Of Pissed Off Ewoks, Killer Kong And Alien Anatomy

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Dread Central / Tumblr

Thanks to Uncle Creepy over at Dread Central I have new artist that I really dig named Brad McGinty. Not only is he a very talented artist he is quite the humorist as well. His blog on Tumblr reveals that his grandfather was driven to the bottle by a failed greeting card business that he started after WWII with a Japanese artist he shot in combat. Seems that no one likes to see Santa Claus referred to as "American Christmas Devil"... who knew?

McGinty's work ranges from pissed off ewoks and Alien anatomy cross-sections to some really great monster art.

It may not have worked for grandpa but if the younger McGinty went into the card business ... well you all would be getting his Valentine's Day cards in the mail come February.


Check out McGinty's work over at Tumblr - HERE

The Crypto Reporter: Yeti's, Lake Monsters And Legos (10/02/11)

Stories Compiled By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Various (Listed)

I know it has been a long time since I attempted to chronicle all the various monster sightings and stories from around the globe but seeing that I had a couple of hours to kill I thought "What the heck".

For starters check out the image to left. It's a reproduction of the famed still image from Roger Patterson's famed 1967 film of Bigfoot. Photographer Mike Stimpson has created a collection of famous photographs redone using Legos. Check out the other images HERE.

Yes I'm aware that's Chewbacca.

W Siberia Yeti country?
Voice of Russia (Dmitriyeva Nina)

Governor of Siberia’s Kemerovo Region Aman Tuleyev is hosting a conference at which scientists from Russia, the United States, Canada, Sweden, Estonia, Mongolia and China are evaluating evidence of the Bigfoot, or Yeti, still roaming densely wooded areas in many parts of the world including western North America, the North Caucasus and the southern belt of Western Siberia. There will be video and audio footages of Yeti and a report from the United States about a possible genetic make-up of this mysterious hominid.

Dr Igor Burtsev heads the Moscow-based International Centre of Hominology:
"When Homo sapiens started populating the world, it viciously exterminated its closest relative in the hominid family, Homo neanderthalensis. Some of the Neanderthals, however, may have survived to this day in some mountainous wooded habitats that are more or less off limits to their archfoes. No clothing on them, no tools in hands and no fire in the household. Only round-the-clock watchfulness for a Homo sapiens around."

Read More

Bigfoot Researcher Believes US Forest Service Covers-up Bigfoot
Ghost Theory (Javier Ortega)

Bigfoot Researcher and author William Jevning has gone to Twitter to post what he believes to be a possible US Forest Service cover-up in the matters of Bigfoot.

The story was posted by Craig Woolheater over at Cryptomundo and I just happen to stumble across it. Craig, being the good guy that he is, has gone through the tedious task of arranging Mr. Jevning’s tweets that where posted in reverse order (oldest twit on bottom) on the Twitter page.

Read More

Lair of the Beasts: Monster Hot-Spots
Where Creatures Lurk

Mania (Nick Redfern)

It is one thing to receive reports of a strange creature – whether Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or the Chupacabra – seen in one particular locale. But it’s quite another thing entirely to get multiple reports of several different unidentified beasts from one clearly delineated area! And, yet, within the field of Cryptozoology, that’s precisely what we see on numerous occasions.

Take, for example, England’s Cannock Chase – a sprawling and dense mass of heath and woodland situated in the county of Staffordshire. For years, an absolute menagerie of unknown animals and out-of-place critters has been seen roaming the Chase. The list is as long as it is impressively weird, and includes Bigfoot-type entities, marauding werewolves, large and exotic cats of the puma variety, giant snakes, oversized birds and much more.

Then there’s Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk – near England’s east-coast. In December 1980, the forest was the site of what – today – is considered by many to be Britain’s most famous UFO encounter. Over the course of several nights in the latter part of the month, numerous military personnel reported seeing UFOs, strange lights, and even alien-type entities deep in the woods. A major cover-up was put into place to hide the startling truth of the affair, claim numerous UFO researchers.

But, that’s not all: Rendlesham is also the reputed home of a Sasquatch-style creature known as the Shug Monkey. Big cats have been reported prowling the woods for years. As have ghostly, glowing-eyed, black dogs. And centuries ago in the waters off the very nearby town of Orford, a hair-covered, crazed creature – half man and half animal - was said to have been captured and tamed.

And let’s take a trip to Loch Ness, Scotland. You thought Nessie was the strangest thing haunting those old dark waters? Nope! Big black cats – similar to those seen in the aforementioned Cannock Chase and Rendlesham Forest - consider the woods surrounding the loch to be their home too. Legend also tells of shape-shifting monsters known as Kelpies skulking around the area.

There are even reports of large animals seen in the waters of the loch that sound nothing like the image of Nessie that most people have – namely, that of a long-necked, humped animal with flippers.

Read More


Nessie's gang: 5 celebrity lake monsters

Sure, you've heard of the Loch Ness Monster, but that's not the only spooky, serpentine creature that has ever emerged from the deep for a photo op.
By Matt Hickman (Mother Nature Network)

Move over Bigfoot, El Chupacabra and assorted creepy South American gnomes — you've got some fierce and fearsome aquatic company.

While you're probably well-aware of Nessie, Scotland's legendary lake-dwelling cryptid, she's not the only spooky, serpentine creature that has emerged from the deep for a photo op over the years. From California to Canada (what is it with Canada and the disproportionate number of lake monsters?), there are numerous unidentifiable swimming objects — USOs, if you will — that reputedly reside in deep, freshwater bodies of water around the world. Giving bored locals something to gossip about, tourism boards something to promote and cryptozoologists a reason to exist, lake monsters have long been a staple of mythology and regional folklore. Sure, most sightings of these watery beasts are believed to be simple cases of mistaken identity — logs and other debris, sturgeons, eels, seals, otters, etc., the result of overactive imaginations or straight-out hoaxes — but the thousands of people who claim to have seen a Loch Ness-esque critter, first hand, may beg to differ.

Below you'll find five of the most notorious modern-day lake monsters out there. Have you ever witnessed something "go bump in the lake?"

The Loch Ness Monster (aka Nessie)
Residence: Loch Ness, Scotland
Description: "... a long tapering neck, about 6 feet long, and a smallish head with a serpentine look about it, and a huge hump behind which I reckoned was about 30 feet long. It was turning its head constantly." — Alex Campbell (1933)
Notable sightings: 1933 by George Spicer; 1934 by Dr. Robert Wilson; 1972 by Father Gregory Brusey.

Pop culture cryp-toid: Nessie, the undisputed grand dame of lake monsters, has been the subject of numerous films including the cheese-tastic "The Loch Ness Horror;" the Ted Danson family flick, "Loch Ness;" "Incident at Loch Ness," a mockumentary starring Warner Herzog; and, of course, "Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster."

Champ
Residence: Lake Champlain, New York/Vermont/Quebec
Description: "20-foot serpent thick as a barrel with a head like a horse" — Samuel de Champlain (1609)
Notable sightings: 1883 by Sheriff Nathan H. Mooney; 1977 by Sandra Mansi; 2009 by Eric Olsen.

Pop culture cryp-toid: During the height of Champ mania in the early 19th century, showman P.T. Barnum offered a $50,000 reward for "the hide of the beast" so that he could exhibit the carcass of the legendary monster.

Read More

A Little Kaiju Cinema Love From The USA Today

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: USA Today

News on the Godzilla movie front has been coming at a rather slow pace as of late, so it is good to see the folks over at the USA Today pitching in to help pick up the pace a little.

Today, a guest blogger for the online news site, James Leung of Giant Robot magazine fame, decided to write about his love of kaiju cinema and how it had a profound influence on him growing up. The title of Leung's article, "Japanese monster flicks make life better" is a sentiment that I think that we all can agree on.

Along with the article Leung included a list of his top five Japanese monster films for a do-it-yourself movie marathon. Though I myself would have chosen five different films for my list, a true kaiju fan should never argue with another fan's list in good conscience.

Here is an excerpt from "Japanese monster flicks make life better":

Before cable television, I was a huge devotee of the 4:30 Movie on the local New York City ABC affiliate (WABC-TV). They used to broadcast a wide variety of films and frequently programmed special "theme weeks." During a theme week, they would air a series of movies following a particular theme or actor. For instance, they'd schedule a "Vincent Price Week," which showed only Vincent Price movies.

My absolute favorite theme week was "Monster Week." I wasted many hours adjusting a set of rabbit ear antennas in order to watch it. Monster Week consisted mostly of movies from the daikaiju (big monster) genre of Japanese cinema which features stuntmen in latex rubber monster suits. The 4:30 Movie used to broadcast bizarre monster flicks like Frankenstein Conquers the World, Terror of Mechagodzilla and Mothra.

Read More

I can really relate with Leung's fond memories of enjoying Japanese monster movies on afternoon television, back in the day when that was the only way to see these types of films.

I remember watching such classics as "Rodan", "Godzilla's Revenge", "Destroy All Monsters", "King Kong vs Godzilla" and "Godzilla vs The Cosmic Monster" as part of a yet different, "Monster Week" on the "Dialing for Dollars Movie" progran in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The marathon would generally happen in either June or July every year, and it was always one of the higlights of my summer vacation from school.

Ah, memories.

See Also: Godzilla Goes Prime-Time! - Godzilla vs Megalon On NBC In 1977

Godzilla Goes Prime-Time! - Godzilla vs Megalon On NBC In 1977

Written By: Ken Hulsey

Since this website is still in its infancy, I thought that it would be a good idea to explain just how I became a Godzilla movie fan and how much the Japanese giant monster genre as influenced my life.

For me, personally, being a child of the 1970s, the fact that I have become a life-long fan of Godzilla, and other giant monster films, came quite naturally.

For those of you who were also around in the groovy 70s, you already know that the decade was dominated by dinosaurs. Indeed 70s pop-culture is littered with prehistoric terrors. You really couldn't escape them, there were the Saturday morning kids shows, "Land of the Lost" and "Valley of the Dinosaurs", major motion pictures like, "The Land That Time Forgot", "The People That Time Forgot" and "The Crater Lake Monster", and television movies like "Last Dinosaur", heck, they were even in comic books like, "Turok Son of Stone."

I, like almost all of my male peers, loved dinosaurs, and what true, red-blooded, American boy doesn't?

Now, the pivotal moment, when I went from just being a dinosaur nut, to a Godzilla nut, came in 1977, when the NBC network aired "Godzilla vs Megalon" on prime-time television.

I remember thinking to myself as I watched the commercial for the show, "That is the biggest dinosaur that I have ever seen! (referring to Godzilla) That's so cool!"

As many of you may remember, NBC's nation-wide broadcast, of the dubbed 1973 Toho production, was hosted by John Belushi, who wore a Godzilla costume created by Robert Short for the 1976 film,"Hollywood Boulevard". Belushi, played the part of a late-night horror host, and provided comedy skits before, and after commercial breaks.

The film itself, was cut in half to fit into an hour-long time slot, and was played mostly for laughs. Many Godzilla writers and historians look back at this event as one of the low-points in G history.

In actuality, that was not the case at all. Granted, the NBC airing of "Godzilla vs Megalon" was meant to spoof Japanese giant monster movies, but the broadcast actually spawned a huge boom in Godzilla popularity here in the United States.

Many Americans , like myself, had never been exposed to Godzilla movies and the prime-time NBC broadcast brought the monster into homes across the country for the first time.

I was in love.

Though, "Godzilla vs Megalon" is one of the poorer entries into the long-running film series, it's quirky style and over-all strangeness caught the attention of the American public.

For me, any movie with a 200ft-tall dinosaur, giant robot, and giant bugs, was a dream come true. Granted, I was only ten at the time, but I had already been baptised into sci fi by the movies and shows I mentioned earlier.

I was also huge fan of the "Planet of the Apes" movies and "Logan's Run", so I knew cool when I saw it, and Godzilla was the king of cool now in my little world.

There was an undeniable boom in Godzilla related items almost immediately after the movie aired. Within a year, there were an influx of Godzilla toys, including the infamous Shogun Warriors "Godzilla", a Marvel comic book series, "Godzilla: King of the Monsters", and the Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera animated series, "The Godzilla Power Hour."

Godzilla's popularity here in America was never higher.

Despite arguments to the contrary, "Godzilla vs Megalon", even in it's severely chopped form, firmly planted Godzilla into the American pop-culture mix, where it has remained for over three decades.

Though many younger fans may not realize it, they probably can, in some part, trace their exposure to Godzilla films back to this event.

As a side note, Belushi would wear Robert Short's Godzilla suit once more, this time for a skit on Saturday Night Live. In the bit, Godzilla is interviewed by Baba Wawa (Barbara Walters) played by Gilda Radner.

Here is an excerpt:

Baba Wawa: Hewwo! This is "Baba Wawa at Warge"! [ audience cheers ] Uh -- let me just begin by saying thewe's nevew a dull moment in my iwwustwious caweew!I've JUST wetuwned fwom Iwan, whewe I was intewviewing the Shah and Shahness and Shahnettes of Iwan! And now, hewe I am in the luxuwious Bevewwy Hiwws home of a gweat Owiental fiwm staw!

[ pull back for wide shot as Baba joins Godzilla on the couch ]

Of couwse, I'm wefewwing to the weawwy tewwific Godziwwa! How awe you today, Godziwwa?

Godzilla: Oh, I'm fine! [ pats her hand ] How are you, Barbara?

Baba Wawa: Oh, just fine! Uh -- Godziwwa, is this YOUW pwace?

Godzilla: Yes, it sure is! You know, you just can't away from this -- you know, I'm working here, uh, this is where I'm gonna make my home -- Los Angeles!

Baba Wawa: Godziwwa, is -- is -- is that a Japanese name?

Godzilla: Uh, no. You know, a lot of people think I'm from Japan, or a muppet, you know? Actually, uh, I'm -- I'm neither. Actually, I'm, uh -- I'm Hawaiian! I was born in a crater off the coast of Awahoo[?], and... my egg was hatched from the warmth of a lava flow during an eruption from a dormant volcano.

Baba Wawa: Ohhh! [ she chuckles ] "Fwom the wawmth of a wava fwow duwing a vowcanic ewuption!" Weawwy! So, you'we Hawaiian?

Godzilla: Yes, I am. Sure! I went to high school with Bette Midler!

Baba Wawa: Ohhh! Weawwy?

Godzilla: We went steady together for TWO years! [ he mimes physical action ]

Baba Wawa: Uh, Godziwwa, if I could get pewsonal with you fow a moment... wouwd you say thewe was any pawticuwaw weason why you went into show business? I mean, coming fwom an unhappy chiwdhood..?

Godzilla: Well, uh, I was hatched from an egg -- you could say I came from a broken home!

The entire transcript for the Belushi/Radner SNL Godzilla skit can be found HERE.

For me, the NBC airing of "Godzilla vs Megalon", spawned an amazing life of Godzilla fandom, and stands out as an event I will always treasure.

I will touch more on how the popularity of Godzilla was at it's peak, here in America, in the 1970s in a another upcoming article.