I don't believe in the existence of Bigfoot so I had some reservations about this film. I had seen a documentary on the subject previously, namely The Legend of Bigfoot (1976). That one was very sincere but it was also very silly indeed. As it turned out, Shooting Bigfoot was really more about the kind of people who made films like that than it was about Bigfoot itself. It was a very funny film indeed and hugely entertaining overall.
In it, director Morgan Matthews follows three separate groups of Bigfoot hunters on individual treks. The results are edited together. Firstly there is Tom Biscardi, a man who has spent decades making documentaries about the subject. He is quite a highly strung fellow and somewhat self-important. Many of the funniest moments revolve around him and he has some very amusing dialogue throughout. Secondly there is Dallas and Wayne who are a couple of elderly hillbillies. They are much more sympathetic characters than Biscardi and it's hard not to feel a little sorry for them in their dead-end obsession. They drive out into the woods to play cassettes and make animal noises in an attempt to lure in the beast. The walls of their home are full of photographs of evidence but truthfully they are photographs of nothing. Their obsession is given a little context in that a work injury left Dallas unable to continue in his job leaving him trying to find meaning for is life in the hunt for Bigfoot; it's quite sad, although he does seem a undeniably little mentally unstable especially when he claims he has an affinity with Bigfoot because he has animal DNA as a result of a sheep bone being implanted in his head in order to seal a wound. Lastly, there is Rick Dyer who is a self-styled 'Bigfoot Tracker'. He really seems to be a somewhat dangerous man and appears to engage in games with Matthews to try and freak him out in the middle of the night. The fact that he spends most of his time carrying a loaded rifle doesn't exactly help matters. To make the situation worse they encounter a young homeless man in the woods who may or may not be secretly in cahoots with Dyer. But even if not, this guy gives off the impression of someone to keep well away from. One night he pitches up at the camp site with his dog horribly gashed at the neck. His ambivalence on the matter made you wonder if he was the one who actually did it. Anyway, this strand of the film is the only part that actually ends with any conclusion. Surprisingly, it's a pretty scary one. Although it does push the documentary onto the 'is-it-a-mockumentary?' side of the fence.
In it, director Morgan Matthews follows three separate groups of Bigfoot hunters on individual treks. The results are edited together. Firstly there is Tom Biscardi, a man who has spent decades making documentaries about the subject. He is quite a highly strung fellow and somewhat self-important. Many of the funniest moments revolve around him and he has some very amusing dialogue throughout. Secondly there is Dallas and Wayne who are a couple of elderly hillbillies. They are much more sympathetic characters than Biscardi and it's hard not to feel a little sorry for them in their dead-end obsession. They drive out into the woods to play cassettes and make animal noises in an attempt to lure in the beast. The walls of their home are full of photographs of evidence but truthfully they are photographs of nothing. Their obsession is given a little context in that a work injury left Dallas unable to continue in his job leaving him trying to find meaning for is life in the hunt for Bigfoot; it's quite sad, although he does seem a undeniably little mentally unstable especially when he claims he has an affinity with Bigfoot because he has animal DNA as a result of a sheep bone being implanted in his head in order to seal a wound. Lastly, there is Rick Dyer who is a self-styled 'Bigfoot Tracker'. He really seems to be a somewhat dangerous man and appears to engage in games with Matthews to try and freak him out in the middle of the night. The fact that he spends most of his time carrying a loaded rifle doesn't exactly help matters. To make the situation worse they encounter a young homeless man in the woods who may or may not be secretly in cahoots with Dyer. But even if not, this guy gives off the impression of someone to keep well away from. One night he pitches up at the camp site with his dog horribly gashed at the neck. His ambivalence on the matter made you wonder if he was the one who actually did it. Anyway, this strand of the film is the only part that actually ends with any conclusion. Surprisingly, it's a pretty scary one. Although it does push the documentary onto the 'is-it-a-mockumentary?' side of the fence.
