The Bigfoot Project
Directed by Seth Breedlove | Small Town Monsters
“Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
The above quote was not something I ever thought would make it into any of my blog posts. But even while watching early Small Town Monster films, this quote would often pop into my head. Director Seth Breedlove has always presented balanced – if not skeptical – films on mysterious creatures and phenomena. And I often wondered how long it would take before the objective skeptical believer would realize that the creatures he was investigating might also be investigating him. The Bigfoot Project finally answers that question.
Back to Where It Started
The latest offering from the STM team is a new YouTube series, focusing on director Breedlove’s personal investigations into the Bigfoot phenomenon. While previous entries have kept him mostly in the role of objective interviewer or narrator, The Bigfoot Project is more of a video diary from Breedlove as he immerses himself into his own personal Bigfoot hunt.
Hosting Breedlove for the first episode is Heather Moser, a Small Town Monsters alum and host of the STM YouTube series On the Trail of Hauntings and the new The Lore You Know. Moser and her family have a large property in Ohio, very near to where the Minerva Monster sightings took place. For the uninitiated, The Minerva Monster was the first Small Town Monsters production. Seth, his family, and the Mosers stay in a small hunting cabin on the Moser property, in hopes of documenting any unusual activity. And according to Moser, there are some truly strange things that happen on her land.
While a lot of the activity on her property seems to be more of the supernatural variety – the tale of a ghostly stagecoach is fascinating and hopefully will be explored in future STM projects – Breedlove is ultimately here to focus on the big hairy fella. With just a couple of handheld cameras, Breedlove and Moser document their time on her acreage in Ohio.
Surrounded By Sasquatch
It doesn’t take long before Breedlove begins experiencing some high strangeness in the woods. Episode One, as well as Seth Breedlove, hits the ground running. In true Bigfoot fashion, there are wood knocks, seemingly bipedal footfalls just inside the tree lines and in the brush, strange eyeshine, and more. Even Breedlove himself seems surprised to be hearing so much movement in the woods around the cabin.
Without spoiling too much, Seth and Heather do have a few more experiences. And they are truly fascinating, yet also somewhat disturbing. Some are captured on video, some are not, but it’s hard not to wonder what the hell they were experiencing.
To be fair, Breedlove does try to explain most of the activity rationally. He indicates when things could possibly be deer, or even black bear, even though he notes that there’s not many black bear where they are. But in at least two instances, there’s no way a bear or a deer was responsible. So was it really Bigfoot?
Personal Disclosure
Now I have to say that one of the big draws of STM flicks for me is their objectivity and lack of sensationalistic tropes. The last decade or so of paranormal TV and lunatics on YouTube putting red circles around every orb or dark spot in photos has left me jaded. I’ve basically reached a point where unless I capture the evidence or experience the activity myself, I tend not to believe what is presented to me.
Close friends, family members – I tend to believe a bit more. Yet my skeptical side always kicks in eventually. But for the most part, most anything I see on TV or online is just junk to me. Too easily faked, or too easily misinterpreted. And there’s just too many people out there looking for money or hits for their website or channel. So do I believe what Breedlove is presenting to us here? That this is actually happening the way it’s presented?
Surprisingly, I’m leaning heavily towards yes. Small Town Monsters has built their reputation on being objective and rational. They’ve set themselves apart from the drivel that’s out there. And because of that, they are well-liked and highly respected. So why would they throw all of that out the window? This is a juggernaut of a production team, churning out high-quality documentaries and episodic offerings faster than I can review them. Each Kickstarter campaign garners more funding than the last. This is not a company that is desperate for funds or ratings, nor do they need to appease network executives.
It’s quite easy to be a skeptic. That is, until you have an experience you cannot explain. I’ve learned that myself a few times over the past few years.
Final Thoughts
The Bigfoot Project is a visceral, chilling, yet exciting look into the hunt for a creature that may not exist. Until it starts making you believe it does. The more intimate setting of this series, with just Breedlove and Moser filming the investigation, really allows the viewer to have a more vicarious experience. It’s easy to feel like you’re in the Ohio woods with them, and wondering what is just out of range of your night vision camera stomping around in the woods. Thought-provoking, creepy, poignant, and at times even humorous, Breedlove has created another must-see series for fans of all things paranormal.
The first episode of The Bigfoot Project premieres Thursday, November 11th on YouTube for STM Channel members, and for the general public next week.
