Documentary Follows Bigfoot Researchers on Global Investigation

Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2026

By Squatchable.com staff

There's a documentary floating around YouTube right now that every Sasquatch researcher needs to add to their watchlist. It's a German-produced full-length feature that takes a deep dive into the global phenomenon of large, hairy, bipedal cryptids, and honestly, it covers some ground that even seasoned investigators will appreciate. The film follows Matt Pruitt and Michael Mayes of the North American Wood Ape Conservancy as they head into the forests of Georgia, hoping to make contact. These guys aren't weekend warriors either. Pruitt has been chasing this mystery for over two decades and even runs a podcast called "Apes Among Us" dedicated to the subject. The documentary captures them setting up audio recording equipment in the southern Appalachians, attempting to lure a Sasquatch out with vocalizations. They've had responses before, sometimes immediate, sometimes hours later from a distant camp. That kind of patience and dedication is exactly what this research demands. One of the more compelling segments involves them using thermal imaging cameras during a nighttime investigation. They spot a heat signature that initially looks promising, brighter than the surrounding trees, seemingly looking in their direction. The tension builds as they slowly approach, only to discover it's an owl perched on a ridge. The researchers handle the disappointment well and even point out how easily misinterpretations happen in the dark. It's a good reminder that pareidolia and our brain's tendency to fill in missing information can fool even experienced investigators. The documentary doesn't shy away from the cultural history either. It touches on the 1958 discovery by Jerry Crew, a bulldozer operator who found 40-centimeter footprints in Northern California, which led to a local newspaper coining the name "Bigfoot." The film also references the legendary Patterson-Gimlin footage from the 1960s, which remains one of the most debated pieces of evidence in cryptozoological history. For anyone unfamiliar with that film, it shows a large, ape-like creature walking upright through a clearing in Bluff Creek, California, glancing back at the camera. Despite decades of analysis, no one has definitively debunked it. There's also a fascinating segment on the FBI's involvement. In the 1970s, the bureau actually analyzed hair samples submitted by researcher Peter Byrne, who claimed they came from a Sasquatch. The DNA results came back as deer, which skeptics point to as proof, but the documentary raises an interesting question: how did those hairs end up submitted in the first place? The whole situation is stranger than most people realize. The film expands beyond North America too, exploring the Yowie legends of Australia's Aboriginal peoples and the Yeti traditions of the Himalayan mountain communities. The Yowie descriptions, dark fur, enormous size, and an overpowering stench, bear striking similarities to Sasquatch reports from the Pacific Northwest. It's worth noting that indigenous oral traditions across multiple continents describe these beings, which adds significant weight to the argument that something real has been observed for centuries. One segment that will definitely get people talking covers a 2022 sighting from northern Mississippi. The footage shows an upright, broad-shouldered, hairy figure, and for believers, it's another piece of the puzzle. The documentary wisely doesn't try to definitively identify what's in the video but presents it as part of the ongoing mystery. The film also explores how these creatures have permeated pop culture, from the 1933 release of King Kong to modern portrayals in film and television. There's an interesting psychological angle suggesting that Sasquatch and Yeti represent our fear of our own animalistic nature, a mirror reflecting what we've tried to leave behind. For anyone serious about Sasquatch research, this documentary is worth the watch. It balances scientific skepticism with genuine curiosity, features real investigators doing real fieldwork, and covers the phenomenon from multiple angles. The German production gives it a fresh perspective too, treating the subject with the seriousness it deserves rather than turning it into a joke. Check it out and let the conversation continue.