As a kid, sometime between elementary school and the wonder years of middle school, I went through a rather typical fascination with all sorts of things occult, mysterious and unexplained — reflective, in my opinion, of a desire to explore the world at large. The very idea of human uncertainty, of the outer limits of testable knowledge, was in and of itself a mesmerizing notion, and in so many ways much more interesting than plain old school lessons. This extracurricular interest started with aliens, the Bermuda Triangle and UFOs, extended onto the Loch Ness Monster and the case of Jack the Ripper, as I recall, and of course made its way to Bigfoot and his wintry cousin, the Abominable Snowman. (When I couldn’t find answers, or even re-framed questions to the ideas I had kicking around in my own mind, this period, pre-Internet, also introduced the limitations of books, something else that blew my mind.)

This is all to say that settling down with a copy of a low-budget 2004 film entitled Bigfoot, complete with exploi-tastic extreme close-up cover art, felt in ways both good and substantial like a field trip back in time. So I wasn’t necessarily expecting a movie that relocated the Bigfoot legend from the environs of the Pacific Northwest to… marshy Ohio? Yes, indeed. The DVD cover boasts a quote from the Cleveland Free Times deeming the flick “reminiscent of Jaws,” which is certainly a stretch. But there’s no denying that writer-director-actor Bob Gray’s film is nowhere near as balls-to-the-wall schlocky as one might reasonably suspect (and indeed desire), given the subject matter. Eschewing CGI in favor of zippered-suit marauding and other practical effects, Bigfoot spins a wan tale of homecoming and familial reconciliation around its beasty hunting, and in doing so tangentially evokes the spirits of early creature features and drive-in movies of yesteryear.

With his 9-year-old daughter Charlie (Brooke Beckwith) in tow, single dad Jack Sullivan (Todd Cox) moves back to his recently deceased father’s home in Mentor Headlands, in the marshlands of Northeastern Ohio. There, he reunites with his old friend Bob Perkins (Gray), now sheriff, where the two puzzle over a recent spate of animal mutilations. They investigate, and team up with local park ranger Sandy Parker (Liza Foster). Before long, they’re on the trail of Bigfoot (Shawn Kipp), don’tcha know. Copious shots of startled hunters ensue.

Any fair judgment rendered unto Bigfoot must take into account its limited production means. The acting is amateurish and what most forthrightly dooms it, and the execution only so-so throughout, but Gray’s script at least attempts to avoid a purely adrenalized, rib-poking take on its titular star, building the production around a quaint regionalism that is somewhat charming. With perhaps a bit more time and a few more polished actors, his modest efforts would have achieved greater value.

Housed in a regular plastic Amaray case, Bigfoot comes to DVD on a region-free disc, as a full-screen presentation. Multi-hyphenate Gray provides an audio commentary track that dispenses plenty of DIY advice, while also giving props to the local kids who serve as background extras. There’s also a three-and-a-half-minute forced-scrollable photo gallery, the trailer for Bigfoot and three other Troma DVD titles, and a 10-minute making-of featurette with a bit of behind-the-scenes footage, as well as interview material with cryptozoologist Don Keating. To purchase the DVD via Amazon, click here. C- (Movie) C+ (Disc)