Do you believe in Bigfoot? Despite the title, the latest true crime docuseries from the Duplass Brothers are not here to convince the non-believer. Instead, we are left with a more than compelling whodunit murder mystery reliance on the memories of a bunch of stoners who were more than likely stuck in the nightmare of a turf war amongst cannabis farmers.
The bizarre twenty-five-year-old triple homicide story is dependent on the memories of investigative journalist David Holthouse who recounts – via an animated recreation – the time he spent on a pot farm in Spy Rock, Northern California in 1993. During one hazy night, he recalls someone in their company, panicked, running into their accommodation and revealing three men had been torn to shreds, murdered at the hands of Bigfoot. As so many years have passed his memory has become fogged and embarks on a quest to find out if, what he remembers was true to finally get to the bottom of this mystery.
The set-up is eerie, to say the least. Building on the lore of this mysterious mythical being, we hear from a number of Bigfoot hunters revealing their own experiences and beliefs with one stating he believes there are at least 300 of the beasts roaming the woods in Idaho. Another also recounts his encounter while alone in the woods which, to this day, still terrifies the man so much he becomes hysterically emotional as he tells his story.
Director and showrunner Joshua Rofé tries to keep it real and intersperses the weird with the plausible. Through historical facts, it’s discovered the area has always been notorious for money-making, from the Gold Rush to the timber trade until the hippies moved in and started their own cannabis farms, yet another money-spinning machine. From this point in its pretty obvious what really happened to those slaughtered men.
Holthouse still stuck in what seems his stoner appearance, makes for the most likeable of characters as his journey takes him to follow-up with others who were there that night. Reliving and unearthing truths is a dangerous game but this never deters Holthouse as this twisted story begins to unfurl. Just like the evasive Sasquatch, there is a lot more than meets the eye with this documentary.
The three-part docu-series premieres on Hulu on April 20th, 2021.
