menggok blogs: Yet Another Yeti Movie

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Undead Backbrain / Avery Guerra

Oh thank God, it had been almost a month since I last wrote about a Bigfoot movie. I was starting to think that the "Sasquatch Movie Craze" was in hibernation there for a minute. Thankfully giant harry ape men are still the monster of choice for independent film makers. I was starting to get worried.

Naturally I could go into a prolonged list of all the Bigfoot horror movies that are being produced, or have been produced, over the last two years, but why bother? There is no need to beat this horse any more than I already have.

Lets just say that all the Bigfoot fans have nothing to worry about. There are enough movies out there to occupy your Saturday nights from now until doomsday.

The latest Gigantopithicus creature feature to come wandering out of the cinematic woodlands is a short film by Australian director Sean Francis Ellis called "Claws" which was filmed just up the highway from me in Big Bear, California and stars Spencer Falls, Adrian Chang, Sarah Belger, Paton Ashbrook, Alessandro Giannetti and Tom Skalka.

Here is the synopsis:

For 350 years, the Tutchone people of Western Canada have told stories about the Beast known as Yakatutch, which lives in the remote wilderness of the Yukon. Once a fierce warrior, Yakatutch was cursed for an unspeakable crime against his tribe, and banished to the farthest mountains. But the tribal leaders who cursed Yakatutch could not foresee what has come… a large population, living on the edge of its habitat.

When an unknown animal starts killing people near the small Yukon town of Whitehorse, Anthropologist Marcus Fletcher discovers DNA evidence of something part-human and part-animal. He believes it is the legendary creature, but his son Scott (22), a local snowboarding champ, is unconvinced. Marcus meets with a Tutchone Elder, who explains that Yakatutch can only be killed by one of his descendants. The Elder sends Matusa, a powerful-looking but quiet young tribesman, who has been raised for one purpose: to kill The Beast.

Marcus introduces Matusa to local Police Captain, Pierre Babineaux, who is intrigued by their story. He invites them to his home for dinner, but Scott is uncomfortable, because he is dating Babineaux’s daughter, Ayasha, a beautiful young RCMP officer. That evening, Babineaux’s wife Anita, who is also Tutchone, makes a startling revelation about Matusa – he is her son. He was taken away as a child, because she was unmarried.

When police discover more victims with distinctive claw-shaped wounds and The Beast’s DNA, Marcus makes an even more startling discovery: The Beast is evolving – becoming more human. Marcus believes The Beast is the key to potentially ground-breaking DNA research. He secretly goes to the mountains alone, hoping to capture The Beast, alive.

Believing that Marcus is in grave danger, Scott convinces Babineaux that the legendary Beast is real. Anita warns him to stay away from The Beast’s domain, but Babineaux decides to go, with Matusa as their guide. Aware of the danger, Ayasha joins her father and her half-brother, Matusa, to help Scott find his father, and hunt down The Beast.

The film actually did very well at the Beverly Hills Film Festival Screenplay Competition in 2010 and now Ellis has plans to expand it into a full-length feature film.

The director explains, "At this stage, the film is about one year away from production. The shoot will take place in the winter, in a mountainous area of the US or in Canada. The creature from the film is being designed currently, but no artwork is available yet. It will likely be a suit with some CG enhancements."

Here is "Claws" in it's entirety:

CLAWS - Ten Minute Short from Sean Francis Ellis on Vimeo.