THE BIGFOOT TAPES aka Bigfoot County. ** USA 2012 82 mins

THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK was a significant forerunner to the current cycle of found footage horror films, so it’s fitting that subject matter is revisited for this story of a California documentary maker investigating the first account of allegedly aggressive “Bigfoot” behaviour.
It opens well, with nicely authentic BLAIR WITCH-like vox-pop interviews with the local characters of Siskiyou County as they warn about the dangers lurking in their woodland community. Unfortunately, the central characters are unsympathetic and the slow-burn escalation of ominous events paving the way for their inevitable demise ape BLAIR WITCH to a distracting degree (prepare for “Go! Go! Go!” moments of running through the nocturnal woods in terror). A surprising detour into redneck-rape territory at the very end earns this otherwise mild movie its UK “18” rating, though the final shot, aping that infamous “real” Bigfoot footage reinforces that There’s Something Paranormal out there as well as sub-DELIVERANCE retards.

Review by Steven West