Review of The Sasquatch Odyssey DVD

A great documentary about the Grand Old Men of Bigfootery
I saw this documentary originally on video, presented as the original 70-minute documentary shown on television. This DVD, while it presents the original documentary, also has new segments, such as 3 short vignettes with Stan Winston (Aliens, Terminator 2) with him commenting that the Patterson/Gimlin film is most likely a brilliant hoax. There's a new question-and-answer segment with Bigfoot researcher Richard Noll in which he discusses his thoughts on Bigfoot and the Bigfoot field in general. It also shows him in the field finding a set of tracks. There is also a photo gallery featuring the four principles of the documentary. This documentary features the story of the four Grand Old Men of Bigfootery, John Green, Rene Dahinden, Peter Byrne and Grover Krantz, featuring classic footage of each man, which tells the story of each man's quest to find the Sasquatch. Two of the men (Krantz and Dahinden) have passed on since the filming of this documentary, but of the four, only Green continues to be semi-active in the hunt. Byrne is semi-retired and laregly out of the public spotlight. This documentary is highly recommended for those who want to know more about the personalities in the field of Bigfoot research.

Review of "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science" DVD

Director and producer: Doug Hajicek, Whitewolf Entertainment
I got this DVD in March of 2004, and watched it with great interest. The documentary was originally shown on the Discovery Channel in January 2003, but the DVD version has a little more material. The documentary itself examines the Patterson/Gimlin film, as well as Sasquatch physiology, anatomy, footprints, hair samples and the Skookum Cast body imprint. Also, a piece of videotape, known as the "Memorial Day footage", is examined, and a high-tech recreation is done of the video to determine if the subject of that film is running at a speed to fast for humans, or too slow. DNA is also examined, as are footprints and the dermal ridges in them. Scientists such as Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Dr. Daris Swindler, Dr. Esteban Sarmiento and Dr. John Bindernagel are interviewed on their impressions of the Sasquatch, as well as police officer Jimmy Chilcutt,former BFRO member Richard Noll, Dr. Robert Benson and several other luminaries. The DVD is excellent enough with this documentary, but it doesn't end there. The disc also has a Q & A from the BFRO, witness sighting statitistics and a photo slideshow. The best aspect of the DVD is 3 pieces of footage, shown in their entirety; the Patterson/Gimlin film (from John Green's copy), shown for the first time in crystal-clear clarity; the Paul Freeman footage of a Sasquatch walking from right to left into the woods and possibly picking up an infant; and the aforementioned "Memorial Day footage", which apparently shows near the end a protrusion on the creature, as if an infant had been placed on its shoulders. This DVD is available for $29.95 at www.bfro.net, and is highly recommended. It is the gold standard of Sasquatch Documentaries. An accompanying book is due this fall, as well as a sequel within the next year or so.

Book Review of "Meet The Sasquatch"

Author: Chris Murphy, in association with John Green and Thomas Steenburg
I received this book a month ago, and read it in 4 days. The pictures in the book are excellent, over 600 of them. Some of the things covered in this book are the old Indian Legends, including a look at the Yokut Indian tribe's "Hairy Man" legend by Kathy Moskowitz; the classic encounters with Sasquatch by such men as Albert Ostman, Fred Beck, William Roe and others; the Patterson/Gimlin film, with Cibachrome prints photos shown; other evidence such as hair, footprints, handprints, the Skookum Cast, sounds and possible nesting areas of the Sasquatch; the Washington state environmental atlas entry, as well as the law in Skamania County, Washington, prohibiting the killing of a Sasquatch; tributes to different researchers, such as John Green, the late Rene Dahinden and Grover Krantz, Bob Titmus, Daniel Perez, Ray Crowe, Richard Noll and several others; and the Russian Almasty and the Yeti. This book is highly-recommended to those even with a casual interest in the subject. The book can be purchased from www.hancockhouse.com for $29.95 (softcover edition); $75.00 (hardcover signed edition) and $400.00 (leatherbound signed edition).

Book Review of Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us

Author: John Green
I bought this book back in late-January from an ebay auction and read it voraciously. It is THE bible of all books on the subject. The book boasts information on sightings from all over the United States and western Canada, with several onsite interviews with witnesses conducted by Green himself. Topics covered range from the Patterson/Gimlin film, to classic Sasquatch stories, to creatures around the world, to Indian legends, to mysteries set in stone, to various other aspects of the Sasquatch mystery. At 492 pages, this book is a marathon read, but highly recommended to all who are interested. The book is being reprinted by its original publisher, Hancock House, for release next Spring, but it can be purchased at www.abebooks.com for a reasonable price.

Review: "Squatching/Journey Toward Squatchdom"

Absolutely recommended to all believers and non-believers alike!!!
This double-DVD is really well-crafted, and Scott Herriott uses a good deal of comedic elements to make his point. "Squatching" is seriocomic, and describes Scott's true passion for the subject of Sasquatch. It's a little more serious than "Journey Toward Squatchdom", but it does have comedic moments. We meet his mom and dad, his girlfriend, even his dog. We also meet other well-known Bigfoot personalities along the way, such as Loren Coleman, William Dranginis, Dr. John Bindernagel and Craig Woolheater, and get to see some really beautiful country in northern California. "Journey Toward Squatchdom" is so much funnier than "Squatching" It really showcases Scott's comedic talents and is genuinely hilarious. We meet more Bigfoot personalities, such as Ray Crowe, the late Datus Perry and Frank Kaneaster. I laughed out loud more than once watching this documentary. If you like serious, scientific documentaries on Sasquatch, buy "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science." But, if you want to watch a semiserious documentary that will make you laugh your butt off, this is the one to buy!

DVD Review: "Shaawanoki: The "Skunk Ape-Florida's Bigfoot"

Produced by: Peter Byrne, Ronnie Roseman and Andreas Wallach
This DVD documentary is very interesting and unique in that it focuses on the Florida version of Bigfoot, a creature the local Seminole Indians call "Shaawanoki" ("man of the swamps"). Interestingly enough, the local tribe does not believe in the Shaawanoki or that it exists! Peter Byrne, former big-game hunter and world-renowned Bigfoot pursuer, takes us through the swamps of Southern Florida, giving us a view of the truly primitive and desolate country that the Shaawanoki calls home. A series of photos taken by a British tourist allegedly of the creature is examined, and determined by Byrne's analysis to be a hoax, a man in a gorilla costume. However, a photo taken by former fire chief Vince Doerr seems to have some validity in Byrne's mind. We get a good glimpse of the local wildlife and also of Byrne's efforts to locate this creature, even though he has limited knowledge of the area or the creature. There are also interviews with witnesses of the creature. Byrne, Roseman, Wallach and two others, re-enacting the Shaawanoki in ape suits (Rara, Peter's daughter and longtime Bigfoot enthusiast Larry Lund) really give the documentary a comfortable and professional feel, and they are all to be commended. I highly recommend this DVD to all Bigfoot enthusiasts. It can be purchased at http://www.shaawanoki.com

DVD Review: Sasquatch Science: Searching For Bigfoot

This two-disc DVD set features four lectures from an unknown location sometime in 2003, and the material is very interesting. Disc 1: The first lecturer, Dr. Jeff Meldrum of Idaho State University, is about footprint morphology, and is very well-done by Dr. Meldrum. After the lecture, he takes questions from the audience. Dr. John Bindernagel is next, with a history of the Sasquatch being left out of the field guides and also his feelings on the whole field and the rejection by science. He also takes questions from the audience. Disc 2: Gordon Strasenburgh, a longtime Bigfoot enthusiast, lectures on the Patterson/Gimlin film and why he thinks it's real and also his theory as to what Bigfoot is (he believes it's australopithecine). He also shows some native drawings and sculptures of apelike creatures from Native Americans. The last lecture is by John Green, the esteemed Sasquatch chronicler, who gives a history lesson of his involvement in it and also his descriptive nature of the creatures. This set is available at http://www.ufotv.com and is highly-recommended for anyone's Bigfoot DVD collection.

Review: "Giganto: The Real King Kong"

This special, produced by Doug Hajicek and Whitewolf Entertainment (the same folks behind "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science") aired on the History Channel December 15th, 2005, and was really very well-done and well-researched. There was even a story on this special I didn't know about-Teddy Roosevelt apparently had a sound encounter with a creature unlike anything he'd ever heard before. I thought that was very interesting and unique, as the only connection Roosevelt had with Bigfoot was the Baumann story from "The Wilderness Hunter". This special explored the Gigantopithecus which existed millions of years ago and supposedly died out 100,000 years ago. However, some still believe it lives today (I am also of that opinion) as our modern-day Bigfoot or Sasquatch or Yeti. The origins of Giganto are explored, as well as the modern-day sightings. Several Bigfoot notables are interviewed, including Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Chris Murphy, Kathy Moskowitz-Strain and Richard Noll. Noted Giganto expert Dr. Russell Ciochon is also interviewed, and followed on a quest to find more Giganto teeth and bones in China; however, he discounts the idea of there being a modern-day Giganto still living today. He is, however, willing to search for bones of dead Gigantos, which makes one wonder why he does not put more effort into searching for live specimens. This special was very educational and was quite enjoyable to watch, and is coming to DVD for those interested in ordering it from the History Channel website. I highly recommend that purchase. This is a great and balanced documentary.