Customer Reviews

Mysterious Monsters

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Oh boy oh boy! Do I remember this one!

And the `70's in general. A time where the paranormal, the Bermuda Triangle, and yes, monsters were very much in vogue.

I will never forget seeing this film at a local mall outside of Richmond, Virginia in 1975.

My dear, dear father, who was/is a devout minister or "elder" in the Jehovah's Witness religion originally didn't want to take me to see this film thinking that it was somehow potentially 'demon possessed'. When we got to the mall movie multi-plex in order to (so I thought) actually see it, he flatly said, "No. I am not seeing that movie!" and instead we saw Robert Wise's "The Hindenburg" with George C. Scott, which I truly enjoyed.

However, I was practically breaking into a cold sweat with the knowledge that just on the other side of the fire wall, in the next mini-theatre, the really creepy wonders of which I lusted over - those of the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, and our favorite, native American huge hairy biped, the great Sasquatch, Ohma, or Bigfoot were playing to audiences who must be delightfully scared at the eye-witness accounts, the re-enactments, the tales of the historic sightings, the photographs and those truly awesome plaster casts of the bigfoot prints!

Well, I don't remember exactly how, but my father finally relented on another night and he, my mom and I, at the age 15 and a half, went to see The Mysterious Monsters. I think that a partial reason that my dad gave in was that he liked Peter Graves in the CBS adventure/drama series "Mission Impossible".

The film did not disappoint me. I was hooked from the second Peter Graves introduced the film and said, "This may be the most startling motion picture that you will ever see." Among other wonders of the unknown - such as psychic Peter Hurkos feeling a sealed brief case containing a bigfoot plaster cast and describing the creature in detail and sketching it out for Peter (Mission Impossible) Graves, we have such giants of Bigfoot-dom as adventurer/searcher Peter Byrne, intrepid bigfoot hunter Robert Morgan with his `Mr. Clean' haircut and chilling tale of his personal encounter with a Sasquatch, and the late great Doctor Grover Krantz and his detailed analysis of the famous Roger Patterson film.

Also, we have the rational and highly convincing Tim Dinsdale who captured what is still regarded, even today, as the most authentic cine footage of `Nessie' yet filmed. And, an infirm and perhaps moribund British explorer, Eric Shipton recounts his discovery of Yeti footprints in the Himalayas. As pictures of the prints he discovered are shown, he states, "Then I had this...really, eerie feeling, that here, one was in the presence of something quite...unknown." My hairs still go up on the back of my neck as I recall this scene from the film.

I will never forget the delicious creepiness of the re-enactments! One is the terrifying night encounter by the retired high school football coach who picks up his (really cute) daughter from a baby-sitting job on a lonely road, only to have a near collision with a bigfoot just down the lane. The truly frightening late night encounter of Rita Graham, of upper Washington State, who had a huge, hairy arm reach in through her living room window as she was sipping coffee and watching TV. Or the actual hypnotic regression of Jerilou Whelchell as she shudders and convulses as she re-lives her encounter with a bigfoot creature reaching into her car to injure her arm. This is great entertainment in the finest nostalgic tradition. A true piece of Americana - even if part of it recounts events from the far away cold Himalayas, or the dim waters of Loch Ness in Scotland.

One of the goose bump inducing moments for me is the re-enactment of the three men who are camping and make the recording of the sounds of a bigfoot. Later, when the sounds are analyzed in an actual audio laboratory, Peter Graves asks the sound specialist, "Do you know what made these sounds?" and this technical authority responds with a slight grin and a reverent shake of the head, "No..., I don't." Yep, I still get those goose bumps!

In a decade which saw some truly momentous events such as the subsequent moon landings of the Apollo program, the Watergate scandal, the end of the Vietnam War, the truly horrifying human monsters of John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy, there's something rather pure, innocent and escapist about the Mysterious Monsters and I will always remember this B-grade "documentary" with true affection. It is a light reminder that there yet may still be unknown phenomenon in our vastly advanced, documented and construed culture.

It's interesting to note that others have also recalled this film with some affection. In the episode of "The Simpson's" where Homer and Groundskeeper Willie accompany Mister Burns and Smithers to Loch Ness to capture the famous Nessie, Homer says, "But Mr. Burns, you can't capture the Loch Ness Monster! He's eluded both Leonard Nimoy and Peter Graves!" - these being obvious homages to the "In Search Of..." TV series with Leonard Nimoy and "The Mysterious Monsters" movie with Peter Graves. Get the DVD, make the pop corn, turn out the lights on a Friday night, snuggle up with your wife and children and ENJOY! There may indeed be some unknown beasties that still go bump in the night.

For another great film of this genre, please see "The Legend of Boggy Creek".

I was probably about 10 or 12 years old when I first saw this movie (on television, probably during the summer vacation), and although I now approach some of it with lighthearted skepticism and grammatical criticism ("Hey! The 'Surgeon's Photo' was established as a hoax almost a decade and a half ago!"; "Don't say 'facts', 'proof' and 'prove'; say 'evidence', 'suggest' or 'support'"), back then I accepted it all without question. It probably aired about once a year through the mid 1980s (during the height of the cryptozoological/paranormal documentary years) and I watched it as often as I could (but was pretty much subject to the whims of the station owners and programming executives of the time; this was in the dark ages of home theater, before DVRs, Tivo and even VCRs, remember), until it all but disappeared from the scene. Armchair cryptozoologists like myself were forced to wait almost two decades before it would be made officially available on DVD.

The audio [on the Cheesy Flicks DVD edition] isn't perfect, and the picture is actually pretty poor (there's probably only so much that can be accomplished, even with modern remastering and restorative technology, and especially when you allow for the likelihood that the original video probably hasn't been treated with a whole lot of TLC over the past three decades), but are both are far superior to other copies I've owned on both DVD and VHS (which were in retrospect, of questionable legality and almost certainly bootleg, respectively).

Saw this movie as a child and it stuck with me ever since. Saw it on TV countless times, had a VCR copy I'd taped until recently accidentally taped over it. Saw this on Amazon and decided to order it. When I watched it, however, I was disappointed to see that the video transfer was of the poorest quality. If I'd had the equipment, I could have transferred my VHS copy to DVD and got a better picture and sound quality. Amazon definitely needs to be more aware of the quality of some of the products it sells...this one definitely fell through the cracks.

If you were lucky enough to grow up as a pre-teen in that great decade of the 70's, you'll remember how that decade was full of fads, the newest "Big Thing" of the moment that changed from week to week, and Bigfoot! Yes, Bigfoot. The 70's were the heyday for the sasquatch, yeti and Loch Ness Monster. There were documentaries aplenty about these strange and elusive creatures, and kids like myself couldn't get enough of them! We read every book and saw every TV show that would come on about the mysterious creatures.

And then along came this bad boy.

Over the years I've talked with other guys my age and asked them if they ever remember seeing this movie. It is amazing how many of them did, along with myself. It also amazing that to this very day, almost everyone of them says this was the scariest movie they ever saw. And I'd have to agree with them.

For kids who were under 16 or so back then, the concept of living creatures like the bigfoot here in America and also in the Himalayas (the yeti)were totally accepted as fact. Now, take that one idea and carry it over to watching a film that is a no-holds-barr attempt to show the creature as not only mysterious, but potentially mean and harmful to whomever may run across its path. I saw this in the theater when it was released in '75. All of little boys came out of that theater (wherever you may have lived and seen it), scarred for life!

I lived in metro Atlanta, GA. The closest thing I had for a forest (where Bigfoot could possibly be hiding and waiting for me)was a line of 4 or 5 trees separating our house from a busy main road. It didn't matter. That night after witnessing this film firsthand, I ran into my parents bedroom crying and telling them that I just knew a sasquatch was coming to pick me up out of my bed and then take me out to his lair (which I guess must have resided somewhere between the 4 trees in our backyard) and then do God-only-knew to me!

Many other fine, upstanding young men that I met over the years told me the same story about their experience after watching Peter Graves tell us kids in the most solemn of tones, "Bigfoot is REAL!".

If you love the subject, and you love those classic B-picture psuedo documentaries from the 70's, do yourself a favor and get this one. The Mysterious Monsters is the grandaddy of them all! You won't be disappointed!

This documentry covers it all; from various eyewitness sightings, including three campers who recorded vocalizations in the early 70's, Albert Ostman's kidnapping by a bigfoot in 1924, and early accounts of bigfoot in the 1800's. Footprints are examined and discussed, even self proclaimed footprint hoaxer Ray Pickens is interviewed. Dr. Peter Byrne appears briefly when discussing the Yeti, but Dr. Grover Krantz is given the most screentime when discussing why bigfoot does exist and explains why certain casted footprints are genuine. The Patterson film is also examined and discussed.

Although the documentry is mostly about bigfoot it begins by discussing other animals that were once considered monsters before they were discovered, like the Gorilla. When examining the Loch Ness Monster and how people say it can't exist it mentions the Coelacanth that was thought to be extinct but was discovered off the coast of South Africa in 1938. Examination of the Loch Ness Monster is given quite a bit of time and includes Peter Macnab's photo taken in 1955 of Urquhart Castle with two humps in the water, and the photo taken in 1934 by Robert K. Wilson, known as "The Surgeon's photo". Also included is the film by Tim Dinsdale taken in 1960 and John Cobb's attempt to break the water speed record in 1952 that ended with him being killed when his boat hit a wave supposedly caused by the creature.

The reason I give this only four stars is because the bigfoot costumes look like something you would see from the Planet of the Apes films, just a little bit scarier in the face. The other reason is the film itself is noticeably dirty, something you will immediately see in the opening shot of Peter Graves addressing the audience.

A must have documentry that is definitely worth buying!

I was excited to finally see this on DVD...only to have all the excitement drain away when I looked at the DVD. My copy looked like someone had used it as a coaster. It had a ton of scratches on it!!! As soon as I saw that, I knew it probably wouldn't play very well...and it didn't. It was skipping and actually stopped playing where the DVD player said 'Cannot read disk' a couple of times. The quality is also horrible!! It looks like someone used a bad copy of the movie and just transferred it onto a DVD. Sound is bad and picture is very washed out. PLEASE don't waste your money on this! You'll end up doing what I'm about to do...return it!!

I had not heard of this film but decided to purchase it based on the excellent review of Monster Man. He was right on! Even though I am a Bigfoot fan and have seen many documentaries on the subject, this DVD was a rare treat. A great host with good interviews make this a great monster documentary. What really makes it stand out are the recreations. Even though this is dated, many of the stories I had never heard of. The recreations were very creepy. If you love Bigfoot, mysteries and legends, this is definitely worth having. This is now paired with Legend of Boggy Creek as my all time favorites. Thanks Monster Man for introducing me to a great gem. Again, there are many interviews and recreations of stories not found in many of the Bigfoot documentaries.

This is a classic Documentary; it is well researched and put together in a very cohesive manner. And at 35 years old, the information provided is still valid and on point. Now I've seen some complaints about poor video transfer quality... yeah, sure, but I'd still much rather watch this documentary than some of the newer ones that are being pushed on people interested in the Bigfoot subject. If you're looking for a serious and legitimate documentary on the Bigfoot subject, this is one is a MUST HAVE!

I seen this movies years ago on tv, it a good movie about the monsters like. bigfoot, lock ness monster, the abomable snow man.

If you were a kid in the early/mid 70's, then you certainly remember the show "In Search Of" with Leonard Nimoy. Well, imagine a full length version of that show, but substitute Peter Graves for the Host and you get the idea of this film. If you are a true fan of crypto-investigation, this is a must have to add to any collection. Obviously, the DVD transfer has not been remastered, so it retains the "damaged" or "lined" look to it (think "Planet Terror" by Robert Rodriguez), but that only adds to the quaint charm. If you love 70's "Cheese" and/or anything reminiscent of the wonder and excitement you felt as a child when you first heard about the legendary "Bigfoot" or "Loch Ness Monster", then you won't be disappointed.