“This place is creepy as Hell.”
Beginning in the middle of things is always a risk. Especially when it is a found footage flick, but the tension is immediate as one young woman takes us into the everglades and what awaits her there in the search for missing women or is it actually the search for The Skunk Ape? Those aware of the legend of the Skunk Ape (Florida’s version of Bigfoot) know exactly where this flick is heading.
And creature feature madness awaits! What’s your threshold for matinee fun as a man in an oversized ape costume goes on a killing spree? This is the territory of The Wild Man, a fun horror film with a crazed, hairy creature at its center. Totally watchable and fun through and through, it succeeds where many low budget flicks fail.
Yet, it works thanks to work done behind the scenes, which invites viewers into the mystery of The Wild Man, as women go missing left and right. From the suspicion thrown on Dale, the local crazy who buys ropes and shovels on a regular basis from local hardware stores, to thoughts on believing local folklore, The Wild Man constructs quite a caper as it builds its case as a documentary crew figures fact from fiction and finds themselves in the thick of it.
Terror Films will release the Michael Pare-starring Bigfoot horror movie The Wild Man this September. The film, directed by Tampa Bay native Ryan Justice (Followers), was developed during the pandemic as the Legend of the Skunk Ape takes center stage. And one conspiracy theorist wants to get his message out to the general public. Captain Stryker (Pare) has other thoughts, though.
Starring Lauren Crandall as Sarah, Julian Green as Brandon, and Mike Reed as Tim, Ochopee, Florida comes into focus as a story about the amount of missing women, without a single suspect in custody, catches fire. A young journalist, Sara, convinces her crew to join her investigation as she travels to Ochopee to document her discoveries, but they soon realize their presence in this town is not welcome.
Determined to find her story, Sara convinces her friends to stick with her, because they’re onto something big. Upon meeting Dale (David E. McMahon, who looks and acts like Ted Nugent), the town’s notorious conspiracy theorist, she’s convinced he knows more than he is willing to share. The crew humors Dale’s ridiculous theories, even accompanying him into the Florida swamps on his quest to show them “The Wild Man”, hoping he’ll somehow reveal his guilt.
But what the crew discovers is a secret much deeper than fairy tales and legends. What they discover is much darker and more sinister than they bargained for. It is The Wild Man! Full of some solid character acting from Pare and a lot of visceral moments caught on camera, this movie is just a fun jaunt down some tall, tall legend’s territory. The Skunk Ape hunts at night and Sara’s camera crew is there to document it all! But being picked off one by one is not much fun at all now is it?
THE WILD MAN will first premiere on digital platforms September 30th ahead of streaming on the Terror Films and Kings of Horror YouTube Channels.
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 95 mins
Director: Ryan Justice
Writer: Sean Michael Gloria; Ian Longen
Cast: Lauren Crandall; Julian Green; Mike Reed
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Some species were meant to go extinct.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Terror Films
Official Site:
Release Date: September 30, 2022 (digital platforms)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A son takes care of his father with a deteriorating mental condition where he believes he's a wild animal. The films cast includes Cusick, Larry Fessenden, Jenna Kanell, and Kelli Maroney.
