31 Nights of Halloween - Night 6: Movie Night: Mysterious Monsters

The woods are always an alluring place. By day, they are often refreshing, recharging the soul. By night, they become a shadow realm of dread, their mystery magnetic. Way back when I was in larval form, I glommed upon anything that smacked of the supernatural or the strange, especially those things lurking in the howling wilds. Or the local patches of woods. So when Mysterious Monsters hit theaters, I cajoled my mom to take me. Many nightmares were inspired.

The book was a fairly capable companion to the film, and I pored over its cheap-pulp paperback pages with a flashlight in the dark.

Years later, when ostensibly an adult, I watched the movie again. And, y'know, it holds up as a fun bit of '70s nostalgia. Peter Graves lends the proceedings a surprising amount of gravitas with his grave demeanor which he delivers gravely. I had to do it. I am unashamed! This is the first full-length Bigfoot (and other critters) documentary I ever saw, and it remains my favorite. Bigfoot may be one of the most iconic inhabitants of the Dark Dimension, and his (their?) lack of a footprint on Halloween is tragic. Let's change that.