Review: Bigfoot’s Bride

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Bigfoot’s Bride
Directed by Erick Wofford
Rat Bastard Media; Cyfuno Ventures; Wild Eye Releasing; MVD Visual
78 minutes, 2021
www.facebook.com/Bigfoots-Bride-1596085083757685/
www.wildeyereleasing.com
www.MVDVisual.com

Bigfoot ain’t the only thing retro going on here. With an opening of period piece film warnings and “feature presentation” notices, we set foot in the woods with an old-film-into-VHS-style filter that occasionally adds scratches and “rolling” distortion to the images, and an oversaturation of color; I must say, after seeing so many blue and sepia monochrome films of late, this is a nice diversion. There is also an ‘80s-style synth soundtrack (not counting the excellent Americana music over the credits).

The film appears to be shot on a single-camera in Georgia, including the beautiful Chattahoochee National Forest, about two hours northeast of Atlanta, with cinematography mostly by Daniel Peppers.

Daniel Wofford

With this title, I kinda guessed going in that this was going to be a comedy of sorts, and with all the hoo-haa I mentioned added, it definitely is not taking itself too seriously and is a very dry comedy, and I like that. However, it is more humorous than funny, making the occasional bits stand out all the more, such as the creature (Daniel Wofford) growling, as he fishes, “Die! Die! Die! Dammit!” Yes, this version of Bigfoot talks in a semi-electronic voice that sounds a bit like it was autotuned.

In the prologue, a hootchin’ father and son are a campin’ and a huntin’. Uh-oh, in a Bigfoot film that does not bode well even in the opening 3 minutes before any action starts (when I am writing this). And because it’s a throwback, it should come as no surprise that there are Bigfoot POV shots using what I believe is an infra-red, fisheye lens.

Jessica Megan Rivera

The titular bride is Heather (Jessica Megan Rivera), a camper who has just broken up with her fiancée. She’s pitched her tent in the woods on her own (who does that?), with you-know-who watching her every move, including some cringy bathroom moments. It’s love at first sight for Biggie, as he follows her around like a schoolboy, trying to get up the courage to approach her (you heard me).

Meanwhile there is fish to try and catch, and RVs to rummage, and other campers upon which to chomp. It’s all a matter of survival for our Bigfoot, which seems to not be too easy, even after a long time in the woods.

The creature’s head and the film’s make-up look pretty good, even at its cheesiest, handled by Adrienne Silberman. He does look more like Toxie or a later version of Jason Vorhees than Bigfoot – plus he wears overalls with a nametag and his upper hair is an obvious jacket – but in the words of Liam Lynch, whatever. There is a lot of practical effects, even a touch of cartoonish gore, but the occasional time there is blood spray, it is hysterically cartoonish CGI, reminding me of the “Pow” balloons in the old “Batman” television show from 1965. I have no doubt this was done purposefully, and it made me laugh out loud. This is certainly doing the throwback ‘80s effects: remember how energy bolts looked back then? This is comparable.

One of the interesting aspects of this film is that even when Biggie interacts with others, it’s rare to see him and the other person in the same shot, but rather goes back and forth like they weren’t filmed at the same time. Perhaps this was filmed in the height of Covid, and that was their workaround? From a technical perspective, this intrigued me.

I had an issue with the use of the Bigfoot name, as it is incredibly inaccurate. There is no explanation as to why this deformed guy with Bigfoot feet and talons is given that name; that being said, in the middle of the end credits, its origin and nods at a possible sequel are hinted. Those fans of the hairy Sasquatch may be turned off by that association. There is also no information about the mutant’s history. Perhaps in-breeding? It is around the Blue Ridge Mountains, after all.

While the director shows quite a bit of heart and some beginning filmmaking skills, there were definitely some issues with the film. For example, the first two acts are merely set pieces strung together with little connection other than his lust for Heather. It isn’t until the third act that the story begins to find some cohesion into an actual storyline.

For me, the biggest problem was in Wofford’s editing, as in not enough. This would have been a more solid hour film: it could use some serious and judicious snipping, especially early on, such as the way-too-long scene at the river where we see someone fishing and Bigfoot finding a clown mask in the water. The film loses momentum in these moments. Also, I could have done without the lingering shots of fish being gutted and cleaned, even if I knew they were going to be eaten (as I’m sure they were).

This is the director, Erick Wofford’s first full feature film, but this is certainly a family affair as a number of the cast and crew is actually members of his clan, and I’m sure many others are friends. That’s a smart financial move and I respect that a lot. I look forward to seeing his filmmaking skills grow.