Something in the Woods

Yes the acting and direction was bad - but so nostalgically so. What do I mean? It is filmed just like the B-movies from from the period they were depicting. The sets were right on for the period. The script, acting, directing and cinematography was so much like movies of the time that if didn't see the modern time scenes it would be hard to know that it wasn't filmed then. That actually would be a difficult thing to do today. For that reason, I assume it was all very intentional -- therefore I have to give major kudos to how well that was pulled off! Because of the nostalgia aspect I actually kind of enjoyed it. Sorry that seems missed by many reviewing. Oh well.

2015 is the year when really bad movies started to be made. This is one of them. The audio portion sounds as if the movie was filmed on the cheap. There's a slight echo, as if the actors (I use the words loosely) are on a stage. The colors are not even remotely realistic. There are no vibrant green trees or deep blue skies; this is what a typical landscape would have looked like in 1960 in logging country. There are only muted, muddy tones. For all the viewer knows, it might be an early effort in making a moving with AI. This looks like an effort by a film student or someone who just graduated.

I've watched this twice now. It's a great movie/reenactment. The bad reviews are obviously people that came into this expecting a Hollywood film. This was meant to be a documentary and reenactment of what happened to this family. If you go into this expecting an A movie with Hollywood special effects, you'll be disappointed. If you go into it expecting what it actually is, you'll love it. Especially if you are a Big Foot lover. The cast did a decent job. The big foot costume was well done. I truly think they did a really decent job with the low budget that they were working with. I'd rather watch something like this, than some cookie cutter remake that Hollywood has been putting out.

The dialogue and delivery are very clunky but it's at least a more believable progression of events for a Bigfoot movie. The creature sound effects were actually pretty creepy, props for that. There's no denying it's a very low budget film but it's not awful. It doesn't demand your undivided attention so if you're into Bigfoot movies I'd recommend having it play while doing the dishes or paperwork etc. Woulda been 5/10 but a few particular scenes were so poorly acted it was plain awkward.

This isn't a movie that's supposed to have an original plot. It's an extremely low budget visualization of the events that supposedly happened at Copalis Beach, Or. Is every little detail of the place and time accurate? Nah. Would it have been easy to fix those issues? Sure...but take it for what it is. If you want a good retelling of the events go on Bob Gymlan's Youtube channel and check it out. I wish they'd do more low budget visualizations of reported events.