BY SHELDON GARDNER, ST. AUGUSTINE RECORD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FEBRUARY 06, 2021
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA.
As part of his new line of work, St. Johns County resident Chris Simoes has become well-acquainted with Bigfoot culture.
The filmmaker has traveled with Bigfoot enthusiasts and gone on sasquatch hunts. He camped in North Georgia with a friend he describes as a “Bigfoot believer,” who used various calls to try and attract a sasquatch.
“There’s several ways that people believe Bigfoot communicates,” Simoes said. “He knocks on trees, like with a stick. So they’ll knock on trees. They’ll clack rocks together. And they’ll hoot and, you know, howl and that kind of thing, so a lot of Bigfoot hunters will go out into the woods and try to mimic their sounds and wait for answers.”
So far the trips haven’t surfaced any Bigfoot sightings.
Simoes has made two feature-length films about Bigfoot
His latest, “Bigfoot: The Conspiracy,” was picked up in December by Amazon Prime Video after he submitted it for publication. The film has been streamed for millions of minutes so far, he said. It’s also available on the site in Japan.
“It’s surreal, really,” he said.
He created the film under his business, Legends Beware.
“As a kid I was always so enthralled, I guess, with myths and legends and Bigfoot, and that kind of thing,” he said.
Simoes sat down for an interview with The Record at his home near U.S. 1 South along with his daughter, Alexa, who is 24.
He said he chose Bigfoot as the topic for his first feature-length film, “Bigfoot: The Curse of Blood Mountain,” which was released in 2014 on Amazon Prime Video, in part because of the “subculture” that follows Bigfoot sightings, he said. He knew people would watch it.
THE LEGEND
According to the Washington Military Department (a sector of the Washington Air National Guard took Bigfoot as its mascot), “The legends of Bigfoot go back beyond recorded history and cover the world. In North America — and particularly the Northwest — you can hear tales of 7-foot-tall hairy men stalking the woods, occasionally scaring campers, lumberjacks, hikers and the like.”
Some Bigfoot movies are about “mindless killing machines” who tear people apart, Simoes said. But that wasn’t the kind of Bigfoot story he wanted to tell.
Simoes wanted to emphasize the importance of respecting nature and to portray Bigfoot as more of a protector of the land.
“It’s just like any other bear or anything else,” Simoes said. “They just want to be left alone.”
Through research for the films and from experiences with Bigfoot researchers, he has learned more about the roots of the Bigfoot story.
“Like the first movie, it’s based on Cherokee Indian folklore. There are a lot of Cherokee Indians who are firm believers in Bigfoot,” he said.
Alexa said the movie sheds a different light on Bigfoot.
“It’s not just like, ‘This is a monster,‘” she said.
Some people take Bigfoot research seriously. The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization ― which describes itself as “the only scientific research organization exploring the Bigfoot/Sasquatch mystery” ― lists close encounters by region.
There are five reported encounters in St. Johns County, the latest from February 2013 at Twelve Mile Swamp, according to the website.
Though the man didn’t see a creature, he heard noises. The site described it as largely constituting “typical Sasquatch behavior.”
“At one time (the man) hooted twice. In return, the branches thrashed violently, and he heard a guttural growl,” the report says. “Before he left, he hit a tree, twice. When he did this something ran through the scrub away from him, it sounded to be 40 feet away.”
Simoes said he went out to the area a couple of weeks ago and didn’t not encounter Bigfoot, or the “skunk ape,” as it’s referred to in Florida.
According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, “Indian tribes across North America have a total of more than 60 different terms for the sasquatch. ... Many different terms have been used by pioneers and later non-native inhabitants of North America, including ‘skookums’ and ‘mountain devils.‘”
The group also offers safety advice to people who encounter Bigfoot:
“A bright flashlight or spotlight seems to be the most effective way to make one or more sasquatches back off and leave an area. Even warning shots are apparently not as effective as bright spotlights, especially when carried by groups of people searching a wooded area after dark.”
A VOLUNTEER EFFORT
An unexpected life event led Simoes to making movies about Bigfoot.
Years ago, Simoes was forced to retire early from a career in federal law enforcement because of a back injury. He worked jobs that proved to be unfulfilling, and so he began to pursue his longtime interest in filmmaking.
With no background in the field, Simoes sold personal items to buy equipment and learned the craft on his own. He practiced by making short films with family.
“Bigfoot: The Conspiracy” focuses on a retired Border Patrol agent (played by Simoes) “as he discovers the possible existence of Bigfoot and the shroud of darkness that surrounds it,” the film’s summary reads.
Simoes has lived in the area with his family since 2020, but he filmed much of the movie on their former property in Georgia. His children appear in the film, and Alexa helped with production.
Filming started in July 2019, just soon enough to finish before COVID-19 struck.
Simoes began working in the film industry as an actor before going into filmmaking, and he built relationships with other actors.
Eventually he got tired of being an extra and decided to do his own work, desiring to influence the creative process, he said. He reached out to actors he had met, and he found enough volunteer actors to put films together.
Simoes’ friend Dave Watkins starred in the latest film and co-produced it. But there was a multitude of help from other people.
And, of course, Simoes’ needed a Bigfoot suit.
But the one he ordered online wasn’t ready to go when it arrived.
“When I got it, I was disappointed there wasn’t more hair, so I added so much more hair to it,” he said.
He taught himself how to plug hair into the suit, and even collected hair from Alexa after she got haircuts. It’s lightweight, weighing only about 15 pounds or so.
A few people wore the suit in the movie, including someone with experience as a professional sports mascot. Watkins made a small appearance in the suit.
“It’s actually very difficult to do. … I’m definitely not the best Bigfoot walker,” Watkins said.
Simoes said without the help of Alexa, Watkins and volunteers, the film would not have been possible.
“We know we’re learning. We know we don’t have a budget. We just try to work extra hard to create a cinematic feel,” he said.
Eventually Simoes wants to make money creating films. He’s focused now on a short film about COVID-19 and the vaccine, he said.
It’s not clear yet what fresh work Simoes might pursue involving Bigfoot, though he is planning a trip with another Bigfoot enthusiast.
As for his thoughts about the legend of Bigfoot?
“I’m an enthusiast, but I’m a skeptic,” Simoes said.
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