Things That Make You Go "Woo." Is There a Curse on Filming Sasquatch?

Editor’s Note: This is a post by Bigfoot Evidence contributor Vicki W.

Most of North America's tribal nations handed down cultural teachings about the Sasquatch. Names differed for them but the general description shared comparatively similar characteristics. The Native American's understanding of the origin and nature of the "wild men" varied from being considered simply another tribe, another animal, or even a supernatural spiritual entity, enabling it to become invisible at will. Some tribes believed that to witness a sasquatch was a bad omen, a warning of a tragedy to come or impending doom. Still others believed that locking eyes with the creature would bring certain death.

Own Pate (left) 1955-2011

Back in October 2011, the Bigfoot community was saddened by the news that Owen Pate had been killed in a tragic car accident. Mr. Pate brought us the 1996 Memorial Day Bigfoot footage from the state of Washington. After hearing the unfortunate news, it occurred to me that several people associated with purported Bigfoot footage had passed away within a few years of the incident. The following is a list of 4 additional men with important contributions to 'finding Bigfoot' who died within a few years after filming a possible sasquatch.

Harlan Ford - Death Date 1980.

1. Harlan Ford-- Recorded footage of the Honey Island Swamp Monster of Louisiana around 1963. He suffered a fatal heart attack in 1980. Strangely, Ford's good friend and hunting companion, Ted Williams, set out in his boat to run trout lines a few years later and mysteriously vanished. Neither Williams nor his boat were ever seen again. Williams claimed to have seen the swamp creature along with Ford.

Roger Patterson  1926-1972

2. Roger Patterson-- Filmed the famous Bluff Creek, California "Patty" footage with companion Bob Gimlin in 1967. Sadly, he succumbed to cancer nearly 5 years later in 1972.

Paul Freeman 1943-2003

3. Paul Freeman-- Captured arguably the best footage of the creature since Patterson/Gimlin in 1982 in Washington state. He collapsed from a heart attack in 2003.

Jim Mills 1942-2010

4. Jim Mills-- Behind the camera of the Marble Mountain footage from 2001. Campers in California spot a figure descending a ridge that raises questions as to whether it's a hiker or something else. Mr. Mills died of cancer in 2010.

It's peculiar that each incident involved the capture of film footage of a purported sasquatch. The Bigfoot community continues to be grateful for each of the men's contribution, and they are sadly missed. Our deepest condolences to family and friends who have suffered the loss of their loved one.

It's true that these are probably just a strange and unfortunate coincidence. Certainly there are plenty of surviving witnesses who believe they may have seen something strange in the forest. Most of us would be quick to dismiss notions of so-called curses as superstitious and silly. That sort of thinking belongs in antiquity or in fictional blockbuster movies such as "The Mummy" and its sequels. No one entertains such a thing these days--at least not in real life. But, even if we don't give notions of a 'curse' much credence anymore, plenty of rumors are whispered and circulate from time to time even in our modern and sophisticated world.

Some examples include the following excerpts from hauntedamericatours.com regarding weird happenings and deaths attached to a few feature films.

"The Omen" (1976)

• "Scriptwriter David Seltzer's plane was struck by lightning.
• Star Gregory Peck, in a separate incident, had his plane struck by lightning.
• Richard Donner's hotel was bombed by the Provisional IRA .
• Gregory Peck canceled his reservation on a flight. The plane he had originally chartered crashed, killing all on board (a group of Japanese businessmen).
• A warden at the safari park used in the "crazy baboon" scene was attacked and killed by a lion the day after the crew left.
• Rottweilers hired for the film attacked their trainers.
• On the first day of shooting, the principal members of the crew got in a head-on car crash."

"Rebel Without a Cause" (1955)

"All three of the main stars (James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo) died under tragic circumstances. Dean was killed in a traffic accident on September 30, 1955 aged 24, Wood drowned on November 29, 1981 aged 43, and Mineo was murdered on February 12, 1976 aged 37. In addition, Nick Adams is often linked to the urban legend surrounding this film. Adams, often considered "The Poor Man's James Dean", attemped to let the spirit of Dean live vicariously through Adams in his work, which was notably most successful with The Rebel (TV series). But following an Oscar nomination for Twilight of Honor, his career began to decline and he allegedly died of a drug overdose on February 7, 1968 aged 36 (although several people, including his own daughter, believe he may have been killed).

His friend Nick Adams, who had re-dubbed some of Dean's speeches in Giant after the accident, died in 1968 from a mysterious drug overdose. Co-star Natalie Wood drowned in equally unusual circumstances in November 1981, and another RWAC star, Sal Mineo, died five years earlier in a knife fight. Troy McHenry, a Beverly Hills doctor, bought the engine from Dean's Porsche and had it installed in his own car, but was killed the first time he drove it."

"Poltergeist" (1982)

"The Poltergeist curse is a rumor that a supposed curse is/was attached to the Poltergeist motion picture series and its stars. Dominique Dunne, 22-year-old actress who played the oldest sister Dana in the first movie, died after being choked by a jealous boyfriend in 1982. The boyfriend was later convicted and sentenced to six years in prison. During the fight Dominique Dunne had with her boyfriend that ended up with her losing her life, Dominique's friend who was at the house turned up the Poltergeist soundtrack to drown out the noise of the two yelling outside.

Heather O'Rourke, 12-year-old actress who played Carol Anne in the three Poltergeist movies, died in 1988 after what doctors initially described as an acute form of influenza but later changed to septic shock after bacterial toxins invaded her bloodstream.

Julian Beck, 60-year-old who played Kane in Poltergeist II: The Other Side, died of stomach cancer, with which he was diagnosed before he had accepted the role. Will Sampson, 53 years old, who played Taylor the Medicine Man in Poltergeist II, died of post-operative kidney failure and pre-operative malnutrition problems."

Despite the fate of everyone mentioned above likely being simply an odd coincidence, the tendency for people to link such tragedies to a "curse" says something about the human psyche. Perhaps people seek out patterns to waves of misfortune or tragedy in an attempt to make sense of why bad things happen to good people.

To read more about films said to have been 'cursed', follow this link. www.hauntedamericatours.com