What Is Bigfoot About?
The premise of Bigfoot in 301 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the tangled woods of an unnamed American back‑country, a mythic creature roams with an unsettling appetite that blurs the line between legend and nightmare. The locals speak of an “abominable snowman” that not only stalks the shadows but seems to breed an odd, almost supernatural vigor, turning the forest into a place where ordinary rules no longer apply. When a series of mysterious disappearances turns out to be the work of this towering beast, the tension between curiosity and terror becomes the film’s pulse.
Enter Jasper B. Hawks, a silver‑tongued operator who thrives on the edge of legality, always ready with a deal and a fast car that slices through the trees. Beside him rides Elmer Briggs, his loyal sidekick whose dry humor balances Jasper’s swagger. High above the canopy, Joi Landis pilots a modest plane, her adventurous spirit placing her right where the creature’s path intersects with humanity’s daring. Among the women caught in the creature’s grip is Peggy, whose plight adds urgency to the escalating mystery.
Across the same woods, a ragged band of bikers rolls in, led by Rick, a laconic rider whose grit is matched only by his protective instincts. His girlfriend, Chris, rides loyally at his side, sharing his resolve to confront whatever darkness the forest conceals. The bikers’ rough‑and‑ready camaraderie contrasts sharply with Jasper’s slick opportunism, setting the stage for an uneasy alliance born of necessity rather than trust.
The film balances a gritty, low‑budget horror aesthetic with a tongue‑in‑cheek sense of adventure, letting the looming presence of the creature eclipse the human drama without ever losing the sense of a wild, untamed frontier. The wilderness itself becomes a character—dark, alluring, and brimming with the promise of both terror and revelation—while a colorful cast of misfits navigates the thin line between spectacle and survival.
What Happens in Bigfoot?
The complete story of Bigfoot, from the first scene to the last, in 540 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 4 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
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.
Bigfoot Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
11 key events in the order they happen, from “Jasper and Elmer drive through the forest as Joi flies above” to “It was beauty that did him in; life returns to normal”. 11 events name a place, across 11 locations.
- 1
Jasper and Elmer drive through the forest as Joi flies above
Jasper B. Hawks, a fast-talking operator, speeds through the forest in his car with his loyal sidekick Elmer Briggs, chasing a lead about the disappearances. At the same time, pilot Joi Landis flies a single-engine plane over the same area, unaware of the danger below. The two groups move in parallel as the mystery of the Bigfoot sightings begins to unfold.
When:Afternoon Where:Forest
- 2
Joi's plane loses engine and she must bail out
Joi's engine suddenly conks out, forcing her to bail out of the aircraft. She parachutes down into the forest and lands in a precarious spot, far from help. Her arrival on the ground marks the start of the danger as she encounters the looming threat in the woods.
When:Mid-afternoon Where:Forest clearing
- 3
Joi is attacked by a Bigfoot on the ground
On the forest floor, Joi's parachute descent is interrupted when a Bigfoot lurches from the trees and attacks her. She fights for her life as the creature closes in. The assault marks one of the first direct confrontations with the cryptid.
When:Shortly after landing Where:Ground near forest
- 4
Rick and Chris enter the woods and encounter a burial ground
Rick, a laconic biker, rolls into the woods with his girlfriend Chris, following a lead about missing women. Chris stumbles onto a Bigfoot burial ground, triggering a brutal attack. The couple barely escapes, realizing the danger is real.
When:Evening Where:Woods
- 5
Authorities are alerted but searches falter
The skeptical Sheriff's department and the ranger's station are notified of the disappearances, but their search is half-hearted and poorly organized. The local authorities quickly lose interest and stop looking, leaving the women unaccounted for. The situation grows direr as rumors spread.
When:Following disappearances Where:Sheriff's office / Ranger station
- 6
Rick seeks help; Jasper agrees to a risky plan
Rick seeks help elsewhere, but only Jasper B. Hawks believes his story. Jasper offers aid to capture a Bigfoot not out of faith but to finance a freak show run by the eccentric Professor Blackthorne. The unlikely alliance sets the plan in motion.
When:Later Where:Town / forest
- 7
Peggy is attacked and tied to a tree beside Joi
Peggy is attacked and tied up to a tree next to Joi, adding another captive to the grim situation. The group realizes the Bigfoot family is guarding the women rather than merely acting as monsters. Tension rises as the situation becomes personal.
When:Night Where:Near Joi / wooded area
- 8
Dad Bigfoot and the family confront killers in the woods
The Bigfoot creatures turn out to be half-human offspring, guarding the women for the bigger male. Dad Bigfoot finally appears and fights a large bear that menaces the captured group. The confrontation underscores the danger and complexity of the creatures.
When:Night Where:Bigfoot lair / surrounding woods
- 9
The heroes reach the lair and gas Dad Bigfoot
Jasper, Elmer, and Rick trek through the woods to the Bigfoot lair, planning to gas Dad Bigfoot and put him on display in the freak show. They manage to subdue him long enough to transport him toward captivity. Dad Bigfoot escapes captivity almost immediately, trampling a local drunk named Lucky Bob in the process.
When:Following day Where:Bigfoot lair
- 10
Dad Bigfoot rampages and is finally killed
After escaping, Dad Bigfoot rampages through the town, terrorizing residents and causing destruction. The pursuit ends back toward his cave, where the confrontation escalates. One of Rick's dynamite-wielding bikers detonates an explosive, destroying the cave and ending the threat.
When:Night Where:Town and cave
- 11
It was beauty that did him in; life returns to normal
With Dad Bigfoot dead, Jasper paraphrases a line from King Kong, It was beauty that did him in. The traumatic events fade as the survivors try to return to their normal lives. The story closes on a note of uneasy relief and the sense that some things will never be the same.
When:Aftermath Where:Town
Who Are the Main Characters in Bigfoot?
7 characters, among them Jasper B. Hawks (John Carradine), Elmer Briggs (John Mitchum) and Rick (Christopher Mitchum): who each one is and the part they play in the story. 6 of them link to the actor’s page.
-
Jasper B. Hawks (John Carradine)
Played by John Carradine
A fast-talking, scheming showman who seeks to capture a Bigfoot for a freak show, funding his plan through sensationalism and the belief in profit. He manipulates allies and pursues fame at any cost, embodying opportunism and risk.
- 🎭 Charismatic
- 🪙 Greedy
- 🎪 Showman
- EB
Elmer Briggs (John Mitchum)
Played by John Mitchum
A blunt, loyal sidekick to Jasper who goes along with the plan out of rugged loyalty. His practical stance adds a grounded foil to the reckless pursuit and raises questions about conscience and complicity.
- 🛡️ Loyal
- 🧭 Pragmatic
- 🗡️ Blunt
- R(
Rick (Christopher Mitchum)
Played by Christopher Mitchum
A rebellious biker who pushes the capture plot with headlong risk-taking, chasing a sensational payoff. His impulsive streak drives the story toward the climactic confrontation.
- 🏍️ Rebellious
- 🧭 Pragmatic
- 🔥 Impulsive
- JL
Joi Landis (Joi Lansing)
Played by Joi Lansing
A pilot whose engine fails, forcing her to parachute to safety. She survives the first encounter with the Bigfoot and remains resourceful and determined as events unfold.
- ✈️ Pilot
- 🧭 Resourceful
- W(
Wheels (Lindsay Crosby)
Played by Lindsay Crosby
A biker allied with Rick, part of the search crew through the woods. He embodies the rough, fearless temperament of the pursuit and contributes to the escalating tension.
- 🏍️ Biker
- 🗺️ Adventurous
- DB
Dad Bigfoot
The 12-foot-tall Bigfoot patriarch who defends his kin and fights to protect them. His rampage and ultimate confrontation with humans marks a turning point in the conflict.
- 🐾 Family-first
- 🦊 Ferocious
- L(
Lucky (William Bonner)
Played by William Bonner
A drunken local who crosses paths with the Bigfoot rescue attempt and meets a tragic end when the creature's path leads through the town.
- 🍺 Drunk
- ☠️ Tragic
Where and When Is Bigfoot Set?
Bigfoot is set in Forest, Remote Woods and Small Town. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Forest, Remote Woods, Small Town
Most of the film unfolds in a dense forest and surrounding woods, creating a remote, perilous backdrop for disappearances and pursuit. The nearby town and its ranger and sheriff stations provide a human counterpoint that struggles to take the threat seriously. The Bigfoot lair, hidden within the woods, becomes the center of the showdown and the focal point of the conflict.
- 🌲 Forest
- 🗺️ Wilderness
- 🏡 Small Town
What Are the Themes of Bigfoot?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Exploitation, Belief vs Skepticism and Family and Guardianship.
-
01
Exploitation
A desire to profit from the creature drives the plan to capture and display Bigfoot as a freak show attraction, highlighting the dangers of sensationalism and profiteering.
-
02
Belief vs Skepticism
Only a few characters truly believe the danger and the truth of the Bigfoot threat, while authorities dismiss the claims as folklore. The tension between belief and evidence fuels the conflict and delays decisive action.
-
03
Family and Guardianship
Dad Bigfoot defends his kin and confronts human intruders, underscoring the instinct to protect offspring. The confrontation escalates into a dramatic clash between wildlife and exploitation and ends with the creature’s demise, prompting reflections on the costs of meddling with nature.
What Kind of Film Is Bigfoot?
Tense in tone, with steady pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Tense
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A grungy and bizarre creature feature that steadily builds tension through monster attacks and chaotic rescue attempts, culminating in a destructive finale with a lingering cautionary feel.
- tense
- bizarre
- chaotic
- grungy
- exploitative
- dangerous
- monster hunt
- rescue mission
- showmanship
- creature feature
Content notes: monster violence, abduction, death, exploitation.
Quiz
How well do you remember Bigfoot? Test yourself on the story.
