“After death some believe their soul goes to heaven Some think they’ll go below But are we sure we’re the only life on earth that has soul? Some think we’ll haunt our family Or be stuck in limbo, or purgatory But what about the dying trees, Where do they go.? They have roots to the heart of the planet Much stronger then our own They lay the seeds They have wisdom from their years They’ve been here since the beginning They’ll be here at the end Their roots will continue to grow new life Will it’s soul move into these They communicate warnings to us through their bark, branches, rings and leaves But even when they are dying before our eyes we still don’t believe Will they haunt these forests that get mowed down? Do they grieve at what we’ve done Will they visit younger trees as a spector And share all their knowledge Speak of the importance of their role in the circle of life And their role in the forest With all those roots stil remaining underneath our feet It will forever tie them to the earth How could they not leave some kind of an echo Of their dying and of their rebirth Maybe there are wandering ghostly trees That we just can’t see Searching for their roots We should respect their magic and power as the sustainer of all the life Instead of caring nothing about cutting them all down and carving them with a knife I always say the forest is my church But to me there is no better house to pray Then the land that god made There quiet amongst the sheltering trees As I stand in the forest I pray forever this will be A place of zen and sanctuary A reminder of what the planet once looked like when it was green Because as I drive around now, there is barely any trees as a reminder that I can see If you can understand me trees I thank you for my air to breathe And you’re always free to come share your wisdom and to haunt me…”
A poem from the heart…I get so upset and angry every time I see more forests get mowed down. When I drive though my hometown and think of the woods I wandered and the forts I made stealing my dads lumber and tools (sorry dad) and how it’s all gone now it just maddens me. We should be farming the lands not paving them. I pray we change out ways as a species, and turn the planet around for the better. Let’s all pray it happens…
“It’s time to break away from the myth that the wild is something exotic that exists somewhere else. It isn’t. We are all wild things…”
~Rewild.org
And here are some of their tips for you to start rewilding yourself…
learn the names of the trees you’re walking through.
Learn the types of bugs you’re walking on
Learn what is edible out in the forest.
Learn the wildlife in your area.
And finally my advice for wilders and squatchers… just sit quietly in a spot of the woods you enjoy and just listen…learn the noises of your favorite forest. The birds, the critters, the wind. If you want to find out if the noises you hear could be a bigfoot you should learn to rule out what the natural sounds are out there so you can debunk.
All of these tips are good for anyone that spends time out there. Bushcrafters, bigfoot researchers, hikers, birders and just nature enthusiasts alike.
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.
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.
“Not everyone will feel it… Not everyone will know When you walk through the forest The soil seeps through to your soul It calms those demons Banging on your brain It calms all those wild thoughts Keeps you sane But not everyone is an open channel Not everyone will see Not everyone will notice The beauty in the forest The sounds of it’s chorus The leaves moving within The screech of the fox If your quiet you’ll hear the whole forest talk Nature has its in language It’s own way to communicate One we once knew it well It’s alive like you and I But you have to be open to it So come back Sit and stay Find a spot that speaks to you in some way Stay quiet as you can Then listen You’ll begin to understand Forest is life The trees lay the roots Build the home Then the wild babies come And follow suit And make their own Digging in making dens Having babies Making friends Once you hear it’s beautiful song You’ll be at peace And wonder why you stayed away so long We once lived in the forest harmonious with the land Now we wouldn’t know what to do in there We no longer understand It’s time we go back Leave the urban jungles behind Go back and become once again , one of the forest kind…”
Poem titles once you know Written by me Art by Selene Designs
On the morning of June 1, 1987, 16-year-old Theresa Bier and 43-year-old Russel “Skip” Welch set off for a camping trip in the Shuteye Peak area of the Sierra National Forest. Welch had told Theresa all about the mythical Bigfoot – a half man half ape creature said to roam around the forests across the United States – and the two embarked upon an adventure in hopes of catching a glimpse of the legend for themselves.
According to Skip’s account of the day Theresa Bier was last seen, they were both wandering down the towpaths of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in search of the Sasquatch, when the two somehow became separated. Welch, a self-professed student of Bigfoot who claims to have been in close personal contact with the creatures, believes that it was during this time that Theresa had been kidnapped by a Bigfoot. Fresno police were dubious of Welch’s far fetched claims and immediately placed Welch under arrest for kidnapping.
Theresa’s body was never located and with very little evidence against Welch, prosecutors were forced to set him free three days before his trial. Initially the plan was to have Welch sign an agreement that he would be tried for the kidnapping charges and authorities could bring him back for a second trial in the event that a body was discovered, but Welch’s attorney refused to allow his client to sign the paperwork.
“In 1969, Verlin Herrington, then a deputy sheriff of Grays Harbor County, Wash., spotted “a large hairy creature standing in the middle of the road” as he rounded a curve in his car one night. He got a chance to examine the creature from a distance of 90 feet as it stood startled and perhaps momentarily blinded by his headlights and spotlight. He estimated its height at 7 to 8 feet, At first he thought it was a standing bear, but then he noticed “. . . it had breasts on it like those of a woman. . . . While it was standing I could see the back of one hand and the palm of another and I could distinguish fingers. It had legs like a human and buttocks like a human ,Herrington’s account is reported in a recent book, “Sasquatch” bv Canadian. That Thomas P. Skizenski never has been accused of playing with less than a full deck is noteworthy and possibly amazing. “ -article from Star Tribune Minneapolis, Minnesota 27 Jan 1974, Sun •
Sasysquatchgirl 