Year: 1970
Runtime: 84 mins
Language: English
Director: Robert F. Slatzer
America’s abominable snowman…breeds with anything! Bigfoot kidnaps some women and some bikers decide to go on a rescue mission to save them.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Bigfoot (1970), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
John Carradine stars as Jasper B. Hawks, a fast-talking operator who speeds through the forest in his car, flanked by his loyal sidekick Elmer Briggs, played by John Mitchum. At nearly the same moment, Joi Lansing portrays Joi Landis, piloting a small plane above the same stretch of woods. When Joi’s single-engine craft loses power, she parachutes to safety and lands near a tense encounter in the trees: a Bigfoot emerges and attacks her, setting off a chain of events that pull more people into the wilderness.
In the same verdant maze, a laconic biker named Rick arrives with his girlfriend Chris, portrayed by Judy Jordan. Chris happens upon a secluded Bigfoot burial ground and is instantly endangered by a second creature. The town’s authorities—an increasingly wary sheriff and a ranger’s station—receive word of the disappearances, but their search is half-hearted and quickly abandons the effort. Rick searches for help elsewhere, but only Jasper B. Hawks offers support, driven by a reckless plan to capture a Bigfoot for a notorious freak show financed by a deranged biology professor, Professor Blackthorne.
Meanwhile, Peggy is abducted and bound to a tree alongside Joi. The Bigfoot clan in this story isn’t a solitary monster; the creatures are depicted as half-human offspring of a towering 12-foot male, guarding the women with a protective ferocity. The dramatic moment arrives when the patriarch—referred to as “Dad” Bigfoot—appears to square off with a bear menacing the captured captives, and the women’s screams echo through the trees.
As the plot threads converge, Jasper, Elmer, and Rick trek toward the Bigfoot lair. The team schemes to gas the enormous captive and turn him into the centerpiece of the show Jasper intends to stage. The plan comes to a head when Rick’s biker allies unleash a gas barrage, allowing the team to seize “Dad” Bigfoot and haul him back toward town to be displayed. The creature does not go quietly into captivity; he fights and, in a brutal moment, steps on a local drunken man named Lucky Bob, who is killed in the process.
The town becomes a crucible of chaos as the Bigfoot rampage tears through streets, driving the residents into a frenzy. The climactic sequence shifts to the Bigfoot’s cave, where the collected menace is finally brought to a head. In a dramatic finale, the enraged creature is blown up by one of Rick’s dynamite-wielding bikers, destroying the spectacle that Jasper fought so hard to create.
With the threat neutralized and the show canceled by the very chaos it spawned, Jasper delivers a weary nod to the old cinema of monsters. He even borrows an iconic line, echoing a sentiment from the original King Kong (1933): > It was beauty that did him in. Then, in a quiet return to normalcy, the town resets around the new memories of a forest encounter that feels almost mythic in its scale.
In the aftermath, life roughly returns to its familiar rhythm. The forest recedes as a memory, but the encounter with the Bigfoot and the fragile edge between showmanship and danger linger as a cautionary tale. The characters who survived—[Joi Landis], [Rick], [Chris], and the others—drift back into their routines, each carrying the quiet aftertaste of what happened in the woods.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 09:33
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Rough characters pursue a dangerous creature through a hostile wilderness.If you liked the monster hunt and rescue mission in Bigfoot, explore more movies like it. These films feature tense pursuits of creatures through the wilderness, often with a gritty, exploitative feel and a chaotic cast of characters on a dangerous quest.
The narrative typically follows a simple A-to-B structure: a creature appears, causes havoc (often through abductions), and a group bands together to confront it. The journey is linear, focusing on the escalating threats and the frantic efforts to survive or save others, culminating in a large-scale confrontation.
These films share a specific B-movie energy, blending horror, action, and exploitation elements. They are grouped by their straightforward plots, medium intensity sustained by creature attacks, and a tense, gritty atmosphere that feels both dangerous and strangely campy.
Stories where defeating a threat leaves a lingering, melancholic quiet.Fans of Bigfoot's ending, where the monster is defeated but the spectacle is lost, will appreciate these similar stories. These films explore the bittersweet aftermath of violent conflicts, leaving characters and viewers with a somber, contemplative feeling.
The emotional journey involves a build-up to a destructive climax that resolves the immediate danger but not the underlying trauma or cost. The finale often features a quiet denouement where characters survey the damage, reflecting on what was sacrificed for survival, creating a lasting, cautionary feel.
This thread groups films based on their distinctive emotional arc, which concludes not with pure triumph but with a mix of relief and melancholy. They share a medium emotional weight, a tense tone that gives way to reflection, and a bittersweet ending feel that resonates after the credits roll.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Bigfoot in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Bigfoot is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Bigfoot with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Bigfoot. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Bigfoot that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Bigfoot: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
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