Mastodawn

Long hidden evidence blows up the reality of the Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot film

A bomb dropped at the SXSW film festival that upends all hope that the infamous Patterson Gimlin film showed an actual Bigfoot. Revelations in the Marq Evans’ documentary Capturing Bigfoot appear to confirm, to all reasonable degree, that the PGF, filmed in 1967 at Bluff Creek, California, was hoaxed by Patterson and company.

Capturing Bigfoot documentary is not readily viewable at this time. It likely will get a distributor shortly because many people are very interested in this new development on a 59-year-old classic piece of Americana that started the Bigfoot craze that continues today.

Here is some info from Unseen Films, by a person who did see it

CAPTURING BIGFOOT is the story of the best-known film footage of Bigfoot, the Patterson/Gimlin film that was shot in 1967 when the pair was out looking for the creature when one showed up and Patterson was thrown from his horse but held on to his camera. It’s the tale of what happened as told by Patterson’s son, Clint, and the other people involved with it, as well as the people who believed and those that didn’t. It’s a very bittersweet and melancholy film not just for its revelations but because it’s the story of lives broken apart by the few feet of film.

[…]

The selling point of the film is that recent[ly] discovered reel of 16mm film that had been locked in a vault for decades. We know the film exists at the start and it is hinted that the revelation, borne out later in the film, that it reveals the film we all know is a hoax.

Poster for Capturing Bigfoot (2026) featuring the iconic Frame 352 of the Patterson Gimlin film.

What’s on the found footage

People magazine has a story that reveals a bit more. The headline is clear that the film is revealed as a hoax: The Famed 1967 Bigfoot Film Was an ‘Incredible Hoax,’ Says the Director of a Groundbreaking New Documentary. The found film was given to Evans by the daughter of the person who apparently developed the original PGF. This new bit was a first run of the setup:

Not long after receiving Brooks’ email, Evans had the 16mm film developed and days later found himself looking at a 40-second clip set in a location similar to the one in the 1967 movie, showing what appeared to be a slightly skinnier-looking Bigfoot walking into the woods.

The article goes on to say that it was Bob Heironimus in the Bigfoot suit in the original film, and that both Clint and Patty Patterson knew the film was a hoax to make money. Finally, there is a revelation that Clint saw Roger burn the original suit.

In an interview with FilmMakerMixer.com podcast, Evans discusses how the film came to be through a fortuitous interaction with a person at his university. This interview clarifies that Evans did not set out with the intention of making a debunking film. However, as the story unfolded, he sought out more information, eventually getting to speak to the Pattersons themselves who previously have never revealed what they knew.

https://youtu.be/AW-cO1xYuMU?si=gaDqunVsqvecR92w&t=419

Roger Patterson died from cancer five years later. The PGF was a lasting legacy he could hardly have imagined. In 2004, author Greg Long dug deep into Patterson’s history and showed him to be an untrustworthy narrator of the Bigfoot tale. Long’s book The Making of Bigfoot was a big deal, but like all other critical literature on cryptids, the Bigfoot believer community rejected it. Long is vindicated by this documentary as Evans stated he relied heavily on Long’s recorded interviews.

Short of having the suit, which wouldn’t be much to look at today if it did still exist, almost all the pieces to the puzzle have been completed.

The aftermath will be fascinating

The evidence that the PGF was faked has been substantial since day one. And every day that went by without a Bigfoot body meant an incrementally more solid argument for concluding an actual zoological being does not exist.

Nevertheless, those that believe that Bigfoot is out there will likely not be swayed by more evidence of the PGF being a hoax. Apparently the film shows this exact response from Bill Munns, who has become a known “expert” for the PGF and considers it genuine. It’s not easy or simple to peel away the many thick layers of confirmatory information that believers have built up around their worldview. They will not readily concede that their life’s investment was a scam.

However, those on the fence may be swayed. Those who had doubts might turn and give up. It will be interesting to watch the reaction. What will Bob Gimlin have to say? How will the rest of the community react?

I lament that Jeffrey Meldrum could not supply us with his thoughts on this. But I would also guess he would disregard it. Others who have had personal experiences will continue to insist there is something out there.

Even if this new film gets traction, it won’t diminish the presence of Bigfoot in North American culture. That will remain huge for a long time. Bigfoot is a Pop Cryptid, which means attention given to it is less about finding a new animal and more about enjoying the idea of a weird creature, particularly via speculation and fun stories, with an emphasis on casual belief and commodification.

The Ultimate Hoax

Whenever I have mentioned the PGF to people not involved in cryptozoology, they assume it was conclusively admitted as a hoax already. With about 20% of the population feeling positive about the reality of Bigfoot, this is unsurprising. What is surprising is that we have this new evidence come to light. The original film was analyzed to death. Second only to the Zapruder film as the most analyzed in American history, the PGF has enthralled people for nearly 59 years. The visual aspect of a moving creature, the ambiguity of its features, the promotion of the idea that it was out there, and the commodification that kept its spirit alive when no body could ever be found meant this piece of media had incredible impact and will live on forever.

Patterson got very lucky to have a stunt end up as a film that was fortuitously just blurry enough to fool so many people. The situation evolved in such a way that kept it fascinating for decades. But the case is now closed. Patterson and Gimlin will live on as great American hoaxers.

#Bigfoot #CapturingBigfoot #hoax #MarqEvans #PattersonGimlinFilm #PGFilm #RogerPatterson #Sasquatch

Sharon A. Hill 4d ago

The old Bigfoot is dead, long live the idea of Bigfoot

Published 13-March-2026
Updated 14-March-2026

A new documentary by Marq Evans presents the history of the infamous Patterson Gimlin Film (PGF) and includes NEW information that reveals the truth behind the film.

The movie Capturing Bigfoot premiered at SXSW. Mostly the story of Roger Patterson and his involvement in promoting the idea of Bigfoot, the film also includes participation by his son, Clint, who was a young kid at the time. It has skeptics gleeful and gloating, even though it’s said to be ambiguous about certain aspects. The revelation that a new bit of film found locked in a vault may be enough to conclude the PGF was a planned hoax.

Those of us not in attendance will not be able to see the film immediately. But here is the info from Unseen Films, by a person who did see it, which is the best review I’ve found so far:

[…]

What’s on the found footage

The article goes on to say that it was Bob Heironimus in the original film, that both Clint and Patty Patterson knew the film was a hoax to make money, and that the original suit was burned.

This is interesting. First, the PGF has been analyzed to death. Try as some might, you cannot squeeze more technical detail out of a grainy old bit of copied footage. Those who say you can see the zipper are full of BS. No one has ever found the “suit” that was supposedly worn by Bob Heironimus (or others). No one has been able to reproduce something that looks like it. The circumstances can likely NEVER be recreated. So to have new input into the PGF is surprising.

Confirmation of a hoax

The response to the original PGF was polarizing. While some clearly saw a Bigsuit, others just as clearly saw the primary and most influential piece of Sasquatch evidence. The film was an incredible example of viewer perspective – you see just what you want to see.

Those who believe will likely not be swayed by more evidence of the PGF being a hoax. (Apparently the film shows this response from Bill Munns who has become a known “expert” for the PGF and considers it genuine.) It’s not easy or simple to peel away the many thick layers of confirmatory information that believers have built up around their worldview.

However, those on the fence may be swayed. Those who had doubts might turn and give up. But Bigfoot will never die.

The evidence that the PGF was faked has been substantial since day one. This is not new. The publicity of the hoax is also not new. Books have been written. And every day that went by without a Bigfoot body built an incrementally more solid argument that it does not exist.

End of the line for searching for Bigfoot?

Even if the information in this new film gets traction, it won’t diminish the presence of Bigfoot in North American culture. That will remain huge for a long time. Bigfoot is a Pop Cryptid, which means attention given to it is less about finding a new animal (the original use of the term ‘cryptid’) and more about enjoying the idea of a weird creature (the new use of ‘cryptid’), particularly in speculation and fun stories, with an emphasis on casual belief and commodification.

Distinguishing the old idea of cryptid from the new may hinge on one activity – collecting evidence of its real world existence. People enjoy studying cryptids as folklore creatures, or as monsters in media, as town mascots, or spirits of a place. It’s fun to believe but, when pressed, that person will admit it’s probably not real. With about 20% of the population saying that “Bigfoot is real”, some portion of those respondents are playing. Even fewer are actively “collecting data” and even fewer are doing anything with it.

Cryptozoology in the 21st century is primarily the realm of the Pop Cryptid. Cryptids, in that sense, are more popular than ever. This new news about the PGF is, at the end of the day, unsurprising. But it’s still sad. Again, from the Unseen Films review:

There is a great sadness not only in seeing the lives of people whose whole existence is a short piece of film, but the way that piece of film wrecked lives as friendships were broken, money was stolen, and families were destroyed as family members said things to each other that should never be said. (And that is before the sadness that occurs when you realized how this film is going to break hearts and destroy the worlds of people invested in Bigfoot.)

The PGF was either an incredible piece of nature footage or one of the biggest hoaxes of all time. I suspect this argument will continue even though the scales are tipped. Even this month, media gave some attention to a cluster of entirely non-credible reports in Ohio. No images, no actual evidence – just more stories. I’ve been tired of this for a while. Bigfoot is a fascinating cultural phenomenon but, for the most part, anything original in terms of cryptozoology has already been said. Cryptid Bigfoot is a bust. Pop Cryptid Bigfoot is a superstar.

‘Capturing Bigfoot’ Review: Cultural Mystery Meets Family History in a Captivating and Revelatory Doc Hollywood Reporter
SXSW Film Review: Capturing Bigfoot Austin (TX) Chronicle

Note that the film as of this date does not have a distribution to streaming services.

The review and reaction from Hairy Man Road who saw the documentary and answers some obvious questions. He has no doubt it was the suit, it was the PGF, and it was Bob Gimlin involved.

https://youtu.be/WBuWLe1MC_A?si=Kqfy39-RfDNUWv7x

#Bigfoot #CapturingBigfoot #cryptid #cryptids #Cryptozoology #PattersonGimlinFilm #Sasquatch https://sharonahill.com/?p=10867