‘The Vice Guide to Bigfoot’ (2019) Movie Review

The Vice Guide to Bigfoot is a satirical mockumentary that follows a hopeless millennial reporter who longs for his dream job. Instead, he finds himself chasing Bigfoot. The film had its World Premiere at the 2019 Austin Film Festival tonight, Friday, October 25th. And it was freaking awesome.

This paranormal comedy was directed by Zach Lamplugh as well as written by himself and Brian Emond. They also star in this film along with Jeffrey Stephenson, Nicholas Hollins, Dexter Ferguson, and Jenna Kannell.

Synopsis for The Vice Guide to Bigfoot

This story follows a hopelessly millennial reporter on the most important assignment of his career: Bigfoot. But after following a prominent cryptozoologist into the Appalachian foothills, he’s forced to answer the question, “Is a good story worth dying for?”

I had a blast with this one. It’s definitely one of the best mockumentaries I’ve ever seen. The Vice Guide to Bigfoot is such a fun and hilarious story with relatable characters, and twists and turns you won’t expect. It exceeded my expectations by far and was refreshing to watch something different from my usual horror features.

I think we’ve all been at a point in our lives when we’re waiting for something to happen with our job. A promotion. A raise. And if it doesn’t, we don’t know how much longer we can keep doing it. The same shit over and over again. That is what the main character is going through. When he gets the opportunity to travel to Georiga and seek out Bigfoot, he doesn’t take it seriously. He thinks it’s all crazy espeically his tour guide, who doesn’t seem to have a clue what he’s doing…or does he? Just when he thinks he’s completely wasted his time, the unimaginable happens. I also loved all the Jurassic Park quotes.

“Life Finds A Way”

All of the performances are great and will make you laugh. Brian Emond plays a real butthead, but he grows as a person during this trip and comes to terms with what matters. He’s arrogant but hilarious. Jeffrey Stephenson was equally great and their personalities worked perfectly together.

I figured there would be some surprises in this film, but the events that unfold completely took me by surprise. It was super fun and ridiculously chaotic and so worth it. It will also leave you second-guessing that next trip to the woods…

Final Thoughts

I actually know quite a few people who are huge Bigfoot enthusiasts and they remind me a lot of Jeffrey’s character. It’s fascinating to see them get excited over what looks like a blurry picture or a random alignment of twigs. Just to be clear, I’m not knocking them about their passion, just a general observation of what it looks like to an outsider. The Vice Guide to Bigfoot reminded me of them, their stories, and because of that, the film had a realistic feel and relatable story. It’s hilarious from beginning to end and definitely a must-see!