Night of the Demon 1980

Carla seeks Bill's help to prove Bigfoot's existence

Carla Thomas approaches anthropology professor Bill Nugent, convinced her father's murder was the work of a Bigfoot. She asks him to take four students—Roy, Pete, Gary, and Linda—along on an expedition to investigate. Bill agrees to lead the investigation into the Northern California woods.

Expedition begins on the river and camps at Lou Carlson's property

The team travels by boat along a river and sets up camp on the property of Lou Carlson, an elderly man who claims to have seen Bigfoot. Lou is evasive when questioned about the creature, but he allows them to stay the night.

Roy bribes Lou and directs them toward Wanda

When Roy bribes Lou with alcohol, Lou suggests they seek Wanda, a recluse who reportedly knows more about Bigfoot. The group agrees to pursue this lead and press further into the forest.

Hunter is killed by Bigfoot

A hunter camping nearby is attacked and impaled by the Bigfoot on a jagged branch. The brutal event confirms the creature's presence in the area. The group realizes their expedition is facing real danger.

Town research reveals Wanda's background

In the nearby town, the group learns Wanda is the daughter of the deranged preacher Emmet McGinty, whose followers were rumored to engage in cannibalism and human sacrifice. Emmet has since committed suicide. The information deepens the mystery surrounding Wanda.

Ritual discovery and disruption

That night, Bill and Roy follow chanting and stumble upon a Satanic ritual around a Bigfoot effigy, with Wanda among the participants and a sheriff present. Bill interrupts the ceremony by firing a gun, causing the cultists to scatter.

Mysterious disappearance of their boat and footprints

In the morning, their boat is missing and large footprints line the shore. They take plaster casts of the tracks as they press onward in their quest for evidence.

Bigfoot attacks Linda and Gary

That night, the Bigfoot attacks Linda and Gary while they are together, but the couple survive the brutal encounter. The threat of the creature remains urgent and terrifying.

Arrival at Wanda's cabin and Pete's attack

The group reaches Wanda's cabin and bribing her with candy, but she grows nervous when the Bigfoot is mentioned. Pete is attacked by the Bigfoot and later disappears, leaving the others anxious and unsure of what happened.

Wanda's backstory revealed under hypnosis

Bill hypnotizes Wanda to recall her abusive childhood, revealing that the Bigfoot raped her and that Emmet had attempted to force an abortion. Wanda describes the birth of a mutant child and Emmet's subsequent murder of the infant, followed by Wanda's act of setting fire to Emmet's barn. The revelations reshape the group's understanding of the forest's horrors.

Infant Bigfoot skeleton discovered

Hoping to find evidence, Bill digs up the cemetery and discovers the skeletal remains of the infant Bigfoot. The evidence supports Wanda's memories and intensifies the group's resolve to finish the investigation.

Bigfoot abducts the infant remains and siege begins

The Bigfoot appears in the cemetery, absconds with its dead spawn, and heads toward Wanda's cabin, where Bill and the others barricade themselves inside. The threat closes in as night falls again.

The cabin siege and cascading deaths

Hours later, the Bigfoot breaks into Wanda's cabin and orchestrates a brutal slaughter: it hangs Pete's mutilated body on the porch, then kills Carla by strangulation, disembowels Gary, smashes Roy's head through a window and cuts his throat, and impales Linda with a pitchfork. Bill fights for his life, but the monster burns his face on the stove and leaves him for dead.