There are few two-word combos that ensnare me faster than “Bigfoot Movie”. Like the big man himself, they come in all shapes and sizes and there’s just no good reason to turn down an opportunity to see a new filmmaker’s spin on the elusive cryptid. Aaron Mirtes’ The Bigfoot Trap follows a prank journalist that finds himself in over his head when a rural sasquatch hunter locks him inside his bigfoot trap, where the only living souls in a 100-mile radius are two of them…and maybe a bigfoot.
Josh (Tyler Weisenauer) has been making a good living publicly humiliating kooks for his online news agency. It’s not the kind of work he dreamed of, but he’s got a knack for it and his editor has just dropped a 700-pound prospect in his lap: spend a weekend with a bonafide Sasquatch hunter named Red (Zach Lazar Hoffman).
Red is confident that there is a bigfoot on his property. He and his late grandfather have seen the beast with their own eyes, but no one wants to take him seriously. His bigfoot trap has taken years to prepare but he’s convinced that it’s just a matter of time before he catches the giant ape-man-creature to honor his grandfather’s legacy and to prove once and for all that he isn’t crazy. Of course, the plan gets out of hand and after a serious of mishaps, Josh finds himself behind those bigfoot bars.
It’s no easy feat to accomplish but against all odds, the real star of the show isn’t bigfoot at all. I mean, obviously he’s the main attraction, but Zach Lazar Hoffman delivers a really compelling performance that really runs the gamut throughout this tight, secluded thriller. He’s a laughable lunatic, he’s hulking villain, and he also manages to flip the script and become a sympathetic human being. Don’t get me wrong, we all come to a bigfoot movie for bigfoot, but Hoffman is as powerful a presence in The Bigfoot Trap, and he’s got some stiff competition.
A Bigfoot movie without a bigfoot is a sin, so it’s always a delight to see the big boy get some screentime. The hairy menace makes more than one appearance and he’s well worth the wait. I love a creepy silhouette cast against a camping tent but that isn’t the end of the road for our hairy humanoid. The bigfoot looks great, sounds even better, and he really takes center stage in the final act of the film.
It’s great indie flick that pays as much attention to its characters as it’s cryptid, without either overshadowing the other. Bigfoot fans are insatiable, and we always come away wanting more but The Bigfoot Trap tells a great, contained story and really delivers on every promise it makes it makes. It may show its seams at times but it’s a really well constructed tale with a great attention to the key features it’s audience will come looking for. You want a bigfoot? You got it.
“The Bigfoot Trap tells a great, contained story […] The bigfoot looks great and sounds even better.”
Aaron Mirtes’ The Bigfoot Trap was celebrated its World Premiere at Panic Fest 2023 and will be available on physical media later . Click HERE to follow our continued coverage of the fest and let us know all about your favorite Bigfoot movies over on Twitter or in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord! Not a social media fan? Get more horror delivered straight to your inbox by joining the Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter.
