Was Bigfoot a hoax? Through evidence and testimonials, 'Capturing Bigfoot' argues yes

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Set us as preferred For years, Bigfoot devotees cited a 1967 film clip, shot by Roger Patterson with friend Bob Gimlin, showing the creature in the wilds of Northern California as proof positive of its existence.In the late 1990s, a man came forward and claimed he was the costumed creature and soon after that, another man named Greg Long wrote a book filled with facts debunking claims of the giant’s existence.

Still, believers kept on believing.But recently filmmaker Marq Evans (“Claydream”) was approached by a woman who worked at Olympic College, where he teaches, with film that had been sitting in her father’s safe for decades.The film turned out to be footage shot by Patterson in 1966 with a different-looking Bigfoot.

The impossible-to-ignore implication was that it was a test run, but Patterson felt that costumed friend walked too much like a human so he recast the role.Evans’ new documentary, “Capturing Bigfoot,” not only reveals this footage for the first time, but he also got Patterson’s son, Clint, and his widow, Patricia, to confirm on camera for the first time that the whole thing was a hoax.(Patterson, who was a rodeo cowboy, a talented artist and something of a con artist, died in 1972 from stomach cancer.)Well DocumentedWith networks and streamers seeking to create compelling content, many have found the answer in true stories.

But with the surge in documentaries, it can be hard to sift through what’s worth your time.Each month, we provide an inside look at a documentary and others you should add to your queue.Even people who never believed Bigfoot was real will find the documentary, now available to rent on Prime Video, compelling for the colorful characters clashing for decades as they tried to protect or expose the secrets behind the hoax.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.Wh...