“Sasquatch Sunset” may be the most humane movie portrait of the elusive Bigfoot creature yet. It’s also deliberately comical, as is our ongoing obsession with the idea of a hairy, howling humanoid living off the grid in the land of grunge rock.
Directed by David and Nathan Zellner (the latter also plays one of a family of four Sasquatches, alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, and Christophe Zajac-Denek), the film joins the growing mythology of the bipedal, preverbal big fella on film. “Sasquatch Sunset” includes elements of suspense, farce, heartwarming family fare, and quasi-documentary. Together, they cover the full range of ways the fringes of the film industry have approached the legend.
Here are 10 Bigfoot films of varying shapes and sizes, in order of appearance. (We acknowledge the existence of others. They’re out there.)
The Abominable Snowman (1957)
Produced by the estimable British horror house Hammer Films and starring Peter Cushing as a bedeviled explorer, this one has the distinction of being the first proper sighting of a Bigfoot-like being on the big screen. In fact, it’s based on the Yeti, the Tibetan cousin of our own folkloric beast. Glimpses of the creature are fleeting: “I’ve seen what man must not see!,” howls a terrified Sherpa guide.
Bigfoot (1970)
Following the emergence in 1967 of the so-called Patterson-Gimlin film, the infamous footage of a purported Bigfoot encounter in northern California, the movie world witnessed a flurry of Sasquatch activity. First up was this ridiculous period piece, which features John Carradine, the cowboy actor Ken Maynbard, a biker gang, and a King Kong plot rip-off. Roger Ebert had a lot of fun with this one in his review.
The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)
Set not in the Pacific Northwest but rather the fetid swampland of Arkansas, this pseudo-documentary features interviews with locals who claim to have spotted their own version of Bigfoot — the Fouke Monster, named for the town — going as far back as the 1940s. The film spawned several unofficial sequels. The brute is said to have an awful odor — a mix of skunk and wet dog.
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Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
By the 1980s, Bigfoot’s trail of terror had subsided enough for John Lithgow to star in this family-friendly fantasy involving a lovable suburban Sasquatch named Harry. The movie (executive produced by Steven Spielberg, though he’s uncredited) spun off the TV sitcom of the same name, which ran for three innocuous seasons.
Drawing Flies (1996)
Borrowing its name from a song by the Seattle band Soundgarden, this lightweight comedy has lived on mainly because it’s tangentially related to the “View Askewniverse,” the fictional world of the filmmaker Kevin Smith. In Jason Lee’s first leading role, he and his hapless roommates get lost in the woods and find themselves searching for Bigfoot, who represents these losers’ only hope.
Shooting Bigfoot (2013)
There are about as many Bigfoot documentaries as there have been sightings. This one, directed by the droll, BAFTA award-winning British filmmaker Morgan Matthews, follows several amateur American cryptozoologists — all of them armed, naturally — as they give our guide a peek into the backwoods of their minds.
Willow Creek (2013)
If Bigfoot makes one of the most terrifying sounds known to man, the comedian and filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait can rival it. The northern California town of Willow Creek, which calls itself the Bigfoot capital of the world, is the setting for this “found footage” horror film. Goldthwait’s camera follows two actors who play a couple making a documentary about the search for Bigfoot. The film premiered at the Independent Film Festival Boston.
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The Son of Bigfoot (2017)
Adam Harrison (Pappy Faulkner) is a typical middle-grade kid — typical, unless you count a wild head of hair that grows a foot overnight and feet that explode out of his shell-toe sneakers. In this animated lark, Adam learns that his absentee father is Bigfoot, an amiable recluse who looks more like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine than the hairy hominid.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)
Yes, that’s exactly what it’s about. Filmed in the Sasquatch hotbed of Turners Falls by Massachusetts resident Robert D. Krzykowski, the “Man” in question is Sam Elliott, he of the legendary mustache and heroic character to match. Fun fact: The hunt for Bigfoot is on because the beast is carrying a deadly, pandemic-causing virus.
Missing Link (2019)
He’s 8 feet tall and 650 pounds. “More like 630 pounds,” says Mr. Link, the sensitive, adorable Sasquatch voiced by Zach Galifianakis in this stop-motion feature. “You know, it’s the hair that can make me look heavier, I think.” With the help of explorer Sir Lionel Frost (Jackman), our benign Bigfoot embarks on a trip around the world to unite with his cousins in the Himalayas. From the animation studio Laika, which is based in … the Pacific Northwest.
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James Sullivan can be reached at jamesgsullivan@gmail.com.