Movies
‘Sasqua: The Lost Bigfoot Film of Massachusetts’ – Awesome Poster for Doc About ’70s Horror Movie We’ve Never Seen
You’ve probably never heard of the Bigfoot horror movie Sasqua, made and released in the 1970s but completely lost to the sands of time. It’s a story that filmmaker John Campopiano (Pennywise: The Story of IT, Snapper: The Man-Eating Turtle Movie That Never Got Made) is gearing up to tell in Sasqua: The Lost Bigfoot Film of Massachusetts, a new documentary that’s coming soon from production company Chapman Productions.
What’s the latest on this unique project, you might be wondering?
Campopiano updates this week, “In late 2023, the team wrapped production on interviews and filming for the documentary. Since that time we’ve engaged an incredibly talented full-time editor, Sean Tiedeman, to help us bring the story and film to life. A composer I’ve worked with before on several previous documentaries, Sean Schafer Hennessy, is back again to provide some original music. In addition, we’ve also partnered with the amazingly skilled artist, Adam Perocchi, who has created a truly beautiful poster design for us – we couldn’t be happier with it.”
“Meanwhile, our entire team is working away on the film and we’re on track to have it completed and out in the world later in 2024,” Campopiano continues. “This story has taken many twists and turns since we started two years ago and we’re all just so thrilled for viewers to step back into 1970s Lowell, Massachusetts and enjoy the wild ride.”
Read on for more and exclusively find the new poster art for the Sasqua doc below!
Described by The Boston Globe as “an obscure horror movie about a hippie commune attacked by cryptids,” the elusive Sasqua has never seen the light of day outside of a brief and localized theatrical release back in the 1970s, and Campopiano set out to uncover as much information, and as many relevant interview subjects, as he possibly can.
The film itself, unfortunately, is considered completely and entirely lost at this point in time, with only very grainy old trailer footage surfacing on YouTube over the years. Directed by Channon Scot, Sasqua was filmed in and around Lowell, Massachusetts in the early 1970s, and Campopiano’s ultimate dream is to not only tell the story but also find the missing film.
Coming soon, Sasqua: The Lost Bigfoot Film of Massachusetts looks to be a sort of spiritual companion piece to Snapper: The Man-Eating Turtle Movie That Never Got Made, which is now streaming on SCREAMBOX. Campopiano has a clear passion for regional horror cinema that’s fallen through the cracks over the years, becoming a sort of cinema cryptozoologist.
The Executive Producers on Sasqua: The Lost Bigfoot Film of Massachusetts are Joe and Libby Chapman of Chapman Productions, and is in association with The Luna Theater. The documentary is directed by John Campopiano, written and produced by John Campopiano and Matt Spry, and co-produced by Edward S. Read.
Sunrise Films has announced the official North American release of William Bagley‘s horror comedy Hold the Fort, and it’s accompanied by an energetic new trailer.
Hold the Fort debuts on digital platforms on June 23.
In the film, “Lucas and Jenny think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.“
Watch the new trailer below, which introduces one wild HOA gathering during an equinox. Things get bloody fast.
Chris Mayers (Adult Swim Yule Log), Haley Leary (“The Walking Dead”), Levi Burdick, and Julian Smith star.
William Bagley writes and directs, in addition to producing with Smith, Matt Dodd, Luke Williams, and Tim Reis (Adult Swim Yule Log).
Ahead of the release, Bagley said, “My goal with this film was to make a hilarious, fast-paced thrill ride while also telling a great story with heart. Hopefully, through all the blood, laughs, fights, and gags, you leave the film feeling inspired to tackle whatever life throws at you.“
Hold the Fort premiered at Fantasia last summer before going on to play FrightFest London, Toronto After Dark, and Beyond Fest.
I wrote in my review, “It’s an infectiously charming assemblage of jokes and monster vignettes bound together by a barebones plot with not much on its mind beyond delivering an entertaining time.”
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