Bigfoot stalks theaters tonight in horror movie Primal Rage

There's something stalking the woods in the new horror movie Primal Rage, and it may or may not be Bigfoot (called "Oh-Mah" here). Regardless, it seems to have a bad attitude whatever it is, and has taken an interest in a young woman on a camping trip with her bae.

Starring Casey Cagliardi and Andrew Joseph Montgomery, the couple Ashley and Max face off against the creature, brush up on Indigenous American monster lore, and align themselves with some gun toting locals along the way. Primal Rage: Bigfoot Reborn premiered last November at Chicago's Cinepocalypse festival (formerly known as the Bruce Campbell’s Horror Film Festival), but it is available for audiences across the nation to check out tonight as part of an in-theaters Fathom Event.

The directorial debut of special effects artist Patrick Magee (Jurassic Park III, Men in Black 3, AVP: Alien vs. Predator), features some excellent creature design, and appears to be more of a slasher-style monster flick -- complete with some creative kills. Over at Modern Horrors, the film was called "essentially Friday the 13th if Jason Voorhees was Sasquatch" with a "satisfying body count and creative kills in ways that you’d never expect from a bigfoot movie."

Check out the trailer below, and if you're up for some squatchin', check out Primal Rage in theaters tonight.

-Aaron Sagers

Famed U.S. Lake Monster is Getting a Mini-Series

Photo credit: Sandi Mansi, 1977

Cryptozoologists, believers and skeptics alike have long been enchanted by the mythos of many a monster.

One of the more famous aquatic creatures would have to be none other than Scotland's very own Loch Ness monster. While Nessie has been making news for decades, her lesser known relative will be getting his time in the spotlight this June in a mini-series titled "On the trail of ... Champ."

Champ is said to reside in the waters of Lake Champlain. Much like his (or her) cousin across the pond, Champ has been reported as resembling long extinct dinosaurs; a Plesiosaur or a Tanystropheus, depending on who you ask. As urban legends are wont to do, there are varying accounts in size, which have the beast ringing between 10 and 30 feet in length.

Filmmaker Aleksander Petakov and the crew behind Small Town Monsters (Beast of Whitehall 2016) spent the summer and part of fall in 2017 filming their documentary, in what is now the largest and most well-funded search for Champ on record.

This six-to-eight episode mini-series is just the beginning for "On the trail of..." which will be searching the Eastern United Stated for everyone's favorite hairy humanoid, Bigfoot, in 2019.

A crowdfunding campaign to fund post production costs will be launching on January 25. Petakov and Small Town Monsters will unleash their footage on DVD and VIDI Space streaming June 15, and you'll be able to catch it on Amazon sometime in July. VIDI Space is a new streaming platform founded by Nick Groff, Elizabeth Saint, and Justin Narragon, which will feature supernatural and paranormal content.

Join the search yourself and check out the trailer!

-Nowal Massari

'I hope there's Bigfoot': Top sports quotes of 2017

Head Coach Mike Leach, currently of the Washington State Cougars, is known for his interests in a wide array of topics: pirates, chimpanzees, Daniel Boone, and Geronimo to name but a few.

Well, now you can add Bigfoot and aliens to that list.

Back in September, Leach was asked in a fan-submitted question about his thoughts on Bigfoot and aliens at his weekly press conference. Leach is known for being a colorful guy, and his response did not disappoint:

“I hope there’s Bigfoot ... I doubt there is, not to throw a shadow over the rainy forest in Washington, where there’s already a lot of shadows. I hope there’s Bigfoot. I don’t think there is. The reason why I don’t think there is because we’ve found bones of dinosaurs and everything else, but we haven’t found bones that I have heard of of Bigfoot ... It’d be fun if there’s Bigfoot. I hope there’s Bigfoot, but my guess is there is not.”

As such, the quote made it to USA Today's #19 slot on the Top Sports quotes of 2017. That's especially notable considering this is the same year Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving declared the earth is flat, and Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley name checked the Ghost of Christmas Past as a reason a banned substance may have gotten into his system (speaking of substance, there are other quotes on the list of significantly more importance as well).

Anyhow, thanks Coach Leach, for your thoughts on Bigfoot during the 50th anniversary year of the Patterson-Gimlin film. And for letting us know your take on aliens as well:

“Aliens, I suspect there is. I don’t know that they’re little green men and I don’t know if they’re specifically in our galaxy … I don’t know that they’ll be hostile mutants and the rest. They might look remarkably like us or style-wise they evolved in a different direction, maybe buildings, cars different who knows.” 

“On Earth, they say well we’re the only ones. Well, really? Why? Have you been to other planets, have you checked out the other planets? I think it makes more sense that if it happened here, it happened somewhere else than it does that it only happened here. And then we know that there’s galaxies beyond our galaxy. 

“I certainly wouldn’t rule out life somewhere else other than just Earth because to me, that seems like a lot less of a stretch than the notion that ‘oh, we’re only one. We’re the only one special enough that lightning struck a puddle of mud or we’re the only ones special enough that God cares about enough to have life on this planet.’ 

“See, I don’t believe that. Everybody wants to be special but I don’t think we’re that special.”

-Aaron Sagers

Hog Island Press Releases a Cryptozoological Map of America

We really dig our monsters here in America so when we saw that Hog Island Press from Philadelphia, PA put out a "Monsters in America: A Cryptozoological Map of the United States" we had to share. The site describes the map as a "snapshot of American cryptozoology that brings together the Jersey Devil, Bigfoot, Mothman, Chupacabra, Shunka Warakin, Caddy, the Honey Island Swamp Monster and many more cryptids on one hand-drawn, hand-screened map."

Even cooler? Renowned cryptozoologist and Director of the International Cryptozoology Museum, Loren Coleman, gives mad props to the map by saying, "The cryptid-filled, cartographically accurate Monsters in America: A Cryptozoological Map of the United States should be on the walls of every museum, library, and researcher's office interested in the science of as-yet-to-be-discovered animals. Hog Island Press has produced an informative, affordable, high quality collectible, which also serves as an educational tool useful for your next road trip, a future research trek, or everyday bibliographic study. There is not a fake on the map. I love the heavy paper stock. Discover and obtain yours today!"

The screen printed 25 x 19" ltd. edition print sells for $25 and can be purchased by clicking here. Check it out below.

Thanks to Bloody Disgusting for the heads up on this cool item.

-Larissa Mrykalo

New Destination America Special, 'Killing Bigfoot' Airs October 24

On October 24 at 9 p.m. ET, the one-hour special "Killing Bigfoot" will air on Destination America. To prove to the world that Bigfoot exists, Bobby Hamilton along with his friend Jim Lansdale, and their team of monster hunters, known as the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization (GCBRO), are out to solve that mystery. The team's mission is to prove that the cryptid exists by "harvesting a DNA sample for scientific evidence, even if that means killing Bigfoot to get it."

Here are the complete details via the press release and then check out a clip. Also, be sure to let us know your thoughts on this special. Will you be watching?

Comprised of engineers, corporate executives, military veterans, former cops, National Guard members, and even a coroner’s “body removal specialist,” GCBRO also aims to protect people from rogue sasquatches that they say could threaten the public safety. But however well-intentioned they may be, their extreme objective to kill Bigfoot puts them at odds with many in the crypto-zoological community who do not want to see one dead.

In "Killing Bigfoot," GCBRO conducts an all-night stakeout in response to reports of a possible rogue Bigfoot attacking a local woman’s house and farm animals. Later, they get a call from a hunter, who claims his foot was grabbed by a Bigfoot while 14 feet up a tree in a hunting stand. The investigation takes GCBRO into a night they will never forget.



-Larissa Mrykalo

Special Edition of 'Monsters & Mysteries in America' Premieres This Friday on Destination America

Airing this Friday, September 12 at 10 p.m. ET, is a special edition of Destination America's "Monsters and Mysteries in America" called "Monsters & Mysteries: The Blackburn Files." The special, anthology edition episode will be hosted by crypto-zoologist Lyle Blackburn. Blackburn is out to prove that the unidentified monsters that seem to have immersed entire towns in fear, are more than just figments of their imaginations.

Stories featured in this special episode include:

· Lake Worth Monster – In the summer of 1969, young couples in Texas’ sleepy Lake Worth community were attacked by an aggressive, horned, hybrid monster that was half man, half goat. Though many thought the creature had disappeared, two decades later the encounters continue.

· Rake – After two 12-year-old girls recently carried out a brutal attack in the name of Slenderman, a shadowy internet-born character, the story became an instant media sensation. Who or what is this dark collector of young souls? The legend is actually quite old and continues to make its way into contemporary account. Kerrie Fargiorgio recalls her encounter with the faceless nocturnal predator also known as “The Rake.”

· Beast of Bray Road – Bar manager Lori Endrizzi will never forget the night she was driving down one of Wisconsin’s most infamous roads and came face-to-face with the half-man, half-wolf beast known as “the Beast of Bray Road.”

Tune in to Destination America this Friday, September 12 at 10 p.m. ET to see if Blackburn makes a case for the existence of these creatures.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Bigfoot Video Captured in Alberta, Canada

Photo courtesy of FEARNET

Bigfoot just loves making his way into the news lately. Is he tired of hiding? Did this family enjoying a snowy walk in the woods of Calgary actually find some compelling evidence? Do we need to alert Dean Cain? So many questions...but aren't there always when it comes to this elusive cryptid?

Posted January 31 on GhostTheory.com and mentioned on FEARNET.com, the video depicts a humanoid creature at the edge of the woods near a river and a little girl's voice proclaiming, "That is not a human." Their reactions indicated they truly weren't expecting to see such a creature during their walk and based on these reactions and the way the 22-second video was shot, it's hard to determine if this is an elaborate hoax.

It's a pretty compelling video but we'd love to know if the area was explored further. Were there hair samples taken or footprints captured? Check out both the original video and the slowed down version for a better look at the creature and let us know what you think.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Original Video:


Slowed down and stabilized video:

Unidentified Cryptid Filmed in Oregon

According to some footage from YouTube channel Audio Color World, it appears that video evidence of Bigfoot-esque creature, the Pacific Northwest's most elusive cryptid, has been captured.

The footage shows a strange, almost human-like figure, crouching amongst some bushes on the side of the road. For two and a half minutes, the camera focuses on the creature as it forages around in the plants. Aside from the alleged filming location of Oregon, there isn't any other information to go along with the clip.

Despite the relatively clear view of the mysterious beast, the footage appears to be computer generated, as evidenced by the fluidity of the movement. The lack of footage leading up to or following the event are also suspect, leading many to believe this is part of an unnamed viral marketing campaign or an elaborate hoax. Watch the clip and let us know what you think in the comments.



-Nowal Massari

Amazon Making "Cryptozoological Erotica" as Elusive as Bigfoot

Retitled Image available on Amazon.com

Erotic romance novels have been around for quite some time, and in this age of technology, more accessible than ever via ebook downloads. One would think that all of the stories have been told already, however there is a growing niche in the world of erotica; cryptozoology and the paranormal. However, a number of ebook retailers, most notably Amazon, is cracking down on their work and making it extremely difficult for them to sell their stories.

Chupacabra heads to the Midwest

Not content to stay in the warmer climates of the Southwest, good ol' Chupey has made his way to Missouri. Based on this local news report from THV11, it sounds like the "goat sucker" has snagged a goat along with some chickens. Then again, Rancher Tim managed to shoot Chupey, and the creature was hung from a tree (as is apparently the fashion in Missour-eh). Although area conservationists say the animal is just a diseased or mangy coyote, History Channel's MonsterQuest has shown an interest.

'Planet of the Apes' premiere red carpet coverage

As part of our partnership with AP Live, we'll be streaming live from the red carpet arrivals at the LA premiere of Rise of the Planet of the Apes tonight, July 28, at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT. This will be coming live from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA. The cameras will talk with the cast members and filmmakers including James Franco, Tom Felton, Andy Serkis and more. Tune in!

Behind the scenes pic of Hitchcock's 'The Birds'

Quint from AintItCoolNews has been doing a bang-up job with his daily "Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day" column, and it continues today with a cryptozoological-themed pic (and good enough excuse to run a badass photo) from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

This is just a beautiful image from one of the best movies. Ever.

More from viral Swamp Monster - or Swamp Monster viral hoax

A reader identified as "Rob" tipped us off that the I Am Legend viral-looking swamp monster caught on cam - which we reported on yesterday and has been covered across the Net - is actually "a viral marketing hoax set up by Insomniac Games, What you see there is called a Grim."

Rob then directed us to the Daily Mail coverage of the photo, which suggested it may be a viral hoax for the upcoming Spider-Man 4. That seemed like a particularly far out idea, but a commenter on the Mail story suggested it was courtesy of video game developer Insomniac for their upcoming Resistance 3<

That would make sense; Insomniac released an excellent live-action trailer for the game: 

Plus, the developer did indeed tweet, "Whoops... looks like one got out. If you see a Grim on the loose... please return to Insomniac Games, Burbank, CA."


A Grim is one of these little buggers, as show at Play Station Lifestyle:

So their image doesn't look like our swamp monster, although that would wrap it all up, nice and tidy - until Insomniac deleted the tweet claiming responsibility and followed up with a pseudo statement that it was a "total joke."

If it's not Spider-Man, not a Grim and probably not part of Wildgame Innovations, the wildlife company whose logo is stamped on the image (since presumably they market cameras to hunters seeking deer and boar, not viral zombie-thingies), what is it?

The latest theory is that it has something to do with Super 8, the J.J. Abrams-directed/Steven Spielberg-produced alien flick opening June 2011.

This supposed "concept art" from Super 8 started showing up on movie-insider Web sites like Cinema Blend last week, and has now been connected to the swamp thing by i09 and MovieWeb:

But I'm not buying it. Not only does it strike me as highly unlikely that Abrams and Paramount would allow a big reveal such as their monster concept art to leak and remain up on Web sites (no "Image removed at request of Paramount/Copyright holder" confirmations anywhere), but swampy looks nothing like the art above. Also, as far as the "crying girl" video at MovieWeb - shot by a father talking to his young daughter who plays an extra in Super 8 - it's being touted as proof of this being the creature from Abrams' film, but neither the girl nor father make any direct reference to the swamp creature image above.  At most she says her character was evading a "zombie."


Update: User "I Doubt It" pointed us to a post at a the Doubtful skepticism blog (we're unclear if the commenter and blogger are one and the same, but thanks either way) where she points out the creature's face in the image looks remarkably similar to this 3D rendering of a "swamp monster" mask - first posted in 2008:

This could be the answer, but in order to be resolved, we'd need to see this actual mask worn by someone and photographed to see if it's the creeper in the original pic.  One step closer, though.

So the mystery continues; the creature on the wildlife cam looks neither like the Insomniac or Super 8 concept art, and I'm still going with hoax or viral campaign. But I just hope it doesn't end any time soon.

Lousiana swamp monster caught on cam - Or maybe Photoshopped

Contessa Brewer of MSNBC has picked up a story from an NBC affiliate in Baton Rouge, La., of a creature popping up in a Berwick hunter's motion-activated wildlife cam.

Apparently, the man whose camera picked up this photo on a friend's private property wishes to remain anonymous but claims the cam was destroyed but the memory card remained intact.

The NBC33 affiliate already featured the photo twice by 10:45 today and have also posted it on their Facebook page.

Any why not all the coverage?  I personally love any monster story that gets locals and news reporters talking, and it gives producers a chance to use The X-Files theme music.

Although I'm guessing this is a Photoshop job or some alien iPhone photo app (not unlike the ghost apps we mentioned before).

Plus, this photo has already made the rounds and appears on a photobucket profile and archery Web site with an 11/30 time stamp (shown here), as opposed to the 12/4 stamp shown in the news package.

As far as the glowing eyes, it's time for a science lesson.

If the photo were somehow legit, and this was an image of a nocturnal swamp monster, the glowing eyes wouldn't be that surprising.  Many animals who operate at night posses a reflective layer behind their eyes called the tapetum lucidum.

This layer allows animals, like my dog here (who I'm pretty certain isn't a complete hellhound), to see better in low lighting. It also causes a mirror effect when a photo is taken and the light is reflected back, creating a glowing illusion.

'Sanctuary' returns, star Robin Dunne speaks

The monster-helpers of Sanctuary return for Season Three tonight on Syfy at 9 p.m. In the season opener of the paranormal/sci-fi show, the team tries to prevent catastrophic tidal waves from killing millions. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) defends her position as the head of the Sanctuary Network and Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) is fighting for his life in Mumbai.

A sneak peek of the premiere is embedded below, along with an interview with Robin Dunne from the recent Syfy media tour at Universal Studios Orlando.

Formerly crypto: Monster myths that were real

We just got a tip from reader "Tippy Tipperson" pointing us in the direction of Elizabeth Brady's excellent post over at PawNation.

Brady uses cryptids like Nessie and the yeti as a launching pad to discuss other animals that were considered mythical monsters at one point in time. The list with accompanying photos is only five strong right now, and I hope she continues to add to it, but it's a fun, educational read.

Sadly, the post doesn't allow for embedding here and I don't want to tick off copyright gods, but go check it out nonetheless. And thanks for the tip, Tippy - if that is your real name, which I have absolutely no doubts about.

New deep sea creatures found

AOL News is hosting a gallery of startling images of new, mysterious creatures living 4,600 feet underwater.  The photos were taken by the Queensland Brain Institute at the Osprey Reef using special lowlight cameras and instrument platforms built by the Harbour Branch Oceanographic Institute in Florida which sits on the sea floor.


The institute picked up images of "prehistoric six-gilled sharks, giant oil fish, swarms of crustaceans and many unidentified fish"

Team leader Professor Justin Marshall explains the reef is an area of high conservation importance. He adds, "As well as understanding life at the surface, we need to plunge off the walls of Osprey to describe the deep-sea life that lives down to 2000m [approx. 6,600 feet], beyond the reach of sunlight. We simply do not know what life is down there and our cameras can now record the behaviour and life in Australia’s largest biosphere, the deep-sea."


At the moment, many of these creatures cannot be explained by science, but give it time ...

'Doctor Who' companion to take TARDIS to Loch Ness?

Because we sort of painted ourselves in the corner with paranormal pop culture instead of, say, "sci-fi pop culture," it's not often we get to talk about the awesomeness that is Doctor Who. But today, everything's coming up Milhouse.

It turns out Scots actress Karen Gillan, who plays the eleventh Doctor's companion Amy Pond (shown here), wants the TARDIS to hunt for Nessie. Gillan tells Scottish newspaper the Daily Record she's been badgering the show's Scottish producer to do a "Scottish special."  Sound like a lot of Scots? You betcha.

"The Scots are taking over," says Gillan. "I said to Steven that we should do something with the Loch Ness Monster in Inverness." She adds, "I would love to see someone like Billy Connolly in the show ... I just think we should have someone who's a big character and who is really funny. Someone like that,who is Scottish."

As it happens, comedian Connolly (who, depending on your age, is best known to American audiences as Mr. MacGregor in Head of the Class or as Il Duce in The Boondock Saints) almost took over as the eighth Doctor before Paul McGann eventually became the Time Lord.

If the Scottish episode did happen, it wouldn't even be the first time Nessie would make an appearance on the show. Doctor fans might remember the Zygons tried to use the cryptid to wreak havoc back in 1975 - but back then the monster was just an alien cyborg known as a Skarasen.

'The Cryptid Factor': The best radio show you're not listening to

During a lively debate about the sense of humor and fun that sometimes goes missing in the paranormal world, I brought up The Cryptid Factor, my current favorite radio show that gets it right and keeps it light. I was shocked my friend, who keeps up on all things crypto, hadn't heard about the show. So this is an attempt to do my part and spread the word ...

The Cryptid Factor is a funny but informative New Zealand-based radio show about cryptids hosted by Rhys Darby (Murray from Flight of the Conchords), David Farrier and producer Leon "Buttons." The show includes interviews (Loren Coleman has alread been on), eyewitness accounts, good music and a lot of chat. Don't miss it.

It streams live on 95bfm Sundays from 9-11 a.m. in New Zealand, which means (thanks for the cheat sheet Craig):
12:00pm-2:00pm Sat (Los Angeles)
2:00pm-4:00pm Sat (Chicago)
3:00pm-5:00pm Sat (New York)

And while you're at it, follow the show on Twitter and Facebook. A promo for the show and the best of Murray from Conchords embedded for your enjoyment after the jump.

'The Cryptid Files' explores children's fiction, Loch Ness

Combining the adventurous inclinations of wondrous youngsters with the mysteries of cryptids is such a natural creative fit, but yet so few people make good use of it within paranormal pop culture. A few notable exceptions include The Water Horse (the Dick King-Smith book and film) and The Secret Saturdays.

Having not read it, I cannot say for certain if British author Jean Flitcroft's new young reader book series The Cryptid Files falls within the same category as the aforementioned two, but I've high hopes.

Revolving around Vanessa, a 12-year-old Irish girl seeking to complete her mother's quest to uncover the mystery creatures of the world, the first book kicks off with a quest for Nessie. Instead of taking chapters to head to Scotland, the story begins fast with a gripping prologue where the girl ends up deep in the drink of the loch. The same pace is again set right away with the as-yet unreleased follow-up featuring Chupacabra.

The book has yet to be published in the United States just yet, but it can be found through Amazon. If you've kids, or just a cryptid fix, check it out.