Download or read book Attack of the New B Movies written by Justin Wigard and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-04-14 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Cryptid Tourism written by Sara Brooke Christian and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-08-07 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book The Search for the World s Most Elusive Creatures written by Liam J. Cryptson and published by epubli. This book was released on 2024-03-02 with total page 111 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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

Download or read book Cryptid Cinema written by Stephen Bissette and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-11-03 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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!

Download or read book The United States of Cryptids written by J. W. Ocker and published by Quirk Books. This book was released on 2022-10-11 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters written by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Cryptid Awakening written by John Kuykendall and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2019-02-04 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Squid Cinema From Hell written by William Brown and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-02 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book The Paranormal and Popular Culture written by Darryl Caterine and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-02-18 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Cryptid Probe written by Douglas Roff and published by Douglas Roff. This book was released on 2017-06-01 with total page 783 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Cryptozoology written by Mark Bessire and published by JRP Ringier. This book was released on 2006 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edited by Marc Bessire, Raechell Smith. Text by Loren Coleman, Loring Danforth, Dave Filipi, Sean Foley, Chris Thompson, Nato Thompson.

Download or read book The Book of Renfield written by Tim Lucas and published by Riverdale Avenue Books LLC. This book was released on 2023-04-11 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Lucas mimics Stoker's style so well that it's hard to distinguish his own writing from passages interpolated from Dracula. A fully humanized character study.” – Publishers Weekly Perhaps the most infamous supporting character in all of Gothic Horror is R.M. Renfield, the unstable patient under observation at Dr. Seward’s Carfax Asylum in Bram Stoker’s Dracula—a pathetic wretch who prophesies the imminent arrival of “the Master” while covertly feeding on spiders and flies. Yet Stoker’s 1887 classic tells us almost nothing about him. Why—and how—was such an unsavory figure chosen to be the Un-dead Count’s groveling envoy? In this remarkable harbinger of the “mash-up” novel, author Tim Lucas—with the help of Stoker himself—takes us on an illuminating, magical, sometimes strangely erotic investigation into Renfield’s origin, fitted seamlessly within the language and the flurry of correspondence and other documentation found in Dracula. THE BOOK OF RENFIELD reinvigorates Stoker’s seminal horror masterpiece with numerous, uncanny stories within stories—alternately ghastly, marvelous, and hauntingly tender, framing DRACULA’s robust blood-and-thunder with a flair for meta and modernity. This Newly Revised Edition is extensively reworded and restructured, incorporating many paragraphs of content deleted from the original 2005 text. Also included is a contextualizing new Foreword by horror expert Stephen R. Bissette and a substantial Afterword by the author.

Download or read book The Science of Sci Fi Cinema written by Vincent Piturro and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2021-08-09 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science fiction films present hypothetical futures, featuring imagined technological advancements--not yet realized but perhaps (more or less) plausible. Yet how much of what audiences see is within the bounds of possibility? Can we really envision what a black hole looks like? Can dinosaurs really be genetically re-engineered? Originating from an annual Science Fiction Film Series in Denver, Colorado, this volume of essays examines 10 films, with a focus on discerning the possible, the unlikely, and the purely science fictional. With essays by scientists in relevant fields, chapters provide analyses of the movies themselves, along with examination of the actual science (or lack thereof) in each film.

Download or read book Alien Abduction in the Cinema written by Paul Meehan and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-08-03 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The alien abduction phenomenon is one of the enduring enigmas of our time. While the reality of alien abductions is a hotly debated topic among UFO researchers, scientists, skeptics and true believers alike, the phenomenon indisputably exists as an artifact of popular culture. This book analyzes more than 75 films that draw their inspiration from allegedly fact-based accounts of alien contact, from 1951's The Man from Planet X to Contactee in 2021. These films are examined in terms of both their cinematic qualities and their exploration of thematic elements derived from abduction reports. Abduction motifs that appear in science fiction classics such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2001 and Close Encounters are analyzed, as well as those in lesser-known films like The Stranger Within, Starship Invasions, Dark Skies and Proximity. Special attention is given to movies based on the famed experiences of abductees Betty and Barney Hill, Whitley Strieber and Travis Walton. The book also addresses skeptical theories about the origins of the phenomenon in science fiction and examines an uncanny prescience that appears to anticipate these inexplicable occurrences.

Download or read book Shiver written by JC Brown and published by . This book was released on 2022-03-20 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Upon driving home from work, Nicholas Wallace is driven off the road by a strange creature and ends up at the bottom of a tall, sloped hill during the winter season. With little chance of finding help, Nicholas has to stay in his car and try to figure out what to do but is haunted by a malevolent spirit and the painful memories buried deep inside his mind of what he did long ago.

Download or read book Not of the Living Dead written by Noah Simon Jampol and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-03-08 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A killer monkey. Suburban witchcraft. Motorcycle jousting. A cockroach invasion. Despite this enticing list of other subjects, George A. Romero is best known for the genre-defining 1968 film Night of the Living Dead and subsequent zombie films. The non-zombie films in his decades-long career have gotten varied degrees of critical examination but they remain underexamined compared to the Dead flicks. This book focuses on Romero's "other" work, highlighting lesser-known films such as There's Always Vanilla (1971) and Bruiser (2000), as well as more popular films such as Martin (1977) and The Crazies (1973). It examines how his body of work participates in social critique by delving into issues such as capitalism's pitfalls and excesses, domestic and racial power imbalances, and our patriarchal culture's expectations of masculinity, femininity, and sexuality.

Download or read book Love and Other Conspiracies written by Mallory Marlowe and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2024-08-20 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy. Hallie Barrett's life has imploded after she's dumped by her hotshot ex, who also happens to be her coworker and the star of the online series she was producing. Without a new show to present for the company competition, she’ll be out of a job. But inspiration can come from the strangest places . . . like the most handsome guy she’s ever seen passionately discussing Bigfoot on a late-night docuseries. Hayden Hargrove made a name for himself as a cryptid expert on his hit podcast, and is intrigued by the plucky, blue-haired producer who offers him the opportunity to lead his own web show. When the production team sees that Hayden’s solo on-screen presence is bad enough to make a ghost blanch, Hallie jumps on camera too, hitting him (and his cryptids) with a healthy dose of skepticism—and enough chemistry to electrify their show to the top of the competition. As Hayden and Hallie investigate the unknown, they unearth feelings for each other that shake their beliefs to the core. In their search for Mothman, aliens, and the truth, the most elusive discovery might just be learning to love again.