Bigfoot: Primal Fear Trailer Unveils Cryptid Creature Mayhem With Returning Horror Star
Hmm… How can I compliment Bigfoot: Primal Fear? Well, now… One of the most common mundane explanations for Bigfoot sightings is the misidentification of bears. It’s not hard to see the resemblances: both of them can stand on two legs, they’re both about 7 feet tall, they’re both hairy and scary. So, if nothing else, I must concede that the makers of the upcoming palpable horror-schlockfest Bigfoot: Primal Fear have made a solid casting choice when it comes to their film’s titular villain.
Winnie the Pooh Slasher Star Now Plays the Cryptid
Bigfoot: Primal Fear, the trailer for which was released by CD Productions on August 9, is directed by Craig David Dowsett, who will also portray the movie’s large-footed inspirer of atavistic terror. This will represent his first directorial endeavor (or at least one of them, since he’s also working on five other films, one of which – Windigo First Blood – is also currently in production, while the other four are still in pre-production), but it won’t be his first stab at horror stardom in front of the camera.
Back in 2023, Dowsett became the first actor in cinema history to embody Winnie-the-Pooh as a grisly killer, whose rubber ursine mask was every bit as appalling as his R-rated deeds. The previous year, A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s classic had entered the public domain, whereupon Dowsett and the creatives at Jagged Edge Productions jumped at the opportunity to exploit this breathtaking new artistic liberty.
Trailer for Bigfoot: Primal Fear, Courtesy of CD Productions
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey marks Dowsett’s only turn as this novel slasher icon; while Jagged Edge Productions’ Poohniverse (also known as the Twisted Childhood Universe, or TCM), has become a franchise with three more films (and counting) under its belt, he has since moved on to horror pastures new.
A Sinister, Indistinct Killer
The setup for Bigfoot: Primal Fear entails a father explaining that his son and three other young people went missing a year ago while camping in the “Gold Leaf Forest.” This is a film with no time to entertain commonplace explanations: “We believe that there was something big and something evil in that forest, that our boy and his friends came across,” the father proclaims.
Enter a group of characters who are evidently Bigfoot hunters. “We have the best technology in the world,” one of them explains. The same can’t be said for the cinematographer of Bigfoot: Primal Fear. “On top of that,” this investigator explains, “We have some of the best trackers.” His words are helpfully accompanied by shots of these cryptid hunters trudging through the woods and nervously looking at their surroundings.
These world-class trackers and their high-tech equipment are going to be tested to the limit: if they are to dispel all skepticism, they must somehow obtain clear footage of a creature that is most commonly glimpsed from a distance, briefly and in low light. In such conditions, it’s extremely easy to mistake it for a human being in a black ghillie suit. This is a very dangerous error; in one particularly chilling shot, as the Bigfoot closes the distance on its victim, the latter lacks not only a defensive posture, but also a certain conviction in her scream.
Watch This One at Your Peril
All in all, Bigfoot: Primal Fear doesn’t seem likely to elevate the much-neglected subgenre of sasquatch horror. Indeed, it has great potential to do quite the opposite. However, if you belong to whatever fanbase Dowsett has established by virtue of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, I expect you won’t have much trouble getting the best seats in the house on opening night. “Coming Soon” promises the trailer; the precise release date is as elusive as the titular monster. Just take care not to misidentify Bigfoot: Primal Fear on any trip to the theater.
