State man’s Bigfoot movie comes to streaming screens

DANBURY — A conversation at a bicycle shop led Chris Simoes to sell his tools and other belongings on eBay in exchange for film gear.

The Danbury native and former federal law enforcement employee has been making independent short and feature-length movies for the past 10 years.

Now, his third full-length film, “Bigfoot:

The Conspiracy,” has been released for free on Amazon Prime in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.

“The main message —even though they’re Bigfoot genre films— is to treat people right and be respectful of nature,” said Simoes, who has won various awards at independent film festivals.

The movie was inspired by conversations Simoes has had with people who claim they have seen Bigfoot and his own experience as a former Border Patrol agent.

He stars as the main character, Dante, a retired Border Patrol agent, who discovers the possible existence of Bigfoot and a government cover-up surrounding the legendary creature.

“It wasn’t that much [acting] preparation for me because I was playing someone similar to myself,” said Simoes, who directed, produced, wrote and edited the film.

Simoes enlisted his family and friends in the film world to act and help behind the scenes, with another Danbury native, Paul Kakos, playing one of the characters.

Kakos has promoted the movie in Bigfoot-related Facebook groups.

“People started viewing it like crazy,” said Kakos, who lives in Georgia. “That was pretty cool how the Bigfoot community really took to it.”

The 77-minute film has been streamed for about 1.5 million minutes within the first few weeks, Simoes said.

Finding his passion

Simoes lives in St. Augustine, Fla., but graduated from Danbury High School in 1988 and lived in the city until 28.

He worked as a Border Patrol agent and after 9/11 became a federal air marshal. He then worked out of the New York field office.

“It was like I was made for that job,” Simoes said.

He was forced to retire after an injury and worked at a bike shop, but it was not as fulfilling. One day, he resonated with a customer’s comment about changing your life if you’re not happy.

That’s when he sold his highend bikes and tools and purchased a camera and other film gear. He taught himself how to use the equipment through YouTube and trial and error.

“My dad, since he is selftaught, has learned a lot from each project going forward,” said Alexa Simoes, his daughter who was the director of photography for the latest film. “Each time, it is improved.”

He made short films and acted as an extra on movies in Georgia, where he lived at the time.

The myth of Bigfoot

In 2014, Simoes wrote, produced and directed his first feature-length film, “Bigfoot: The Curse of Blood Mountain.” He said he got a “kick” out of Bigfoot as a kid and was drawn to the genre because of its cult following.

Simoes doesn’t believe in Bigfoot, but has heard compelling stories from doctors, police officers and others.

“If I were to see one standing in front of me, I would probably think it’s someone standing in a suit,” he said. “It takes a lot for me to believe anything, but it still intrigued me.”

Dave Watkins, producer and actor, described himself as a skeptic, too, but has learned how seriously the Bigfoot community takes the creature.

“It’s less funny than when I first began,” he said. “I still don’t necessarily believe in it. It’d have to be something for me to see with my own eyes.”

Alexa Simoes said the film gives more depth to Bigfoot and does not have the gore or jump scares that one might expect in the genre.

“It’s not like he’s just this monster,” she said. “It kind of humanizes Bigfoot.”

Low budget

He started writing the movie in late 2018 or early 2019. Most filming was completed before the coronavirus pandemic, but a couple scenes were done during.

“We had a lot more we wanted to do, but once COVID hit, we just made the most of it,” Simoes said.

Simoes starred as the main character because it would have been difficult for an unpaid actor to be available for all the scenes. He writes scenes with a limited number of characters to avoid actor conflicts and often needs to re-write because people are not available last minute.

“We don’t have a budget,” Simoes said. “They’re working for screen credit.”

An aspiring composer wrote the music, while he included two songs his late Danbury friend wrote in high school.

Getting the film on Amazon was fairly easy, he said. He needed to meet various criteria and standards and was accepted, he said. He plans to eventually put it on YouTube.

He gets royalties based on the number of views, which he hopes will support the horror movie he’s writing about COVID and the vaccine.

Simoes used roughly $1,500 of his own money to make the Bigfoot film. The biggest expense was food for the actors and crew. They go to Goodwill for wardrobe and other miscellaneous items.

“As long as you have a camera, you can do just about anything you want,” Simoes said.

Contributed Photo Danbury native Chris Simoes stars in and directed “Bigfoot: The Conspiracy.”

Contributed photo Dave Watkins produced and acted in “Bigfoot: The Conspiracy,” which was directed by Danbury native Chris Simoes and recently released on Amazon Prime.