THE BIGFOOT TRAP (2023)

Streaming on Tubi from High Flyers Films!
Directed/Written by Aaron Mirtes.
Check out the trailer here!!

Josh (Tyler Weisenauer) is an investigative reporter specializing in making his interviewees look like idiots. When a burly woodsman named Red (Zach Lazar Hoffman) claims he has a Bigfoot wandering around his property and has made a sturdy iron trap to capture it, Josh’s editor decides this is the perfect candidate for Josh’s next story. But Josh is sick of doing gotcha interviews and wants to take this interview seriously, even though Red’s claims are out there. Once on Red’s property, though, Josh begins to wonder if Red’s claims are real. What happens next is a series of betrayals, lies, and misconceptions as Josh begins to doubt his motivations and maybe even start believing that Bigfoot is real.

Kudos goes to THE BIGFOOT TRAP for coming up with an original concept for a Bigfoot film. Too many times, the Bigfoot movies follow the JAWS template or the slasher template (which are pretty similar), but for some reason, these tropes are the most popular. THE BIGFOOT TRAP is less about Bigfoot itself and more about believing in Bigfoot. It’s a headier concept that one usually finds in a Bigfooter.

Tyler Weisenauer does a decent job of playing Josh, who thinks he’s smarter than the people he interviews. This pomposity is common in journalism, but at the same time, he manages to show a kinder side in that he wants to do better. So, he juggles equal parts jerk-face and decent guy and flips back and forth, deciding whether or not to listen to his boss; who wants a puff piece making Red out to be a dumb hick or do a story with some kind of heft that studies Red as if he were a human being. It’s this moral conundrum that supports the entire tale.

The real standout is Zach Lazar Hoffman performance as Red, who proves to be much more complex than your average hillbilly. He knows Josh’s history with gotcha interviews yet feels if he can convince him that Bigfoot is real, then he could convince everyone. Red is manipulating Josh for his own reasons that gives him a lot of depth.

If you haven’t picked this up yet, THE BIGFOOT TRAP is not your typical Bigfoot movie. It takes the subject matter seriously and studies America’s need to believe in Bigfoot from multiple angles. At the same time, the two lead performances make this an entertaining watch all the way through as tensions rise between the two opposite characters and the pressure rises for Red to produce the proof he’s been promising. Again, the way they approach this proof is interesting, as Red doesn’t need proof to believe, even though Josh has no story without it.

Oh yeah, and Bigfoot. Now, simply covering this film is a strong indication that the big guy shows up. I don’t want to ruin any plot points, but even when something Squatchy does happen, it is an approach I haven’t seen before. The film does have its fair share of scares, and the Bigfoot imagery is quite good. The trap constructed to catch the Bigfoot is impressive as well. So, all around, the production level is solid.

THE BIGFOOT TRAP is going to surprise you. I’m going to give it Three Feets and Five Toes.

With strong performances and an original premise, I liked what I got from THE BIGFOOT TRAP. It may not be the strongest Bigfoot film, but it does delve deeper into the minds of those who believe and want to believe than most other movies on the subject. It’s less of a creature feature and more of a dive into the need to believe in something, anything in this apathetic age of reason. I recommend you not watch the trailer as it is spoilerific. Just go in with an open mind and I think you’ll be entertained.