A divisive episode

"Snowbeast Slaughter" is an episode of History Channel's very own monster series "MonsterQuest". The team around producer Doug Hajicek roams the world, investigating everything from legitimate cryptids á la Bigfoot or Nessie to urban legends about alligators in the sewers of New York City (yes, that really is a legend). This time, Hajicek and friends make a landfall in Colorado, searching for the ever-elusive Bigfoot a.k.a. Sasquatch.

Unfortunately, the "serious" and "scientific" slant of the series makes it incredibly boring, and this episode is no exception. Considering its sensational contents, that's quite a feat! Slaughtered elk, scared dogs, mysterious tracks, stumped officials...all the ingredients are there, but "Snowbeast Slaughter" never really takes off. But sure, some of the facts presented are intriguing. Thus, it seems most Bigfoot observations in the Colorado Rockies are made during the winter, when the bear population is busy hibernating. At the very least, that rules out misidentification of bears as a possible explanation.

Ironically, "Snowbeast Slaughter" is also one of the most divisive episodes of this series. Angry sceptics have accused History Channel of perpetrating a gigantic hoax. Part of the episode is taped around Pikes Peak, a popular tourist resort in the Colorado Rockies. Why didn't the team just take a bus, the sceptics wonder? Or the local railway, which goes all the way up to the summit? Why all the fuzz with helicopters dramatically staying clear of blizzards in seeming no-mans land? Further, the name "Snowbeast" is actually the title of a horror flick from 1977, set in...surprise....a Colorado ski resort.

Of course, "MonsterQuest" could easily have silenced the critics by renaming the episode, or concentrate on another peak. Or, I suppose, point out that not all parts of Pike National Forest are accessibly by lush chartered buses from Colorado Springs...

That being said, I will nevertheless only award this production two stars. Imagine "Destination Truth" investigating the same thing. They would show both the ski resorts *and* take a dramatic hike on a chopper! :D