Coming to VOD Nov 11
AppleTV, Google Play, and YouTube
Although the gold rush was technically over, a handful of prospectors — Fred Beck, Marion Smith, Roy Smith, Gabe Lafever, and John Peterson — believed there was gold to be found in The Siege of Ape Canyon. This area near Mount St. Helens was still relatively unexplored in the 1920s; little did these men know it was also home to creatures of legend. Mass sightings of Bigfoot did not begin in earnest until after their encounter. And even after the eruption of the volcano, speculation remains rife about how many survived—or whether any did.
While Indigenous lore regarding the Sasquatch receives little emphasis in this documentary, what director Eli Watson presents is a focused examination of how the legend has gained notoriety. Producer Seth Breedlove (Small Town Monsters) backs a production that privileges storytelling and folklore over rigorous anthropological framing.