Bigfoot is Real: Sasquatch to the Abominable Snowman [DVD] [2010] [NTSC]

Remember back when VHS tapes were everywhere and the packaging looked cool, but the movie was not what you were expecting? This is what we have here. From the product description, one expects much, much more.

Disc one has 3 different features.

The first is "Bigfooting in Oklahoma" about a woman who has had numerous encounters (curiously though, she seems to have them wherever she moves, even in different states.) This is the best of the 3.

The second feature is "Tale of the Honey Island Swamp Monster" which most likely debunks (at least one claim) the monster. I was curious as to why this one was included in a DVD set of "bigfoot proof". I bought this as a stand alone DVD off eBay. I see now why they have disappeared as they were licensed for this set.

The 3rd is called "Swamp Apes" and is a good example of why skeptics feel these types of off-beat researchers are a bit looney in their theories. It's interesting in a "throw most logic out the window" sort of way. Jay Michael (called J Michael is feature one) was associated with all 3.

Disc two is "The Wildman of Kentucky : The Mystery of Panther Rock". It is a decent feature (although reaches way beyond in trying to explain anything from mystery lights, bigfoot, giant cats & werewolf like creatures.) This is a program that Reality Films sells as a stand alone disc (and quite available on this & other sites.) NO MENTION OF IT BEING INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION. I can imagine one being irritated if they bought both DVDs from the site and received 2 copies of the same movie. I do own it as a stand alone (adding to my irritation.)

My biggest issue is that none of these programs are listed in any descriptions either on the cover art or on Reality Films website. I have found some of their other products (secret societies & UFOs) much better than this collection that has a sense of being slapped together. If Amazon allowed 1/2 ratings I would have rated this 2.5 stars for those who don't have any of these programs. Also in regards to the title, no mention of the ab. snowman anywhere in any of the programs.

I've been intrigued by Big Foot and his "kin" ever since I was a kid and watched In Search Of with Leonard Nimoy. This 2 disc set covers anything and everything the Big Foot lover could want. My review started getting too long, so I focused on three of the episodes:

Bigfooting in Oklahoma

A woman named Esther is interviewed and she relays her stories of being "visited" by Big Foot from the age of 3 and up. At first she was scared to death, but over the years she became intrigued and even determined to prove that this creature is real. She takes out on the road to capture videos of others who have witnessed this creature and hopes to get a glimpse of the apelike animal on film. Bigfooting in Oklahoma is chock full of eyewitnesses and their stories.

Tales of the Honey Island swamp monster

Jay Michael relays the story of the Honey Island monster, a swamp-living beast and how he and Marlon Davis created the documentary. As they set out to film it they discovered that it was all a hoax Harlan Ford created. Claw-type feet were made and attached to a pair of shoes. The person then walked around the swamp to create these footprints. Were they disappointed? Perhaps, though they were also intrigued how someone could get away with this hoax for so many years. They feel they learned a lesson to not believe everything you hear. However, Jay still feels that there may be a Honey Island Swamp Monster, it's just that the "proof" was a hoax.

Swamp Apes

Did Bigfoot follow man across the Bering Strait? The film talks about the Phoenicians and the fact that they sailed and explored...and could have brought primates to America. Some of the primates may have started eating meat, walking upright, and becoming smarter within just a few generations. The documentary covers every question you could possibly ask about these big apes. Why don't we see them? Where could they have come from? And more.

The second disc, The Wildman of Kentucky is good too.

The title is clear what this is about, but you're going to be surprised at the contents. The first section chronicles an Oklahoma woman's encounters with Bigfoot as a child and teen. She's since researched other encounters, and the video eyewitness accounts she's recorded are simply amazing.

But it's the next section that blew me away. It's about the "Honey Island Swamp Monster," who lives in a swamp north of New Orleans, according to the legend. This a remarkable story with some remarkable footage and not at all what you'd expect from this DVD. This section alone is worth the price of admission.

The third section is a thorough speculation on the possibility of primates (besides Man) in North America. It does a good job arguing for the possibility, but isn't all that convincing as to the fact. As much as I'd love to believe this stuff, the evidence is still pretty thin.

The second DVD I'd seen before--you can check out my review under Wildman of Kentucky. I gave it three stars, too, and said it was "fun to watch, maybe not so scientific."