Customer Reviews

The Long Way Home - A Bigfoot Story, 2 DVD Special Edition

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you're considering buying this movie you should know that it's available for free on youtube in segments. If you actually make it through a 2-minute segment you can decide if it's worth $26.

By reading the amazon reviews you'll notice a huge disparity from the star ratings. They're mostly 1 star reviews and 4-5 star reviews. This type of rating usually means falsification from one end or the other. Please read my original review and the comments by the movie maker/promoter. You may also find his responses to other reviewers. I'd like to accurately provide this information so that viewers can make for themselves an accurate decision.

my original review-----If you have a camera and a means for distribution you can make a DVD movie! That's the message behind this "not-ready for youtube" montage. I thought that it would be something comparable to "Boggy Creek" or "Blair Witch," I was wrong. Bigfoot appears once or twice in a burlap-enhanced fur suit with ill-fitted leggings. And no, this is not a comedy. Inaudible audio, grainy un-lit scenes, angry ranting, uncut tripod shots lasting over 10 minutes and merciless long scenes of babbling make this thing more comparable to a parking ramp surveillance tape than a movie. Do yourself and Bigfoot a favor by avoiding this crypto dud. PS: I noticed that the amazon reviewer who rated this thing 5 stars (original now removed) has the same name as the guy who made the movie, coincidence? or another great mystery?---

This has to be the dumbest and most retarded piece of wasted time ever offered in the movie industry. I was extremely disappointed. I am sorry I wasted my money on this one. It will for sure be back on ebay - if I can do more than give it away. It is put together in such an awkward way with such a terrible narrator/director that by the end of the first 15 minutes the viewer is well nigh a psychotic breakdown. This is just stupid accentuated by ridiculous in a steamy vat of manure. It's not funny, it's not interesting, and I would rather watch Teletubbies - its much more entertaining. Gets my vote for the worst movie ever and should not be sold for money - ought to pay us to watch it.

This independent film/docudrama, which won top honors at The New York International Film Festival for best Narrative Feature, takes us to Indian Camp Mountain in Transylvania County, North Carolina, where D.J. Galloway, a former journalist with the Miami Herald (played by Cromer) is telling a story of his father, the local Sheriff, Big Jake Galloway (played by J. Lewis Cromer , James' father) and shows that a Sasquatch or Bigfoot has been killing local livestock and animals. A few local residents play themselves, and there are also actors from the area playing various roles. The acting is not the best in the world, but it is very interesting and entertaining. D.J. seems to be falling apart, getting drunk on a regular basis, depressed and in need of serious psychological help. A group of gentlemen who are either friends of D.J. or people who know him are seen on a patio talking about the situation, and one of them says he might put on his gorilla suit and start scaring people wearing it. Local news reports begin surfacing of more sightings and activity in the small community, and a flashback reveals how D.J. got involved with writing the story which pretty much killed his career as a journalist. The Sheriff discusses a possible killing by the Bigfoot, as well as an alleged sexual harassment by a Bigfoot on a local lady. D.J. interviews several witnesses of the creature, more killings occur, and it leads to...well, I won't give that away. That is Disc 1; Disc 2 is basically alternative views of different scenes in the movie, as well as a few unused scenes. I would give this about a 3 out of 5 stars, but about a 2 for acting, LOL

This is a cynical piece of work, designed to cash in on the growing interest that currently exists in the Bigfoot myth. It markets itself as, and I quote from the blurb: "an alarming film that includes exclusive video footage (a man in a $20 monkey suit, exclusive) in depth commentary (depth as in puddle deep!?) and an amazing (amazingly bad I assume?!?!) collection of spellbinding (lol!) interviews with real eyewitnesses" A "real" collection of half wits who make the Cajuns from Deliverance look like Nobel laureates would have been be more accurate! All in all this is a crass, amateur piece of work and complete rip off. Do not buy if you want to see anything remotely interesting or revealing about the Bigfoot. This "abominable" creation has absolutely nothing to do with Bigfoot, and everything to do with exploiting and poking fun at Bigfoot fans. Shameless!

In this movie, DJ Galloway is a failed out of work reporter (after having a mental breakdown) in Miami that rushes home in order to save his career by writing a breaking news story on the bigfoot sightings in his home town of Indian Camp Mountain in the Carolinas. However, the sightings are his friends that are concerned about him and want DJ to come home so they can all help him get better.

Ok, that's the good part. The bad is... well... everything else. The acting is absolutely 100% non-professionals. We're talking, these are people that director and lead actor 'Bubba' Cromer found on the street or was related too. Dialogue is even worse, editting is dismal, lighting is non-existant, camera shots are pathetic with evidently only one camera available and it seems to be a camcorder from about 6-12 feet away in every scene. This entire movie consists of horribly 'sighting' interviews between reporter DJ (Cromer) and the local yokels. There is no flow to the movie and everything is out of sequence or makes no sense. Most annoying of all, is when anyone is talking to DJ (or DJ to them for that matter) they will inevitably mention Sheriff Big Jake and point out, without fail, EVERY SINGLE TIME that he is DJ's father, yes even DJ himself does this. The best acting in this movie is actually by his buddies sitting around discussing how to get DJ to come home. Second would be the 'news anchor' seen on the tv in a blatantly non-Miami bar.

Overall, I want my money back. It's 72 minutes of bad camera work, lousy dialogue, unacceptable lighting, junior high editting, and abysmal acting; even for an independent film this is bad. The "extras" disc is nothing more than different camera angles of the exact same interviews and maybe 3 deleted scene interviews which were actually better than the scenes used. The budget for this entire production was probably around $12 so with the $19 I bought it for, I guess that means it was a success. Final advice: avoid at any cost. It's not even bad enough to be funny.

I have never been so thrilled with a movie! I thought I was getting "just another Bigfoot Movie" (which I love, by the way). Well I got that and THEN SOME! If you want to get scared at Bigfoot scenes, buy this movie. If you want to get sucked into a story you can't walk away from, buy this movie. My husband and I laughed and cried and sometimes just stared at these folks! When Bigfoot, Moonshine and Marijuana mix, I knew something had to blow up! Well THE LONG WAY HOME does just that! You'll love it!

I read all the discussion here. Then I found the webpage on myspace and read the multiple newspaper articles/reviews. You know what? The vast majority--roughly 90% in my estimate--think this movie is quite substantial if not exceptional. Suffice it to say I bought it to see for myself. Well I agree with the negative critics on a couple things:
1.The production and lighting is sub-par; and,
2.The "actors" are clearly not professional nor even experienced for that matter.
HOWEVER,
these weaknesses are the exact qualities that give this film it's gritty charm.
Let's remember folks, it's not a slick Hollywood Production nor does it hold itself out as one.
So, in conclusion, I am giving it 5 stars for it's one-of-a-kind cult clasic qualities and it's salt-of-the-earth, absolute charm as well as to offset what looks to be a couple of "amazon career naysayers" whose apparent attempts to sabotage this movie just might have the reverse effect.
It is well-worth the $26.00 and then some.
Mark Waid
Columbia, South Carolina

the long way home provides lovely wildlife shots. the narrator does a good job. highly recommended.

This film is great. You will see that bigfoot is merely a universal catalyst thru which he epounds on more serious, embedded issues! It won BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE AT THE NEW YORK INTL.INDIE FILM FESTIVAL AND
BEST DOCU-DRAMA at the SC Film Festival last year! Definitely worth checking out!

Being from the South, I loved all of the southern gothic characters, including the snake handler, the sheriff, and especially, the lady in the country store! A great, fun movie!