Hoax 2019

Six college students venture into the wilderness for a camping trip, but an unknown creature strikes, killing five and leaving one, Alex Barnes, missing. The incident becomes known as the Mountaineering Massacre, a chilling event that gnaws at the memory of those involved and the investigators who study it.

Years later, a struggling film producer, Rick Paxton, walks back into the orbit of his former boss, Roger Brannen, and pitches a provocative idea: spin the Massacre as a Bigfoot attack rather than the bear explanation the police suspect. Brannen agrees, but only if Paxton can bring back hard proof.

Paxton assembles a team to re-enter the woods in search of evidence: his assistant Danny, his cameraman Justin Johnson, the social media vlogger Brigette, primate expert Dr. Ellen Freese, helicopter pilot Jonesy and his bulldog Ike, Sasquatch expert Peter, security John Singer, and Cooper Barnes, the missing Alex’s father. They set up a trail camera with bait per Peter’s instructions and even add pheromones to lure animals toward the device.

Initial attempts falter when Peter goes to check the camera and is killed by an unseen predator. While scanning the surroundings for Peter, the group discovers a cave with intestines hanging from the ceiling and spots a shaggy silhouette on the camera, but no clear progress is made. Growing frustrated— and with Brigette voicing concerns— Paxton secretly applies pheromones to Brigette’s coat, drawing a brutal attack from the creature that leaves her with a broken ankle. Ellen and Singer want to evacuate her to a hospital, but Paxton initially resists, fearing that a rescue won’t attract the predator.

Tragedy compounds the mission as Jonesy and Ike are targeted and killed near the helicopter— Ike is torn open, and Jonesy’s head is smashed. Back at camp, the creature trashes Paxton’s equipment and leaves a bloody paw print on Brigette, intensifying the tension. Paxton, Ellen, and Cooper later uncover a large footprint that seems to prove the creature’s presence. When Brigette begins to panic again, Paxton agrees to fly her to the hospital, now needing the SAT Phone from the helicopter. Danny drives toward the landing site on an ATV, only to find the SAT Phone destroyed and Jonesy’s body nearby. On his return to camp, he spots the creature and crashes, sustaining a concussion.

Danny comes back injured and is tended to by Ellen, while Singer steps in to lead. The group resolves to endure the night, planning to leave at first light if they survive. That night, Cooper, Singer, and Justin chase the creature into the woods, where Singer is ambushed and killed. Cooper and Justin sprint back to camp to relay the fatal turn of events, even as the creature ransacks the camp and claims Danny’s life. Panicked, Paxton fires his weapon at Brigette out of fear and accidentally shoots Cooper when he tries to intervene, then flees deeper into the woods.

Ellen and Justin attempt to aid the wounded Cooper away from the camp and stumble upon a cabin with cars already parked outside. An older woman named Charlotte opens the door and, after letting them in, knocks Ellen unconscious. When Ellen awakens, she and Cooper find themselves tied to chairs while Charlotte and her two sons— Luc and Gage— observe. It’s revealed that the brothers have been posing as monstrous figures to deflect scrutiny while they hunt humans for sport, and Gage boasts a macabre ritual as Cooper recognizes a long-dead figure as his missing daughter Alex. Ellen frees herself, douses Charlotte with scalding water, and uses a frying pan to bludgeon Gage to death. She then attempts to escape in one of the family cars, which bear the marks of their victims. While driving away, she accidentally runs over Luc, but the car’s 911 system activates a call; the dispatcher promises help, only for Charlotte to ambush Ellen again through the car window.

Meanwhile, Paxton, with dwindling ammo, comes face-to-face with the real Bigfoot in the forest as the climactic confrontation unfolds, leaving his fate open to the encounter with the legendary creature.