"I've seen all those campy Bigfoot movies, and they aren't scary." So says one of the young female characters about midway through Clawed: The Legend of Sasquatch. She's right, of course, and this film does nothing to change that fact.

That being said, I really didn't think Clawed was all that bad of a movie. It doesn't really bring anything new to the table, but it doesn't leave out any of the necessities, either: unknown "monster," several victims, blood, annoying jock, nerdy guy and two attractive young ladies. It even throws in the bonus of some beautiful scenery up in the forests of Washington State. Unfortunately, though, our Sasquatch isn't much to look at (it looks like what it is, a guy in a pretty ratty costume), and all we ever see him do is just stand or crouch out of sight and sometimes run through some fields. The fact that none of the actual attacks appear onscreen is another negative.

While some communities embrace their local "monster," this particular town wants nothing to do with any Bigfoot rumors getting out just before the start of the tourist season. When three hunters are brutally killed up on Echo Mountain, the mayor doesn't even want the local media to find out about it, even if it's just the standard cover story of a bear attack. With his hands pretty well tied, Sheriff Kassel (Jack Conley) can't do much more than let local ranger John Eagleheart (Nathaniel Arcand) search the woods on his own until some professional bear trackers can get there.

Eagleheart isn't alone in the woods, though. Ed Janzer (Miles O'Keeffe), the lone survivor of the recent massacre, manages to convince some drinking buddies to go back with him to kill the thing. Meanwhile, four teenagers set up camp in the woods as part of a joint project they are working on for class. Jay (Brandon Henschel), your basic dumb jock, has to have an A on this project in order to graduate, and he's been teamed up with one of the smart kids, Richard (Dylan Purcell). Focusing on the grizzly bear as their chosen endangered species to report on, Jay is stoked about getting some killer video of the killer bear up on the mountain. Along for the fun are Jay's girlfriend Shea (Casey LaBow) and cousin Jenny (Chelsea Hobbs), who happens to like Richard for some strange reason.

As you might expect, not everyone who goes into the woods comes back out alive. The product description says the kids are out there to save the local Bigfoot, but that's not true -- they just want to get a picture and live to tell about it. It turns out that Bigfoot may not be the biggest threat in the forest, which leads the story into a small transition as it approaches its conclusion. The comedic character of that conclusion dispels any notions you might have of any serious intentions on the part of the filmmakers.

The film has a number of obvious problems, but it all pretty much boils down to the fact that the film lacks substance. I was expecting this film to stink to high heaven (as a bad movie lover, I make a habit of seeking out such poorly rated films). Imagine my disappointment when I found Clawed to be no worse than exceedingly average.