Feed the Gods is another low-budget Bigfoot film but one that tweaks the cliché of the standard Sasquatch creature feature by injecting a shot of modern folk horror.
Released in 2014, Feed the Gods is written and directed by Braden Croft and features a strong cast of young Canadian actors and veteran character actors. There’s even an appearance by Garry Chalk as the sheriff. Chalk also played a sheriff in 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason.
Feed the Goods is available to watch free on ad-supported streaming services Tubi and YouTube via Bleiberg Entertainment. The movie is not well reviewed with a 3.7 (out of 10) IMDb rating, but it has more than 1.2 million views on YouTube and a lot of fans.
The film starts with a tense if somewhat confusing prologue at the border of a town called Tendale. It shows a mother handing over her two young boys at gunpoint to an old man demanding her “tickets.” There’s a red line marked across the road, and apparently, you can’t step safely beyond the town without a ticket. The mother only has the two tickets for her children, but another woman with her own ticket offers to care for the brothers. Her children gone, the distraught mother walks across the red line and discovers what happens to people without a ticket.
Years later, we’re reintroduced to the brothers as adults in their late twenties who are reunited after their foster mother dies. Among their inheritance are a photograph and video of the brothers’ biological parents. The older brother Will is an aspiring filmmaker and a slacker who wants to drive to Tendale and find their mom and dad. The younger Kris is a high-strung lawyer ready to bury the past but gets coaxed into the road trip by his girlfriend Brit.
Prompted by the video, the three of them journey to Tendale, a dying town with only 60 residents but known for the Sasquatch legend. Unbeknownst to the trio, the suspicious residents there honor a devil’s pact with a creature called the Wild Man.
The long drive to the town establishes the brothers’ rocky relationship and Brit as the peacemaker. When they arrive in Tendale, the three start their search and soon realize the residents aren’t too keen on helping them find their parents. An overnight camping excursion in the woods ends in a tragic accident that ignites the action and suspense of the last half-hour. Disturbing discoveries are made, and details of the pact with the Wild Man are revealed in a frantic climax.
The 84-minute creature feature was shot in 20 days, according to IMDb.com. Like in many low-budget Bigfoot movies, the actual creature is barely glimpsed, but we get a handful of fearsome facial shots in the last five minutes.
I’d recommend Feed the Gods just for the moment when the spunky Brit uses a Sasquatch skull to save Kris and perfectly delivers the line: “Keep that in mind when you pick out my wedding ring.” I also give the film points for investing in the character development enough for me to care what happens to the brothers and Brit.
I’ll repeat what I wrote in my review of Bigfoot Country. I enjoyed Feed the Gods enough to watch a sequel if one ever gets made. I liked the creepy final moment and the surprising reveal after the cast credits roll. Plus, the acting and direction are definitely a cut above most Bigfoot features I’ve watched.
NEXT UP: Chapter Fifty: The Woodsmen. I review the 2018 short film directed by Victor Cooper and Jodi Cooper.
RELATED LINKS
THE BIGFOOT FILES
HorrorAddicts.net 