Since its inception in 1992, the Sci-Fi Channel (later rebranded as SYFY) has aired more than 500 network-produced or commissioned films. Campy and prolific, the network churned out one low-budget film after another, finally finding its zenith in the 2013 release of Sharknado. With unpretentious charm and a hearty helping of commodified nostalgia, the Sharknado franchise briefly ruled the cultural consciousness and temporarily transformed SYFY's original films from cult fringe to appointment television. Naturally, the network followed up with a steady stream of sequels and spin-offs, including Lavalantula and its sequel, 2 Lava 2 Lantula! This collection of essays is the first to devote critical attention to SYFY's original film canon, both pre- and post-Sharknado. In addition to unpacking the cultural, historical and critical underpinnings of the monsters at the heart of SYFY's classic creature features, the contributors offer a variety of approaches to understanding and interrogating these films within the broader contexts of ecocriticism, monster theory, post-9/11 criticism, and neocolonialism. Providing a further entry point for future scholarship, an appendix details a thorough filmography of SYFY's original films from 1992 to 2022.

Monster hunting is more than just going out into the woods or hanging out in graveyards. The history and performance of monster hunting, from Alexander the Great to scientific expeditions of the Victorian era, can lead us directly to modern-day Bigfoot searches. Combining methods of scientific exploration with aspects of tourism theory demonstrates how monster-hunting is performative and, through an analysis tool called The Cryptid Tourist Gaze, this book examines how and why we go looking for monsters and the ways in which small towns celebrate the monsters that once haunted them. By looking at specific museums such as The North American Bigfoot Center and Expedition Bigfoot: The Sasquatch Museum as well as various festivals and conferences such as The Mothman Festival and the UFO Festival in Roswell, we can witness the ways modern monster-hunting practices are performed and see how much they have evolved from their predecessors. Through themes of liminality, community, and initiation, the performance of monster hunting through cryptid tourism allows both participants and observers to gain insight into why looking for monsters, proving their existence, and sharing experiences with other believers is so important.

Dive into "The Search for the World's Most Elusive Creatures," a riveting exploration authored by Liam J. Cryptson, that takes you on a journey into the heart of cryptozoology. This book unveils the relentless quest for the unexplained, shedding light on the shadows where the world's most elusive creatures lurk. Cryptson's masterful narrative invites readers to question the boundaries of the known and unknown, intertwining scientific inquiry with captivating tales of cryptids that have fascinated humanity for centuries. Perfect for enthusiasts of mystery, adventure, and the natural world, this book promises to ignite your imagination and provoke your curiosity. Step into the unknown; what you discover may just redefine your understanding of reality. Mothman, Nessie, Bigfoot / Sasquatch / Jersey Devil / Yeti

Awarded Best Popular Culture Cryptid Book of the Year in the Top Ten Best Cryptozoology Books of the 2017 by America's Premiere Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman (at cryptozoonews)! Enter, if you dare, the realm of Cryptid Cinema(tm)...the Movie-land of Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Bayou Beasts, Backwoods Bogeymen and Bloodwater Brutes! From filmland's fear & fun-filled real & 'reel' history, SWAMP THING artist & CONSTANTINE co-creator Stephen R. Bissette (Rondo Award 'Monster Kid Hall of Fame' winner, 2012) presents an astonishing, fully-illustrated menagerie of monstrosities, curiosities, and wild & woolly weirdos from the 1950s to the present day! In these pages, you'll find celluloid and TV incarnations of 'real world' cryptids like the Yeti, Sasquatch, and the Jersey Devil, 'reel world' critters from THE KILLER SHREWS to the Demogorgon of STRANGER THINGS, and all manner of bizarre swamp-and-bayou beings from the Gillman to the Nutria-Man, from the reviled CREATURE to the revelatory THE SHAPE OF WATER. CRYPTID CINEMA(tm) covers cryptid appearances in TV series from ONE STEP BEYOND to STRANGER THINGS (offering a complete 'study & viewing guide' to the first season), as well as comic books, toys, action figures, and other media. In these pages, you'll meet a host of eccentric creators like (and the creations of) H.P. Lovecraft, Ron & June Ormond, Jerry Warren, Arthur C. Pierce, Virgil W. Vogel, Janos Prohaska, and others, on up to today's trail-blazers like Kevin Smith, Stefan Avalos, Lance Weiler, and the Duffer Brothers! This isn't a comprehensive guide or history book-it is an illustrated celebration of Cryptid Cinema(tm) via in-depth essays on a few favorite (and often long-forgotten) film fiends, designed and written for older readers (there is some mature content in this first volume, given the nature of the 1960s and 1970s Bigfoot novels, movies and comics). Independent filmmakers and low-budget 'grindhouse' and drive-in exploitation features are given special attention, as are the first-ever Bigfoot documentaries. Read about the stop-motion animation 'amateur' movie that could, EQUINOX; the behind-the-scenes secrets of the rare direct-to-video Upper New York State gem THE GLASSHEAD; the backstories behind the Swedish-American extraterrestrial Yeti opus TERROR IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN, the made-in-Florida Walking Catfish-Man epic ZAAT (aka BLOOD WATERS OF DR. Z), and the surgically-created Walrus-Man movie, TUSK! This jam-packed 245-page extravaganza is just the first in a series of books on Cryptid Cinema(tm) and Paleo Pop(tm) Culture from an author and artist who knows & loves monsters!

Meet the monsters in our midst, from bigfoot to Mothman and beyond! Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures and investigates the ways in which communities embrace and celebrate their local cryptids. Readers will learn about: • Batsquatch of Washington, a winged bigfoot that is said to have emerged from the eruption of Mount Saint Helens • Nain Rouge of Michigan, a fierce red goblin that has been spotted before every major city disaster in Detroit • Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia, a robotic extraterrestrial that crash-landed in rural Appalachia • Lizard Man of South Carolina, a reptilian mutant that attacked a teenager in the summer of 1988 • Glocester Ghoul of Rhode Island, a fire-breathing dragon that guards a hoard of pirate treasure • And many more! Whether you believe in bigfoot or not, this fully illustrated compendium is a fun, frightening, fascinating tour through American folklore and history, exploring the stories we tell about monsters and what those stories say about us.

From vampires and demons to ghosts and zombies, interest in monsters in literature, film, and popular culture has never been stronger. This concise Encyclopedia provides scholars and students with a comprehensive and authoritative A-Z of monsters throughout the ages. It is the first major reference book on monsters for the scholarly market. Over 200 entries written by experts in the field are accompanied by an overview introduction by the editor. Generic entries such as 'ghost' and 'vampire' are cross-listed with important specific manifestations of that monster. In addition to monsters appearing in English-language literature and film, the Encyclopedia also includes significant monsters in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, African and Middle Eastern traditions. Alphabetically organized, the entries each feature suggestions for further reading. The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters is an invaluable resource for all students and scholars and an essential addition to library reference shelves.

The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman- these are the names of the elusive beasts that have caught the eye and captured the imaginations of people around the world for centuries. Recently, tales of these ""monsters"" have been corroborated by an increase in sightings, and out of these legends a new science has been born: cryptozoology-the study of hidden animals. Cryptid Awakening contains nearly two hundred entries, including cryptids the name given to these unusual beasts, new animal finds, and the explorers and scientists who search for them.

Here be Kraken! The Squid Cinema From Hell draws upon writers like Vilem Flusser, Donna J. Haraway, Graham Harman and Eugene Thacker to offer up a critical analysis of cephalopods and other tentacular creatures in contemporary media, while also speculating that digital media might themselves constitute a weird, intelligent alien. If this were not enough to shiver ye timbers, the book engages with contemporary discourses of posthumanism, speculative realism, object-oriented ontology and animal studies to suggest that humans are the products of media rather than media being the products of humans. Including case studies of films by Denis Villeneuve, Park Chan-wook and Celine Sciamma, The Squid Cinema From Hell also provides a daring engagement with various media beyond cinema, including literature, music videos, 4DX, advertising, websites, YouTube, Artificial Intelligence and more. Zounds! This unique and Lovecraftian book will change the way you think about, and with, our contemporary, media-saturated world. For as we contemplate the abyss, the abyss looks back at us - and chthulumedia, or media at the end of human times, begin to emerge.

Interest in preternatural and supernatural themes has revitalized the Gothic tale, renewed explorations of psychic powers and given rise to a host of social and religious movements based upon claims of the fantastical. And yet, in spite of this widespread enthusiasm, the academic world has been slow to study this development. This volume rectifies this gap in current scholarship by serving as an interdisciplinary overview of the relationship of the paranormal to the artefacts of mass media (e.g. novels, comic books, and films) as well as the cultural practices they inspire. After an introduction analyzing the paranormal’s relationship to religion and entertainment, the book presents essays exploring its spiritual significance in a postmodern society; its (post)modern representation in literature and film; and its embodiment in a number of contemporary cultural practices. Contributors from a number of discplines and cultural contexts address issues such as the shamanistic aspects of Batman and lesbianism in vampire mythology. Covering many aspects of the paranormal and its effect on popular culture, this book is an important statement in the field. As such, it will be of utmost interest to scholars of religious studies as well as media, communication, and cultural studies.

About the Book They live among us. Working with his father, renowned archeologist Edward St. James, and his new wife, Misti Alarcon, Adam St. James continues his investigation into the Gens Collective and its rival rebel faction, the Black Shirts. Both factions seek the demise of homo sapiens and have developed the means to destroy humanity in what they call the Great Cull. And they seek to destroy each other. As Adam continues his dialog with Paulo Fortizi, leader of the Gens Collective, he is met with deceit and duplicity at every turn. The Gens Collective desperately seeks to find Adam, whom they call the Human, and recover their lost library. Adam continues to develop extraordinary new mental abilities with a close group of colleagues and finds his new abilities are more powerful and frightening than he could possibly imagine. Can he control his powers, or will they be his undoing? With the addition of the beautiful and mysterious Alana McCarthy, world renowned NSA computer hacker, and the equally mysterious and lethal Nocera “Noki” Lee, Adam confronts his adversaries uncovering the depth and breadth of the plot against humanity. Can they succeed? Only Adam holds the key to prevent unleashing total annihilation. The mysterious Cardinal Bellinelli plots against the Black Shirts, and the Gens Collective to spark a war between the Gens and humanity he believes will eliminate the Gens species on the planet. Does the Vatican hold the answers Adam seeks? Which side will the Vatican choose and why? Murder, treachery, and betrayal combine with unexpected twists and turns, as events pit friend against friend, family against family, and species against species. Nothing is as it appears to be, and new discoveries shed light upon old grievances. The Black Shirts and their charismatic leader, Saldana Ri, develop the means to destroy the rival Gens Collective and humanity, but will they unleash tis devastation? Can they? What explosive secrets does Saldana hide that could destroy her leadership and shift the balance of power back to her rival, Paulo Fortizi of the Gens Collective. With the means of destruction of humanity complete, it is a race against time to prevent genocide on a global scale. Can Adam stop the impending holocaust? Can anyone? With the fate of mankind and the Gens Collective hanging in the balance, forces array against Adam and his teams trying to prevent the conflagration that could signal the demise of intelligent life on the planet. New tech, new weapons, and new adversaries, along with new powers never thought to exist, entertain the reader throughout the novel. New mind journeys and psychic powers begin to reveal themselves as both the savior and destructor of humanity. Cryptid: Probe continues the saga begun in Cryptid: Discovery as the future of mankind teeters on the brink of extinction. Can Adam St. James prevent all-out war and still fulfill his own destiny? Murder, intrigue, deception, treachery, lust, and betrayal all come together in the Cryptid Trilogy as mankind faces off against an unknown species bent on its total destruction as the dominant species on the planet.