The Horror and Hilarity of Sasquatch in Film

Recently, my brother Caleb shared a link with me to the music video above, featuring the group Old Man Markley and their song “For Better, For Worse.” Although I perform several times a week with a variety of Bluegrass and acoustic ensembles myself (which, curiously, end up falling somewhere between Bill Munroe and Bad Religion in terms of sound), it was not immediately clear to me why I had been made privy to this clip… and then the Sasquatch appeared.

Watching the video, which humorously pokes fun at gory horror films of the past where Bigfoot wreaks havoc on unsuspecting campers and the like, I was reminded of a few favorites worthy of mention here. After all, most people who follow cryptozoology know of flicks along the lines of The Legend of Boggy Creek; still, there are a number of others which, though lacking in authentic documentary-style presentation like Boggy Creek showcased, still earn a B+ for over the top hilarious Sasquatchery.

The first to come to mind was the closet-classic Night of the Demon, in which a monstrous Bigfoot creature famously growls and kills in rather over-indulgent slow-motion murder scenes throughout the flick. At one point in the film, we’re also treated to a Saquatch-sex abuse survivor recounting how her father tied her to the front porch so that Bigfoot could have is wooly way with her. Somehow, this all manages to be both poorly orchestrated and purely fabulous at once. Below is the original trailer for this classic crap-fest:

Another bonafide Bigfoot goody is Shriek of the Mutilated, a film for which the title was far scarier than any of its content. The flick features a white colored “Abominable Snowman” as the vile villain, keeping in mind that throughout the 60s and 70s, Bigfoot creatures were often still referred to as ABSMs or “Abominable Snowmen of America.” This was a result of a more general awareness of the Himalayan Yeti creatures described in books by early cryptozoologists the likes of Bernard Huevelmans and, in particular, Ivan Sanderson. Below is the trailer for the film in question as well:

These campy old flicks only represent a couple of my personal favorites in the odd and obscure genre of Sasquatch horror, though there are many, many others. What are some of your favorites?

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