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The dense, prehistoric canopy of Caddo Lake was supposed to be a peaceful weekend getaway for Stef and her family, but the unease began early when they stopped at a forest cabin to ask an eccentric old woman named Lori Gimley for directions. While there, Stef noticed Lori’s strange lifestyle caring for animals and adopting children, unaware that a horribly mutilated woman named Lisa Barker would soon crawl out of the brush with her feet cleanly hacked away. As night fell, an ancient, eight-foot-tall, heavily scarred Bigfoot laid siege to their remote cabin. In the ensuing chaos, a neighboring vacationer accidentally shot Stef’s mother before the beast violently broke through the door. Trapped and desperate, Stef’s father, Bob, ordered her and a fellow survivor named Tony to drag Lisa to safety while he sacrificed his own life, intentionally detonating a broken shotgun to buy them time.
Battered and weeping, Stef and Tony managed to carry Lisa through the dark woods, eventually collapsing back onto the porch of Lori Gimley's log cabin. Lori ushered them inside, locking the door and offering them drinks to soothe their frayed nerves. But the relief vanished when Stef caught sight of a row of carved clay monsters on the windowsill and found the blood-splattered cell phone of her missing fiancé hidden behind a curtain. Terrified, she tried to flee, only to realize that Lori had heavily drugged their drinks. As Stef’s vision wavered and she collapsed to the floor, Lori stepped into the light wielding a blood-soaked axe, having already murdered Tony off-screen.
Lori softly explained that the creature was the last of his ancient tribe, and that it was her sacred duty to help his species survive by providing what nature demanded. When Stef finally woke to the blinding morning sun, she found herself helplessly strapped to a homemade sled being dragged deep into the heart of the forest. Glancing ahead, she saw Lori's adopted children pulling the sled, their sleeves falling back to reveal hairy, hybrid arms and twisted, ape-like hands. Stef tried to struggle, but as she looked down at the bottom of the sled, she made a horrifying discovery: her own feet had already been hacked off into bandaged stumps, cementing her fate as the monster’s new captive mate.
The one that got away!
Master of Creature Effects. Mike Hill
Stik Men began after I connected with creature effects artist Mike Hill, whose unbelievably realistic sculptures first caught my attention. Mike would later become widely known for his creature work on Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water and eventually earn an Academy Award for his work on Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (2025). What started as an email exchange quickly grew into a friendship and eventually a plan to bring his original Bigfoot story to the screen. To produce the film, I formed my own production company, Roadmaster Pictures, through which Mike and I entered into agreements for the screenplay rights and the film's production, with me attached as producer. Mike wrote the screenplay while pouring his heart and soul into creating one of the most realistic Bigfoot creatures I've ever seen, along with victim effects, props, and other practical makeup work. I was able to raise approximately $180,000 to bring the creature to life, allowing Mike and his team to build the full Bigfoot suit, victim effects, and production props that you see throughout this page. I also invested my own money securing filming locations around Caddo Lake and spent countless hours meeting with potential investors, convinced that once people saw Mike's work, the film would finance itself. In many ways, that proved true—everyone who saw the creature believed in the project. But just as the momentum was building, the 2007–2008 housing market collapse changed everything. Almost overnight, people who had been excited to invest began pulling back, choosing to protect their finances rather than fund independent films. One by one, every opportunity disappeared until it became clear the movie simply wasn't going to happen.
Of course, I was disappointed that I never got to make the film, but my greatest disappointment was watching Mike's dream slip away. He had devoted an incredible amount of talent, time, and passion to creating a creature the world never had the chance to experience. I truly believed audiences would have been amazed by what he accomplished. Thankfully, Mike's extraordinary talent was eventually recognized on the world stage when he won the Academy Award for his creature effects work on Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (2025), and I couldn't have been happier for him. While Stik Men never reached the screen, I'll always be proud that, for a brief moment, we came remarkably close to making something truly special.
Creature Effects Shop in LA.
Productions stills from my time with Mike Hill and his production crew.
Stik Men Promotional:
A production glimpse into the film and story.