The premise of the movie follows a camera man-documentarian who’s following a self proclaimed “cryptozoologist”around as he searches for bigfoot. He wants to make this movie for his son who loves monsters, to make his son think he’s a cool dad again after an embarrassing moment he had that has gone viral.
If you love bigfoot movies as much as myself, then this has been your decade for movies. There have been back to back scary bigfoot movies released like it’s the 70s again. Movies such as Primal Rage, Exists, etc. All good, serious, and scary movies with decent budges and great suits. But this movie, Elusive, is none of those things, but then again,it doesn’t want to be. This movie is a comedy, with a little budget and a cheap ridiculous suit. And I love it.
But his camera man decides that he is going to do a documentary within a documentary of the main character because he wants no more lies. This character was one of my favorite parts of the film. The sarcastic mumbled comments, and video diary of Jimmy (Alex Sanchez) were just to funny as was the ridiculous hopeless cryptozoologist Wayne. (Bradchad Porter). They make the perfect comedy duo here. The secondary characters who are the witnesses of “bigfoot” also add to the laughs here.And you won’t believe where Wayne gets his bigfoot hair sample!
I was able to interview writer, director Nick Sanford so check that out below.
What is life like growing up in Oklahoma?
Weather-wise, there’s a reason everyone moved to California in the 1920s. But the gravel roads here are fun to fish-tail on, the sunsets can’t be beat, and the occasional tornado warning-induced anxiety attack keeps you on your toes.
What about Oklahoma inspires you to film your movies there?
Oklahoma is incredibly cinematic to me, and there’s just an atmosphere to the whole state that’s exciting if you can capture it cinematically. No matter what I do, how arty or weird I get, I’ll always be chasing that “it” thing that Twister has that makes you feel like you’re in this very specific place. You can smell the air, feel the humidity. It’s crazy that a Hollywood movie captured that so well.
You’ve acted as well, which do you prefer and why so?
Directing. Acting’s fun if it’s for the right person, but that’s just not my bag, and I’m not great at it. Directing’s way more work per film, but it’s incredibly rewarding when it pays off.
What is the writing process like for you?
It’s different with each project. For this one in particular, I wrote the first half of the screenplay and sent it off to Andrew McDonald, my co-writer, and he tightened up what I had and then got the thing to the finish line. We sent it back and forth to each other over the summer of 2020 to really nail it down and get it as good as we could, then it was ready for pre-production.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a film maker? Writer?
I first started making movies when I was six, but it was mainly because I thought I was going to be an actor. I’d basically just record myself doing silly things, as a young only-child is inclined to do. Then M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs came out the summer I turned thirteen, and that changed everything for me, because suddenly I realized a filmmaker could have a specific point of view, show restraint, and do something different. Then I started being more deliberate in the things I’d film.
Who are some of your influences?
M. Night Shyamalan, Steven Spielberg, and Stanley Kubrick were three of the big ones during my formative years. I still rip them off a lot. When the pandemic hit, I found myself at home alone a lot, and the half of the week that I didn’t have my son I started diving into old foreign films that I needed to check off my list, and found myself really drawn to Akira Kurosawa, Andrei Tarkovsky, and now I’m really getting into Ingmar Bergman as well, and those three are going to have an influence on me in the future, I think.
What is the very first thing you remember writing?
I think the first screenplay I wrote that I actually filmed was something called Roswell, which was just a Signs rip off. And it’s something I remade a lot in junior high and high school. And ironically, one of the first features I attempted to write was a Bigfoot movie, only then it was a “serious horror film.” So Bigfoot’s been a part of me for a long time.
Your earlier films were in the horror genre, Would you consider it to be your favorite?
I couldn’t really nail down any genre as a “favorite.” I love all types of films. But it’s one I get drawn to when making them a lot, for some reason. Even with a comedy like Elusive, there’s still a spooky, horror-based vibe way below the surface.
What’s your favorite horror movie of all time?
I’d probably have to go with The Exorcist. It’s a perfect film to me. But I’m also big on The Shining, Halloween, The Ring, and a number of others. Devil Times Five is one of the worst movies ever made, but there’s something about it that’s genuinely disturbing as well. I love all sorts of horror films, “good” and “bad.”
You made a comedy this time around, what was the difference like for you filming a comedy?
Comedy isn’t that much different than horror. It’s all about tension and release. They’re the two types of films you get an audible reaction out of the audience from the most. They’ve got a lot in common.
What made you decide to make a bigfoot movie?
After I saw Signs in theaters at the age of thirteen, I got into cryptozoology and ufology and all that, and so I always wanted to make a movie like this. We actually did a short of Elusive several years back, and when it didn’t turn out as coherent as we’d hoped for a variety of reasons, we knew we’d want to give it another shot in the future.
Are you a believer or enthusiast of bigfoot?
I’m more drawn to this collective mythology we all have for Bigfoot rather than trying to decide if it’s actually real or not. There’s something very fascinating to me about why we keep propagating this myth, and in a weird meta way, Elusive really dives into that.
What was it like making a movie during the pandemic?
It was incredibly challenging, but I personally just felt grateful we got to do it at all, much less turn out as good as we’d hoped.
How have the reviews been so far for Elusive?
There’s only one user review on IMDb currently, but it’s very positive. Hopefully we’ll have a lot more of that in the future.
Will it be streaming on other platforms soon?
We’re working to get it on more than just Vimeo, but that’s where it lives for the time being.
Where can people see it?
The front page of StupidBigfootMovie.com is the easiest way to get to the movie.
What’s coming up next for you?
For me personally, my next project will be a straight up horror film, but that’s all I can say about it for now.
I really enjoyed this movie and had a lot of laughs, I recommend checking it out, so I’m not going to give away any spoilers here. Check it out and let me know what you think. You can find this movie on Vimeo or through the website listed above.
Trailer of Elusive…
Sasysquatchgirl 