Bigfoot is more popular than ever, especially on the big screen. Several independent Bigfoot flicks surfaced over the last few years. With increasing frequency, a few are actually... pretty good movies. But, wait a second. We need to pump the breaks here. That’s NOT what this genre is about. We can't forget what we went through to get here. Never forget the beautiful creatures of the 70s and 80s. Behold, the three best (worst) Bigfoot of the silver screen.

BIGFOOT 1970

Third only to 'The Godfather' and 'Casablanca', ‘Bigfoot’ (1970) is an internationally renowned tale of bikers, babes, and beasts.

This film squashes most of its Bigfoot to normal human size. Instead, they all have an amusing ‘Sigmund and the Sea Monsters’ goofy, lovable look. These petite, forest derpers wander the forest and attack transient lowlifes and the local folk. There is one supersized Bigfoot, though. This means that the crew hired an NBA center and stuffed pillow-cases in his suit. This one wrestles a bear, even. Seriously, they had the guy in the suit wrestle a black bear. Pretty awesome, actually.

NIGHT OF THE DEMON 1980

Oh my god, this Bigfoot.

This is Sasquatch at peak murdering insanity. ‘Night of the Demon’ is infamous for inclusion on the British Video Nasty list. The film opens up with a fantastic image of a giant bloody footprint, setting the tone for a great rampage.*

The “Demon”, kills in fantastically unique ways:

- The sleeping bag shot put throw into a sharp tree branch

- The full-fisted genital yank

- The double Girl Scout stop-stabbing-yourself maneuver, and...

- The Indiana Jones intestine whip

This Bigfoot is absurd, but noteworthy for horror fans. The creature design is more hairy, homeless Michael Meyers than traditional Bigfoot, but it still sits firm in the top three.

* This, of course, would be evidence that would immediately prove the creature’s existence.

DEMONWARP 1988

A true rare-gem, ‘Demonwarp’ came along at a time when slasher movies became much more... experimental.

‘Demonwarp’ is a rare gem that stars Academy Award Winner George Kennedy (Best Supporting Actor, 1967). In this 80's B-movie classic, a wandering Catholic priest becomes perverted by a gooey alien he thinks is an angel. He turns to the dark side and performs ritualistic sacrifices of hotty teenagers. But HOW does he get his teenagers? Duh, Bigfoot of course.

Oh boy, this one has it all. Other than the angry-faced Squatch, we also have a few mouth-breathing 80's zombies, a possessed priest, and a horny alien made from a bucket of hot glue. The Bigfoot in ‘Demonwarp’ is relatively memorable. Like I said, there haven't been many film representations that stuck, so any unique trait of the monster makeup deserves a limp thumbs up. The rotten teeth, dripping lips, and feral Fabio-mane make this more memorable than a monkey suit. But still, it's all pretty ridiculous.

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Perhaps the newer, more "accurate" Bigfoot flicks are more enjoyable because they actually match witness descriptions from actual sightings. Back in the day, no doubt the only thing written on top of the special FX brainstorm sheet was "make a monkey man." Now there's a lot more compelling attributes put on the table by people who claimed to see the real Bigfoot. All that, and filmmaking just evolves and becomes much more tested and refined.

Before you expert filmmakers make 'The Godfather' of Bigfoot movies, look to your past and appreciate all that wonderful crap that came before.

By Alex D.

Bigfootbase.com