Wednesday, February 20, 2008

IS IT REAL? Bigfoot

National Geographic Channel - Original Air Date: 2005-6

This is the show that inspired me to start this catalog of shows on the uncanny. While this episode doesn't reach any final conclusion on bigfoot (both sides have good arguments), it does present one of the best argument's I've seen for the Patterson bigfoot film being a fake: it has the man who claims to have worn the suit, Bob Heironimus. I've heard some believers say that Bob's confession is flawed and inconsistent with "facts." I'm not going to study this case as if it were the Zapruder film. I can tell you this, though, Bob walks the bigfoot walk from the film. He has the same gait that many so-called researchers have declared "inhuman." Just watch the clips presented here. He ain't trying to be non-human; it's just the way he walks. Everyone who thinks the Patterson film is real needs to see that footage. (And now, thanks to Howls & Growls, you know where to find it -- and so do I.) Also in this show is a woman who claims to have a longstanding relationship with a tribe of bigfoots -- a kind of sasquatch Diane Fosse. Probably, she's a kook, but it might be worth following her around with a hidden camera for a couple of months to find out. We also get a scientist that shows you how to make fake bigfoot prints of your own -- complete with convincing dermal ridges. Overall, this IIR episode a good, serious look at bigfoot and the phenomena that surround one of the most famous of the crypto-zoo creatures. There are definitely bigfoot hoaxers, like Patterson and footprint maker Ray Wallace, but there could still be something out there. Perhaps time and serious science will finally tell.

Addendum: I just discovered this stabilized version of the Patterson Film online. Funny how with the shakes removed, it seems more obviously a man in a suit -- at least to me

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