''The Mysterious Monsters'' (also known as ''Bigfoot: The Mysterious Monster'') is a 1976

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

written and directed by

Robert Guenette Robert Guenette (January 12, 1935, Holyoke, Massachusetts – October 31, 2003, Los Angeles, California) was an American film producer, screenwriter, film director, television director and television producer, recipient of the Directors Guild ...

about the

cryptid Cryptids are animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild, but are not believed to exist by mainstream science. Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience, which primarily looks at anecdotal stories, and other claims rejected by ...

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

, the

Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or mor ...

, and the Yeti. It contained content from Guenette’s made-for-TV movie ''Monsters! Mysteries or Myths?'' that aired on CBS on November 25, 1974. That version had been produced by

David L. Wolper David Lloyd Wolper (January 11, 1928 – August 10, 2010) was an American television and film producer, responsible for shows such as ''Roots'', ''The Thorn Birds'', and ''North and South'', and the theatrically-released films ''L.A. Confident ...

in cooperation with the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

and was narrated by

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...

. ''The Mysterious Monsters'' was one of the first theatrical releases produced by

Sunn Classic Pictures Sunn Classic Pictures, also known as Sunn International Pictures, Schick Sunn Classic Pictures, and Taft International Pictures was an independent U.S.-based film distributor, founded in 1971. The company was notable for family films and document ...

. It was narrated by actor Peter Graves. The film investigated not only the possibility of Bigfoot's existence but also of the Loch Ness Monster and the Yeti (the Abominable Snowman). It featured dramatic reenactments of various reported Bigfoot sightings. The film showed one witness being given a lie detector test, another being placed under hypnosis. ''The Mysterious Monsters'' was the first movie to feature the home movie taken by

Roger Patterson Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

in 1967 reported to show a Bigfoot. Anthropologist Grover Krantz was interviewed and said he believed the film to be authentic. Famed Bigfoot hunter Peter Byrne was also featured and gave insights on the hunt. In discussing the Loch Ness Monster, the film showed a 1934 photograph that was said to be of the creature. In 1994, however, this photo was proven to be a hoax. Robert and Frances Guenette are credited as the authors of a 160-page book adaption of the film. The film was later featured in an episode of ''

Cinema Insomnia ''Cinema Insomnia'' is a nationally syndicated American television series presented by horror host Mr. Lobo. Format Typically, Mr. Lobo opens each episode by promising to screen a well-known horror or science fiction classic (such as ''Creatu ...

''.

DVD release

On September 22, 2009, Cheezy Flicks released the film on DVD. In 2010,

Apprehensive Films Apprehensive Films was an independent American film production and distribution company in operation from 1997–2016. Its main focus was low-budget Grindhouse-inspired films shot in Super 8 mm film and 16 mm film. In 2006, Apprehensive Films ...

made the ''

'' version available also on DVD. The DVD cover is a visual reference to the 1978 Marvel ''Star Wars'' comic ''Star Wars 13: Day of the Dragon Lords''.

References

External links

*
''The Mysterious Monsters'' at the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
* Watch ''The Mysterious Monsters'' on the Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Mysterious Monsters, The 1976 films Documentary films about the paranormal American independent films Bigfoot films American documentary films 1976 documentary films Films directed by Robert Guenette 1970s English-language films 1970s American films 1976 independent films

DVD release

See also

References

External links