Devolution: Bigfoot Horror
Are there any good sasquatch movies out there? I’ve seen Bobcat Goldthwait’s found footage film Willow Creek. That’s probably the best reviewed of the subgenre, though I don’t remember liking it. I’ve seen the amazingly-titled The Man Who Killed Hitler and then the Bigfoot staring Sam Elliott, but I’m sad to say I found that lacking. So, if you’re itching for a good sasquatch yarn, you might have to pick up a book. Luckily, there’s one by accomplished horror writer Max Brooks (World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide).
For Devolution, Brooks brings his strength — first-person narratives — to a pretty gruesome tale with some unintended COVID parallels. The story follows an experimental eco-community in the Pacific Northwest that becomes isolated from the rest of world after a volcanic eruption. Scarce resources become the least of their problems when a hostile pack of sasquatch, forced from their secluded pocket in the forest by the eruption, venture into their camp. The events unfold via the journal entries of community-member Kate and are supplemented by interviews with various experts, a park ranger, Kate’s brother, and an investigative reporter.
I gotta admit, dear reader, that I’m just not feeling it today, but I’m committed to the Spooktacular, damnit! So, you’re getting a relatively brief, but enthusiastic recommendation for this horror tale. If you’ve read one of Brooks’ more well-known zombie novels, you know you’re in for something good. Devolution is full of interesting, nuanced characters (to root for and against), some steller action, and probably more character development than bigfoot is used to. It’s a quick read, so go pick it up.
I’m not 100% sure where I heard about the book, but I think it was in a report about how, before even hitting stores, its film rights had been purchased. So, expect to see it adapted and in theaters eventually. A year or so ago, it seemed like the production was moving along with director James Ashcroft at the helm, but it looks like he might have moved on to different projects. Ashcroft directed New Zealand’s 2021 thriller Coming Home in the Dark, which may or may not qualify as a horror, but it’s pretty harrowing. It’s on Netflix, so you should definitely check it out. If Devolution does get made into a film, he seems like he’d be a solid fit to bring the book to life.
Is it scary? That depends on how easy it is for books to spook you. The sasquatch mayhem is brutal, but I’m not sure it’s scary. What’s more spine-tingling is the leadup to the mayhem and the hints that something might be lurking in the forest.
Part of my 2022 Halloween Spooktacular
