The independent horror film There’s Something in the Pilliga, written, directed and produced by former Gunnedah man Dane Millerd, tells the chilling tale of a man’s bid to find and kill the fabled bigfoot.

Shot entirely on an SLR camera and made in the style of The Blair Witch Project and Wolf Creek, the movie premiered in Melbourne last month.

Mr Millerd, a former journalist who has spent nine years on the project, said the story of the yowie had long intrigued him.

“I’ve spent a fair bit of time in the heart of the Pilliga and all people wanted to talk about was the yowie,” Mr Millerd said.

“It just fascinated me.

“That stretch of road between Coonabarabran and Narrabri just has something very eerie about it – you can sense there’s something beneath the surface.”

He said there had been numerous unconfirmed sightings of the yowie over the years but witnesses were afraid to come forward out of fear of being ridiculed.

In the movie, the lead character, Jay, lures two girls and a cameraman into his truck under false pretences and uses them as bait to catch the yowie.

Shot in the found footage genre on an SLR camera and filmed in just 16 days on location,There’s Something in the Pilliga was made for less than $500,000.

Mr Millerd has recently struck a deal with US distributor Black Wolf Media for a worldwide online and DVD release.

The movie will also be shown at selected cinemas, including a premiere at Gunnedah on January 10, Narrabri on January 11, Glen Innes on January 16, Inverell on January 17 and Boggabri on January 31.

“It’s a country film and I wanted to take it to rural areas first,” Mr Millerd said.

“Hopefully, through strength of numbers and a buzz, we can get bigger cinemas on board.”