There’s a good chance that if you’re under the age of 35, you’ve never found Bigfoot to be scary. If you think about the legendary North American ape-man at all, it’s probably as a gentle giant, “protector of the forests” type character thanks to the famous cryptid’s 1980s rebranding to bring him into line with evolving thought on ecological conservation and empathy for Native American culture. For children of the 1970s, however, Bigfoot has a dark side. He is a terrifying, nocturnal beast with massive strength and a human-like cunning that stalked those unwise enough to enter his arboreal territory. Oh, and… how to put this delicately? I guess I can’t, so I’ll rip the Band-Aid off: Bigfoot’s dark side had a rapey side. What can I say? The 1970s were a weird time. Continue reading →