Randolph Scott	...	Randy
Wally Flaherty	...	Sheriff Cooper
Durwood McDonald	...	John
William Dexter	...	Hank
Harry Youstos	...	Harry
Verkina Flower	...	Linda

Also Known As:

The Legend of Bigfoot

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Gleason, Wisconsin, USA

Company:

Studio Film Corp.

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Soundtrack:

My Spirit Runs Free

Campy good times from the mighty Bill Rebane

I was flicking through the channels at ten to ten last night, trying to find something good to watch. It was looking an awful lot like it was going to be Family Guy or a repeat viewing of the Tales From The Darkside movie (the one with the improbably good cast) but then I alighted upon this gem. Whoo hoo, I thought and eagerly took up the chance to expand on my experience of the wacky world of Bill Rebane. For the uneducated, this is the man who gave us the likes of haunted piano classic, The Demons Of Ludlow, nonsensical House on Haunted Hill take off, The Game and effective sci fi thriller The Alpha Incident. The Capture of Bigfoot is a little gem of low budget regional cryptozoological shenanigans. Essentially, hunters enrage Bigfoot by imprisoning its son, one hunter is hospitalised and an improbably mean local businessman decides to capture Bigfoot to use it as a tourist attraction. Bad move. The film is nicely shot, with real snow and real freezing temperatures. It shares some of its cast with The Alpha Incident, with Stafford Morgan making a likable hero, John Goff playing a heavy and the great George "Buck" Flowers playing an ageing local hunter called up to help out when Bigfoot looks to be making trouble. He has the grizzled, knowledgeable old timer bit down to a T and does very nicely. Richard Kennedy is decent as the businessman whose greed and generalised mean spirit drives him over the edge during the course of the film, and though they don't act in the conventional sense, Janus Kapziki and Randolph Rebane are fun as big and Little Bigfoot, respectively. The Bigfoot design is actually quite Yeti style, white fur and an expression both monstrous and benign and both bigfeet get a good showing during the film. The music is strangely effective too. I wouldn't say this is any classic but it is good watching with a message that is ever relevant, ie. greed is bad, and don't mess with nature, especially not if its huge, furry and able to throw snowmobiles. There isn't any gore and parts are a bit shoddy, but the whole thing exudes eccentric charm and the feel that they really set out to make the best film possible. Contrast this with any given Sci Fi Channel production with their awful cgi monster of the month tedium and it shines even more. Bill Rebane, even if he wasn't keen on making genre films, would always do his level best and its this feel of commitment that boosts the film even in its weaker moments. Well worth a look for low budget regional b picture enthusiasts, seekers of enlightenment or serious movie making should probably stay away.