Florida's Film, Television and the Arts Magazine
American Sasquatch: Man, Myth or Monster Movie Review by Lisa Blanck
It's a biped known by many names: Yeti, Bigfoot, Skunk Ape. It's been distantly observed in many locations: Walla Walla WA, Indian Head PA, the Great Smokey Mountains, Wellsville NY and Skinwalker Ranch, to name just a few.
We're talking about Sasquatch Man. Dave Paulides, a best-selling author known for his work on Big Foot, takes a fresh look at what may be an ape, may be a person .... or may be something else entirely. Paulides interviews scientists, researchers, regular home-owners, EMT's, Navy linguists, electrical engineers, Park Rangers, quantum phyisicists, all in a very matter-of-fact style. No one appears to be a member of the lunatic fringe. In fact, almost all of them have substantial backgrounds in the sciences, and all of them have had a close encounter with Sasquatch.
If you were a fan of the old series 'In search of Ancient Astronauts' or a fan of the current 'Unsolved Mysteries', you'll enjoy this in-depth exploration, which approaches the phenomenon in a new light. Is Sasquatch living on our planet, with us, or does it, or should I say 'he', exist in the spirit world? Or possibly, is he teleporting in from another dimension, riding on beams of light or entering and exiting through wormholes?
Within the film is the footage you may or may not have seen before, including the Freeman and Patterson footage said to be the Sasquatch walking in fiields and through the woods. In newer footage and descriptions, his hair is now 'bundled', no longer a messy hairdo. He may be travelling with a companion and even has an offspring. Paulides takes us on a visit to a museum which has 350-400 pins on a map of 'sightings'.
All of the close encounters share a few details. The creature is really tall, covered in hair and smells really, really bad. Anything electronically-based loses functionality in the being's presence. Tim Burchett, U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, is a staunch believer. In Paulides interviews, those who have come in contact with Sasquatch discuss DNA findings, the possible correlation between UFO sightings and the concurrent appearances of Bigfoot. Does he/it/them use the wormholes to move between dimensions or worlds? Is it smarter than us? It understands how to turn a doorknob as well as open a screen door. It certainly utilizes language, something which has never been explored in a film before, but is investigated in great depth in this documentary.
Is it here as a Guardian of the Earth or for some nefarious purpose? As in the past, that's for you to decide. There are definitly conflicting views even within this film. One researcher states that he's never found a single bone, so it's probably not fully of this planet, escaping to other places when it's nearing the end. Another states that the elongated skulls that have been found throughout America is concrete evidence that the biped exists and lives among us.
Surely the filmmakers expect you to view this with a sense of disbelief. And I'm certainly not going to spill the new facts this documentary reveals. They're what make American Sasquatch all the more fresh and fascinating. Is there 'something' out there??? American Sasquatch will be available digitally on December 1.
