SASQUATCH is one of many Bigfoot exploitation movies that were made to cash-in on a mini-trend in the 1970s. This one, like many of the others, features a group of hunters who decide to go and capture - or preferably shoot - themselves a real-life Sasquatch, thus proving its existence once and for all. This one was shot in Eugene, Oregon and has lots of great landscape shots as the characters find themselves knee-deep in a rugged and hostile landscape. It's mildly eerie to a degree, although there are one too many scenes of animal violence for my liking. As with a lot of these supposed documentaries, in order to spice things up a bit, a guy in a tatty suit shows up in the last reel to provide a few extra scares.

Docudrama (NOT a documentary) of fictitious Bigfoot expedition. Full of 70s low budget charm starting with the actors in archetypal roles including the skeptical reporter, Indian tracker, and "old coot" miner who doesn't even know how old he is anymore. The movie starts off as cheesy low budget fare but surprises along the way with the quality of the nature photography to the elaborate climactic plot. The effort was ambitious and done with enthusiasm for sure. Some exciting and at times disturbing creature attack scenes, mixed in with gentle animal humor and lighthearted hi-jinks between the crew. A pleasant 70s pop score by composer/arranger Al Capps is a nice plus.There is a flashback retelling of the famous 1924 Bigfoot cabin attack at Mt. St. Helens, a still from which is used in multiple web articles on the possible re-discovery of the site in recent years.FYI, the Code Red blu-ray of this movie is a double bill with the classic Encounters with the Unknown, and a bonus is the intro shown in theaters to promote the now defunct "North American Wildlife Research" bigfoot group in Eugene Oregon. (Google "Bigfoot Trap" to see something interesting that was set up in Oregon to catch Bigfoot in 1974).

When it comes to delivering plenty of sheer manic anything-for-a-cheap-sensationalistic-jolt supermarket tabloid style thrills, this delectably hokey hoot wins the top tacky prize with deliciously rip-roaring aplomb. Once again your standard motley bunch of instantly recognizable mighty macho man archetypes -- calmly rational leader, rugged rancher, nerdy anthropologist, crotchety mountain man, sloppy cook, noble Native American guy, radical skeptic jerk reporter -- venture into the mountainous Oregon wilderness in search of the eternally evasive, but always alluring Bigfoot. Granted, the trite premise sounds unpromising and the inclusion of the famous Patterson footage is unnecessary, but what this beaut lacks in originality it wholly compensates for with its thrillingly sparky and enthusiastic execution.Director Ed Ragozzino infuses the picture with a crackling sense of urgency, stoking the flick with a joyfully junky vibrancy (the pace in particular hurtles along at a constant pile-driving tempo) that's both entertaining and irresistible. Ed Hawkins' bold, unapologetically lurid script likewise bristles with the same cheeky, dynamic, let's give the audience their grubby money's worth yellow journalism sensibility. The interplay between the expedition members is quite arresting; the mountain man's hearty tall tales and the reporter's cynicism upsetting group morale are especially enthralling. George Lauris' floridly dramatic narration, the whooshing, hyperactive cinematography (dig those crazily lurching POV shots of Mr. Get A Bottle of Nair Already on the prowl), the nifty, harmonious country theme song "High in the Mountains," a jarring grizzly bear attack scene, the fantastic white knuckle Sasquatch demolishes the group's camp grand finale, and Al Capps' furiously bombastic, barnstorming orchestral score further enhance the infectiously schlocky merriment. While this movie doesn't score points for either restraint or subtlety, "Sasquatch, the Legend of Bigfoot" nonetheless in its own blithely low-rent "National Enquiror"-esquire way sizes up as lots of enjoyably trashy pseudo-doc fun.

This is a typical low budget 1970's mess. It's supposed to be a docudrama about a crew hunting Bigfoot through the Pacific Northwest. Every character is a stereotype, from the Native American to the cynical cowboy. The acting and narration are a complete joke. If you're hoping to see a lot of bigfoot footage - keep hoping. There won't be much, and what there is you could do in your backyard with a cheap costume and a camcorder; it would look better than this movie.It's not that I don't like 1970's low budge fare; I do. It's that this is such a mess of bad acting, bad characters, lousy story and no thrills that you just can't enjoy it. It does not fit into the "so bad it's good" category, nor can you get a laugh out of how bad it is without the help of illicit substances. It's mostly a lot of boring footage of the people camping, hiking, riding horses, and watching wild life. There is a bigfoot attack which is completely stupid; supposedly our friend Sasquatch is throwing rocks down on the campers from above while they fire their rifles back at him. By that point you are rooting heavily for bigfoot to drops some rocks on the filmmaker's heads and stop the whole thing.