The names Bigfoot and Sasquatch evoke many reactions and are part of several folklore tales. Truly the entire gamut from true believer to complete skeptic can be activated by asking any American about Bigfoot. For a few movies now, Seth Breedlove’s production company, Small Town Monsters, has been tracking eyewitness accounts of Bigfoot across the United States. With On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier, Breedlove and his team find themselves in Alaska.
As we see over the runtime of this documentary, there are numerous eyewitness accounts of something resembling Bigfoot all over the massive state of Alaska. We also learn from the filmmaker’s narration he is highly doubtful they’ll find anything that big or fantastical in a state as wide and empty as it. However, in Alaska, known as the Last Frontier, even with oil drilling and commercial fishing interests, there are millions of miles of untouched wilderness where no human has trod.
Also noteworthy concerning the sightings presented in On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier is that there’s no actual footage. There are castings of footprints. There are hair samples and audio tracks. Yet time and again, nobody has any visual footage of these tall creatures they encounter in the arboreal forest regions of Alaska. Instead, you get to hear the tale of a hunter whose friend high tails it away from him when they witness a hunched-over furball stand up tall in one smooth movement. You will learn of a Sasquatch that has a close-up encounter with a native woman in the 1960s. You will even hear of a Bigfoot who follows someone after they witness the creature and its cubs cross a road.
“…does Bigfoot roam across Alaska?”
All the while, the mystery of whether Bigfoot exists remains intact. At the climax, one of the researchers states he expects one day someone will shoot a Bigfoot, or a contractor will run one over one foggy morning, and then the mystery will be gone. There’s a certain romantic notion to that sentiment. The value of Bigfoot is not in confirming his existence; it’s the pervading mystery that haunts people.
On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier is a cleanly shot documentary. The narration is well-written and delivered. I enjoyed the various pieces of artwork depicting Bigfoot. Further, the production team highlights Alaska’s vast and glorious desolation. It makes sense why people like being out there. For a frigid and dangerous environment, its natural beauty is quite breathtaking.
So, does Bigfoot roam across Alaska? Are there really 3-5 species of Sasquatch who occasionally interact with us in the wilderness of Denali? In the end, it’s hard to say. Breedlove will undoubtedly continue to generate these documentaries as he continues to search for more and more concrete evidence of Bigfoot. For me, the value is in the journey, not the destination. On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier is a fun documentary. While your mileage might vary on the merit of the subject matter, I found it to be eminently watchable. It’s a good use of 85 minutes. Seek it out if you like such mysteries.
"…eminently watchable."
