Newly Unearthed Footage Exposes Famed Bigfoot Sighting as Hoax

A new documentary, "Capturing Bigfoot," is set to reveal that the most famous footage of Bigfoot, the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film, was a hoax. The film presents a newly discovered 16mm reel, reportedly shot in 1966, which appears to be a rehearsal for the iconic sighting. This discovery challenges decades of belief among enthusiasts and researchers who considered the original footage definitive evidence of the creature's existence.

The previously secret "rehearsal" film, unearthed from a safe where it had been stored for decades, is approximately 40 seconds long. It shows a Bigfoot-like figure walking through a wooded area and looking over its shoulder in a manner strikingly similar to the 1967 footage. The original film, shot by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin in Bluff Creek, California, on October 20, 1967, depicts a creature walking through a barren stretch of woods.

Both films were reportedly shot on the same Kodak K-100 camera, a detail that left distinctive markings on the film, including edge numbers and date codes, according to investigators.

"This is like the Holy Grail or something. This is going to change everything about my dad’s film," Clint Patterson, the son of Roger Patterson, states in the documentary. Larry Lund, known as the "Sasquatch Sleuth," described the rehearsal footage as "uncannily like the '67 film" and a clear indication that the original was "definitely faked and that’s definitely rehearsed." Greg Long, author of "The Making of Bigfoot," echoed this sentiment, calling the new footage a "smoking gun."

The bombshell reel was discovered in 2017 by Teresa Brooks, daughter of Norm Johnson, who had worked in Boeing's film department in the 1960s. According to Brooks, Johnson was involved in Patterson's hoax but remained silent due to pressure from his wife. Brooks inherited the film reel after her mother's death and decided to share it with filmmaker Marq Evans, a colleague at Olympic College.

"This film has been sitting in a safe for 50 years," Brooks said in the documentary. "Part of me wanted to keep the family secret."

The documentary also explores the profound impact of the original Bigfoot hoax on individuals like Larry Lund, who expressed a "deep loss" and lamented how the deception affected people's lives. Rene Dahinden, an early Bigfoot hunter who was deeply invested in the Patterson-Gimlin film, reportedly lost his marriage and family due to his obsession.

Clint Patterson reveals in the film that his mother, Patty, confirmed that Bob Heironimus, who has long claimed to be the individual in the suit in the 1967 video, was part of the hoax. This revelation has deeply affected Clint, who stated, "That means my dad lied to me. He was my hero." He explained his eight-year silence by saying the rights to the Patterson-Gimlin footage were his mother's sole source of income. "I don’t like being a liar. And I’m ready to come clean," Patterson stated.

The documentary "Capturing Bigfoot" is scheduled for release on theaters and Prime Video on October 20.