The best Bigfoot movies are about as elusive as the creature himself. Despite Hollywood’s love for making films about ghosts, man-eating animals, ogres, and dragons, the industry has seemingly snubbed the mythical giant ape some call Sasquatch. But despite Tinsel Town’s lack of love for the big guy, there have been some pretty interesting, unique, and downright scary Bigfoot movies, that, while not appealing to mainstream audiences, have been hits with genre fans. While there were movies about all the other horror monsters through the years, the first Bigfoot movie didn’t even arrive until 1970.
This is despite the creature getting its first mention all the way back in the 1700s when stories of hairy creatures in the forests would scream loudly and steal livestock. This led to stories of shape-shifting creatures, adding a supernatural tint to the idea of the Bigfoot monsters. By the 1800s, there were stories in different parts of the world, all about similar creatures, and all of it led to the eventual legend of Bigfoot. However, with such a famous monster, there haven’t been as many movies about the creature as fans might hope.
10 Strange Wilderness (2008)
In Strange Wilderness, a ragtag group of documentary filmmakers decides to go and hunt for the infamous Sasquatch for their poorly-rated nature show ‘Strange Wilderness’. While most Bigfoot films go for horror, Strange Wilderness went for comedy and starred Justin Long, Steve Zahn, Jonah Hill, and Ashley Scott. The movie was created by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison production company and has since gone on to become somewhat of a cult classic, despite critics panning the movie upon its release.
9 Night of the Demon (1980)
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One of the strangest of the best Bigfoot movies is Night of the Demon. The movie arrived in 1980, and it remains a cult classic to this day. The movie centers on an anthropologist who heads out to prove that Bigfoot really exists. However, his group ends up hunted and killed by the creature. The movie picked up its ticket to infamy thanks to its labeling as a video nasty during the censorship heights of the 1980s. While that made it hard to see, it was worth it in the end and there was even a Blu-ray release in 2021 for fans who want to see it in all its glory.
8 Abominable (2006)
Released in 2006, Abominable is a straight horror movie that has some familiar faces in the cast. Genre fans are likely to recognize Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator), Dee Wallace Stone (The Hills Have Eyes), and Paul Gleason (The Breakfast Club) are all part of the cast, while Matt McCoy stars as a paraplegic who stays at a cabin in the woods when a Bigfoot monster sets its eyes on him. One of the best Bigfoot movies, it picked up a huge cult following thanks to the great acting of McCoy and the serious nature of the horror, capped off by a fantastic practical effects version of Bigfoot.
7 Exists (2014)
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Many Bigfoot fans consider Exists to be one of the best Bigfoot movies to be released in recent years. Eduardo Sánchez, the creator of The Blair Witch Project decided to create his own found footage Bigfoot film. Sánchez used his past techniques at the start, but halfway through the film, it becomes a full-blown monster movie. Despite being criticized for weak characters, the movie was praised for its excellent costuming.
6 Willow Creek (2013)
Willow Creek is a found footage film that follows two hikers who travel to Willow Creek, California – the site where the famous Patterson-Gimlin footage was shot. The movie is a slow burn, with very little action. Director Bobcat Goldthwait tried to go more of a Blair Witch Project-style effect, where the horror resides in the small noises barely heard, and the quick glimpse of a shadow (or was that a tree?) The film also leads to an explosive climax like Blair Witch. It’s a must-see as one of the best Bigfoot movies ever.
In this strange addition to the best Bigfoot movies, Sam Elliott plays a retired soldier who took part in a secret operation to assassinate Hitler. In 1987, he lives a secluded life in the woods. But one day, government agents come knocking on his door to tell him that a strange viral infection is killing people around the world and that the source of the virus is the elusive Bigfoot. Only he can save humanity from a growing pandemic by killing the virus’ host animal – Bigfoot.
4 Letters From the Big Man (2011)
Truly, one of the most unique of the best Bigfoot movies, Letters From the Big Man was a critical hit when it was released. In the film, park ranger Sarah is tasked with hiking the remote forests of Oregon to conduct field research. She hears the thumping of logs, the snapping of branches, and the sounds of footsteps in the forest. Soon, she learns she’s being followed by Bigfoot. But she isn’t afraid, and neither is Bigfoot. Instead, the movie is about the two characters stealing glances at each other from a distance. The movie plays with ideas of curiosity, exploration, and learning to share the forest with its native life.
3 The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)
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The Legend of Boggy Creek was a groundbreaking film and one of the best Bigfoot movies of all time. Part documentary and part reenactment, the movie focuses on the “Fouke Monster” – Bigfoot’s regional name in the Texarkana region. The film gained national attention since it was technically “based on a true story” using testimonials of the locals in Texarkana to tell their harrowing encounters with the legendary beast. The movie, which was re-released in 4K in early 2020, went on to earn over $20 million at the box office, landing it in the top 12 highest-grossing films of 1972.
2 Harry And The Hendersons (1987)
Harry and the Hendersons is an 80s classic about a friendly Bigfoot who just wants to be part of the family. It helped teach audiences that those who don’t look like them aren’t necessarily scary. Though the movie received lukewarm reviews from critics, it went on to be a box-office hit, thanks to performances by talented actors like John Lithgow, and it even won the Academy Award for Best Makeup. A few years later, it even led to a sitcom of the same name that ran for three seasons. Not a horror film, but it is still one of the best Bigfoot movies ever made.
1 Missing Link (2019)
In the animated feature Missing Link, a Bigfoot lost in America’s Pacific Northwest enlists the help of a cryptozoologist to find his family of yetis in the Himalayas. Despite a massive budget of $100 million, and an all-star voice cast like Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis, and Zoe Saldana, the movie didn’t fare well, earning only $26 million at the box office. However, the film went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, proving its status as one of the best Bigfoot movies.