Release the Bodette Film: A Cryptid Documentary Review

by Cole Herrold

I recently had the chance to view Crash Course Cryptozoology’s first documentary, Release the Bodette Film. The documentary topic is very dear to my heart, which is Champ or the Lake Champlain's Monster. In 2005 two experienced Lake Champlain fishermen would capture on camera what some have claimed to be the best evidence for the existence of some large as of yet undiscovered animal living in Lake Champlain. The 45-minute video has never been shown completely, and the only portion of it shown was on ABC News that same year. The clips that were revealed show what appears to be an odd circular thrashing or churning in the water followed by a large creature with a triangular-shaped head and long neck next to the boat where the photographers managed to catch the beast moving. The Bodette Film has since been kept under lock and key by a lawyer who now owns the film and has refused to release it to the public.

One of the most famous shots from the Bodette Film

With Crash Course Cryptozoology’s doc, it takes a deep dive into just about every aspect of the history of Champ. From eyewitnesses to potential physical evidence such as tracks and a possible skull cap and the infamous echolocation recordings, the documentary succeeds in slowly working through all of the evidence building its way to discussing and concluding with the documentary's namesake. The documentary covers multiple hypotheses and focuses on naming specific ancestor or candidate species to what has been reported in Lake Champlain as opposed to other documentaries that use lump terms as fish, snake, turtle, or even plesiosaur since there are multiple species and relatives. The documentary gives each hypothesis its time in the sun and includes accounts and testimony that appeal to this reasoning. One of the highlights is the interviews with veteran Champ researcher Scott Mardis and his thoughts and hypotheses on the species.

Discussion towards the end of the documentary to me is one of the most interesting aspects of it for there is a recording of an anonymous witness who claimed to of seen the full copy of the Bodette Film and with it one of the most interesting descriptions of a Champ animal. The end portion also describes the real greasy horror show, which has been the attempt of trying to get to see the entire or parts of the Bodette film as well as the cultural and potentially world-changing information that is tucked away in the footage frame by frame.

While the documentary is framed around the Bodette Film, it is not the primary purpose or even topic of the film. The main aim is focused on conservation, something that cryptids and the Bodette Film specifically could help establish more strict rules for the protection of the species and, in doing so, the environment. Cryptids like Champ, in many ways, are the modern-day megafauna creatures that are so mysterious and unfathomable that they exist on a level in thought above normal animals. With this advanced placement ideology, there are two schools of thought that pop up, hunting and protection of the species. The documentary pleas for the protection angle in a heartfelt empathetic way and is something that shows not just the benefit for the mysterious animals but also the common species that we do know of—thusly making it a must-watch just for that purpose.

This documentary has many similarities to other cryptid documentaries out there. It is very much a documentary of the time it was made. 2020 was a nightmare for many people and a frustrating time for Cryptozoologists and cryptid enthusiasts. Due to the issue of Covid, many of the interviews for the documentary were conducted via video chats, and of course, with actual face-to-face interviews, masks were utilized in most cases. This unfortunate situation in no way takes away from the documentary even if the view is something we are not used to but instead shows the diligence that some researchers utilize in the most problematic of times. The only potential issues I would see with the doc are some minor technical issues with sound and such but seeing as this is the first full-length documentary from them, it is something that for sure will get better with time.

All in all, this is an excellent documentary, and just the beginning as Crash Course Cryptozoology announced and released a teaser trailer for their next big documentary, The Legend of Lone Pine, which will feature the Lone Pine Mountain Devil. I really look forward to seeing their future documentaries and hope that they will further excel on future projects. A recent post by director Karac St. Laurent has revealed, unfortunately, that the DVD release of the documentary is out of stock currently, with some coming in August. So, keep your eyes peeled if you have not watched or own this excellent documentary yet. If you would want to check out any of Crash Course Cryptozoology’s other amazing videos, the link is below. I personally have really enjoyed all of them and have also been enjoying the Crash Course Cryptozoology Podcast, which is also on the page as well.

Crash Course Cryptozoology YouTube Page:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkJQGXKlfDX8NcXDEwi2W8Q

Crash Course Cryptozoology Store:

https://cryptids-aplenty.creator-spring.com/?