Reality Reels: ‘Monster Road’ looks at Bruce Bickford

‘Monster Road’ (2004) is an odd and fascinating documentary about an odd and fascinating claymation stop-motion animator named Bruce Bickford. His legendary art is one known primarily to the most determined of cult fans who seek out the more obscure art from the most obscure artists, but given the opportunity to view his work with an open mind and from a place of admiration for what he’s accomplished on his own with little more than his imagination and some clay, you may just become one of his biggest fans.

Animator and documentary filmmaker Brett Ingram directed this award-winning documentary, receiving honors from both the Boston Independent Film Festival and the Slamdance Film Festival. The film captures Bickford’s eccentric personality, detailing his child-like charm and the under-whelming demeanor of the quiet man living and working in quiet surroundings. ‘Monster Road’ features a great deal of Bickford’s work but also takes us into his mind as well as his father’s who plays an important part in Bickford’s life, his past and his work space, making it easier for us to understand what he does and why he chooses to work with themes and subject matter that may seem violent and disturbed on the surface.

Most of Bruce Bickford’s work has remained in the underground vault of cult status, but perhaps his most widely known work would be an animated film called ‘The Amazing Mr. Bickford’ written and co-directed by Frank Zappa with Bickford’s animations set to Zappa’s music. It’s (of course) only been released on VHS and is long out of print and a used copy online is going to set you back about $25, give or take. You can check out Bruce Bickford’s website here.

‘Monster Road’ is available on DVD with the following features:

• Deleted Scenes
• A Selection of Bruce Bickford’s Animations
• Trailers and Music by Shark Quest from the Soundtrack

Here is a clip from The Amazing Mr. Bickford:

Here is a clip from the Monster Road documentary: