Valley of the Sasquatch (2015)

You have to make sure that you have appropriate expectations if you sit down to watch this. Seriously - it's a movie about Bigfoot! It's not going to win any Academy Awards. It's not even trying to win any Academy Awards. So you don't come in to this looking for a great movie that's destined to become a classic. You come into this hoping to find a kind of cheesy, low budget, B-Movie at best. And if you come into this with that expectation, you can sit back and enjoy it - because that's basically what you get. It is low budget, it is cheesy and it features basically an entirely unknown cast whose performances are less than outstanding. It features an unfortunate stereotype of the sole Mexican character as a druggie, and it inexplicably includes a flirting scene at the start of the move as young Michael flirts with a girl in town. She gets credited in spite of the fact that she's on screen for probably less than a minute and is given absolutely no lines. She smiles and waves at Michael. That's it. The actress is named Jordan Neslund, it's apparently the only film she's ever been in and for the rest of her life she can rent this and show it to her friends as proof that she was once in a movie. Good for her. The movie accomplished at least that.Otherwise the story revolves around four guys (a father-son, their brother/uncle, and the aforementioned Mexican Sergio) who find themselves staying at a run down cabin in the woods and then go on a camping trip to hunt. And, of course, they encounter Sasquatch - several actually, and not a particularly friendly bunch!There were things I liked about this. Aside from the lifelong memory for Jordan Neslund, even though the performances were unspectacular, I liked the characters. The four guys were all very different from one another, which set up a lot of believable tension between them. That helped move things along. And somebody somewhere had done some actual Sasquatch research. I love Sasquatch stories (don't believe in the big hairy guy, but love the stories) and I appreciated the relationship between this movie and the "Ape Canyon incident" of 1924, when several miners in a cabin reportedly were attacked by several "ape-men." Actually, that story was even told around the campfire as a way to scare Sergio after he had the first encounter with "something" that nobody else believed was a Sasquatch. I would say that this was probably very loosely based on the stories of that incident - and to be honest, I'd really prefer if somebody actually made a serious movie about that incident - whether attributing it to "ape-men" or to local youths (which is the prevailing theory.) That could actually be a decent movie.As for this one - just sit back, set your expectations accordingly, and watch this. It's not going to be the best movie you've ever seen. But it's not a bad way to pass some free time. (5/10)

The film consists mostly of four individuals in a cabin in the woods. When the mother dies, husband Roger (Jason Vail) drinks himself out of house and job. He lives in Uncle Will's (D'Angelo Midili) abandoned cabin along with his college age son Michael (Miles Joris-Peyrafitte) who is not exactly a man's man. The cabin has been ransacked as the proverbial logging company is entering Bigfoot's territory. Roger, who reminds us, "There is no such thing as Bigfoot," invites Will and his drinking buddy Sergio (David Saucedo), the most obnoxious Latino outside of Florida, to come up and hunt and drink...my two favorite combinations. And as you might guess, they encounter some guys in big hairy costumes.Bill Oberst Jr managed to get top billing for his late cameo role. Maria Damey was cut from the film as the older sister. Film had a hokey ending. Most of the film consisted of needless conflict within the group. A me-too Bigfoot film.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

This film was the last to be screened at Horrible Imaginings Film Festival in San Diego where it won the award for Best Cinematography in a Feature Film.Monster movie by a local San Diego filmmaking team, this could be classified as a "B" monster movie with Bigfoot as the monster. The movie takes its time in developing its cast of characters and the circumstances which brings them to the setting where the monster mayhem is to take place. The cinematography is nice in making good use of the woods in the state of Washington, and the setting in the woods makes use of its own claustrophobia when out in the woods, especially at night. Scenes taking place in the cabin were oddly reminiscent of the original Night Of The Living Dead with the confined space that our humans have to deal with. The gore factor does increase after a time which creates uneasy laughs in the audience. Bigfoot itself looks rather poor at times, but since Bigfoot arguably doesn't exist (although the filmmaker would argue) we must accept what the movie presents. The tension is fun and the final confrontations with the family of Bigfoot is a good payoff for a monster movie of this type. If there is a downside to this movie is that the film's most likable character is the first to die. What breaks with cliché is how it happens. Other than that this is a fun late night/midnight monster flick.

I'm just an average "Jane" movie attendee who loves thriller/horror films, and I happen to be a Sasquatch enthusiast. I was very fortunate to attend the world premiere in Durham, NC.Indeed, I got much more than I hoped for or expected... and from an Indie at that !! ( I am guessing here no star wars budget ?)Do note it's not just another Sasquatch movie either.You have a believable plot, character development, relationships, great acting and scenery...roller coaster twist and turns, special effects, and more. I confess, I flew up out of my seat a couple of times !!Rating 8-9A few big reasons for my support.1- Clearly, someone(s) have researched the subject of Sasquatch in depth. The subject is finally treated with the absolute respect that is it deserves. 2- High marks for special effects, from an average Sasquatch movie viewer. Not only are the Sasquatch(s) amazing on the big screen, this movie sets new standards in that never before have we been shown so many different Sasquatches, so many times, and that up close and personal. I strongly recommend to those who love this genre.Big congrats to all involved and ...whoop !!