[7]

Exists is easily the best Bigfoot movie ever made. There’s still room for improvement, but I have to applaud writer Jamie Nash and director Eduardo Sánchez (The Blair Witch Project) for making my favorite boogeyman as scary as he ought to be. The monster is fast, furious, angry, and towering. The story isn’t the most original, but it suffices. Five college kids sneak away to an uncle’s remote cabin and accidentally hit and injure a creature that walks out in front of the car. It escapes into the woods before they can get a good look at it. Some of the scariest stuff in the movie is while the kids try to sleep in the car overnight while occasionally hearing the wounded beast wailing deep in the woods. Before long, the monster is out for revenge and invades their cabin — cue the body count. The cast do well and the creature design/makeup are solid as well. My biggest gripe with Exists is the fact that it’s a found footage movie. I know Sánchez made his mark in the now-hackneyed sub-genre, but the approach does this particular film no favors and strains my suspension of disbelief. I mean, who’s really going to be continually operating myriad video cameras when ‘Squatch is knockin’ on your door? While it’s a major gripe, I can overlook it — because I’ve always wanted to see a scary Bigfoot movie. Warts and all, Exists is now the one to beat.