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SIGHTINGS (2017)

Directed by Dallas Morgan
Written by Dallas Morgan
Starring Boo Arnold, Dante Basco, Kevin Sizemore, Tahlia Morgan, Rawn Erickson, Jason J. Lewis, Stephanie Drapeau, Tiffany Heath, Pia Inca, Kathy Rose Center, Devin Sarno, Megan Petersen, Ron Fallica, Hollie Farrell, Brooke Harris, Crystal Adonia Montgomery
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A genuinely sincere core makes the low budget cryptozoology flick SIGHTINGS a decent little film and one Bigfoot fanatics might be interested in.

Retired Sheriff Tom Mayfield (Boo Arnold) has decided to live the simple life, take care of his daughter, and mourn the loss of his marriage when his wife disappeared one day a few years ago. But when the bodies of three young women are found on his farm property, he becomes a suspect in those deaths as well as the disappearance of his wife. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of conspiracy when a cryptozoologist arrives citing that there was a rise in UFO activity during the time of the disappearances of the women and also a rise in Bigfoot sightings. This corroborates with theories his wife once had about the property they live on being cursed. Revealing that people with a specific blood type (the same as Tom’s wife and daughter) seem to be the target of these abductions, Tom begins a quest to keep his daughter safe and find out just exactly what’s going on which leads to an encounter with a large hairy monster in the woods.

While the script borders on convolution at times with a larger reliance on detail and conspiracy, the heart and soul comes from the earnest portrayal of a burdened man by Boo Arnold as former Sheriff Tom Mayfield. While this film isn’t going to be winning any acting awards, it does, though Arnold’s performance feel like a sincere and sensitive film about loss and moving on. There’s a sweetness that feels genuine as if the film was made with genuine care about the character rather than focusing on gore and over the top action and scares. SIGHTINGS does have moments of tension and even some nice shocks, but never in gratuity or excess.

In many ways, SIGHTINGS feels like a low fi version of M. Night Shamalayan’s SIGNS, which was also a pretty wholesome film. I liked the escalation of encounters that happens in SIGHTINGS. I like the mystery that runs through the film. I even like it that we never really see the entire Bigfoot in frame, only snippets of hands, arms, feet, and maybe an out of focus shadow in the background. Too many Bigfoot films get the rug pulled out from under them once the bad Bigfoot suit is made clear. Those seeking a clear shot of the elusive monster will be disappointed, but this film instead plays to its strengths and I admire that as well. All in all, SIGHTINGS isn’t a huge film, but a well intentioned one with strong character and a fun little conspiracy to follow.