I have seen various films about Bigfoot over the years though I can't say it is my favourite subgenre of horror. I find the topic interesting however due to how many people in the real world believe the creature to actually exist. James Chick's feature length directorial debut - Feet of Death, may not be perfect, but I did appreciate the crazy path the story ended up going and it just may be the most interesting Bigfoot horror film I have yet seen.
After a dead body of a man is discovered out in woodlands, local sheriff Ken Clark (Jack Vanover) calls in forest ranger Jason Easterly (Andrew Jacob Brown), he suspects the death may have been due to an animal attack. They are shocked to find evidence at the scene that seemed to suggest an unlikely culprit, a Bigfoot creature, with Jason very sceptical of it possibly existing. Ken introduces Jason to local Bigfoot expert, Henry (Benjamin Watts), whose advice eventually leads to the two men deciding to send out a search party to search local forest based caves where it is believed the creature (if it exists) might be dwelling.
For much of Feet of Death this felt like a very lowkey movie. After the initial discovery of the body this turns into almost a rural police drama as the sheriff and ranger interview various people, speak with a pathologist who had examined the corpse, and contemplate possible alternates to the unlikely legendary beast. The first two acts were light on horror and quite inoffensive in a nice way. The cast were a varied bunch with some working better than other. Jason is a bit of a gloomy protagonist, having lost his wife to a bear attack a year previously. His relationship with Ken is shaky to begin with, I didn't really feel this plot point was needed as it is resolved barely a quarter into the film, which then subsequently became a lot more fun. Then you have Jason's older colleague Al (Tim Blough), an overly sentimental man who regards Jason as a son, though I never got the impression that feeling was replicated with the lead. Best of all was Henry, a larger than life character who just about stole all the scenes he appeared in. Maybe a bit of a redneck stereotype, I still liked his infectious belief in the possibility of the Bigfoot existing.
Things really ramp up in the third act which almost (but not quite) feels like a different movie entirely. It features a genuinely unexpected twist, and benefits by mostly being set during night, leading to lots of exciting moments, with some great scenes set in the rain. A lot of the central plot was decent enough, though some parts around the edges were a little obvious, such as what likely really happened to Jason's wife a year previously. I also didn't really like the ending of this, an unsatisfying way to swiftly wrap things up.
The Bigfoot is shown sparingly, not even really making an appearance until late in the movie, probably a wise decision as it keeps the tension up of if it is really a real thing or not from the perspective of the lead character. Either in dense forest or in darkness, you never get that great a look at it, which adds to the effectiveness it has as an antagonist force.
I thought some of the story beats here were really quite clever, and felt different to the typical Bigfoot movie. Jason was a decent lead and of course Henry was a great character. It might take a while for the horror part of the movie to begin in earnest, but I enjoyed the build up and I enjoyed the transition to a more darker movie, both literally and figuratively. Feet of Death arrived on Amazon in September.
SCORE:
No comments:
Post a Comment