A cryptid town is a colloquial term given to a town which has a close cultural identity with a local cryptid, often with the goal of encouraging cryptid-related tourism. [2] Cryptid towns may have festivals, museums, statues and research organisations dedicated to a given cryptid. Areas called cryptid towns tend to be rural and remote, which correlates with the types of areas cryptids are said to often originate from, which in turn can make them appear economically deprived and reliant on the economy of cryptid tourism. [2] [3] Some places may not necessarily be best known for their folklore or rely on it for tourism, but do still feature it prominently in events and local culture.
Point Pleasant, West Virginia, with a population of around 4,000, has a festival, museum and statue dedicated to its local cryptid, the Mothman. [4]
The Annual Mothman Festival was founded by Jeff Wamsley and Carolin Harris in 2002 as an attempt to drive tourism to the area and is celebrated in the month of September. [5] The festival has been credited with creating an "economic boom" for the local community each year and features merchandise vendors, guest speakers, food, live music and exhibitions. Cosplay is practiced by many attendees and is encouraged by the festival. In 2022, organisers claimed the festival brought in over $2 million in revenue and regularly attracts between 12,000 and 15,000 attendees. [6] [7] [8]
Sutton, West Virginia, with a population of around 859, has a museum dedicated to the Flatwoods monster, featuring life-size replicas of the creature, various interpretations of it in the form of drawings, figurines and artwork, as well as merchandise. [9] [10] A Flatwoods Monster Convention was held in 2023, which drew visitors in from around the country. [11] [12] Locals say that, across Braxton County, people can sometimes be found staking out at campgrounds to try and spot the creature, and children have been known to dress up as the Flatwoods monster for Halloween. [13] Sutton is unique as a cryptid town, as the Flatwoods monster did not originate there, but rather from the nearby town of Flatwoods, West Virginia. [14]
Flatwoods, which comparatively has a much smaller population of around 264, instead features a simple welcome sign that read "Welcome to Flatwoods, Home of the Green Monster". Also in the town is a Flatwoods monster and alien themed restaurant and dairy bar, the Spot, and one of five decorative chairs that depict the cryptid, which are spread around Braxton County. [9] [10] [15] [16]
Drumnadrochit, Scotland, with a population of around 1,130, [17] is home to the Loch Ness Centre and Nessieland, which entertain the idea of the Loch Ness Monster. The Loch Ness Centre focuses on the history of the Loch and the monster associated with it, offering an "immersive experience" and showcasing eyewitness accounts, photographs, videos and artifacts. [18] Nessieland, named so after the affectionate term for the cryptid, Nessie, is a family attraction that features a souvenir shop, children's playground and view of the Loch. [19] The village attracts many tourists and so-called "monster hunters". [20]
Drumnadrochit received significant attention in 2023 [21] [22] [23] when the Loch Ness Centre conducted a large-scale search for the monster, with around 300 volunteers assisting in the search. [24]
Cryptid towns are referred to by J.W. Ocker, author of The United States of Cryptids. [25]
Cryptid towns were covered by The Last Podcast on the Left on Episode 561: Cryptid Towns. [26]
The Loch Ness Monster, affectionately known as Nessie, is a mythical 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 more humps protruding from the water. Popular interest and belief in the creature has varied since it was brought to worldwide attention in 1933. Evidence of its existence is anecdotal with a number of disputed photographs and sonar readings.
Karl Shuker is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist and author. He lives in the Midlands, England, where he works as a zoological consultant and writer. A columnist in Fortean Times and contributor to various magazines, Shuker is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cryptozoology, which began in November 2012.
Drumnadrochit is a village in the Highland local government council area of Scotland, lying near the west shore of Loch Ness at the foot of Glen Urquhart. The village is close to several neighbouring settlements: the villages of Milton to the west, Kilmore to the east and Lewiston to the south. The villages act as a centre for regional tourism beside Loch Ness, as well as being a local economic hub for the nearby communities.
Jon-Erik Beckjord was an American paranormal investigator, photographer, and cryptozoologist interested in UFOs, crop circles, the Loch Ness Monster, and Bigfoot. Throughout his life, he owned three separate, small-scale museums that featured displays, mostly photographs, of alleged UFO, Nessie, and Bigfoot sightings. He made guest appearances on national radio and television shows, but was criticized by skeptics and fellow cryptozoologists alike for not providing substantive evidence to back up his claims of the existence of paranormal beings.
The Flatwoods monster, in West Virginia folklore, is a creature reported to have been sighted in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States, on September 12, 1952, after a bright light crossed the night sky. Over 50 years later, investigators suggest the light was a meteor and the creature was a barn owl perched in a tree with shadows making it appear to be a large humanoid.
Loch Ness Monster is a steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. Manufactured by Arrow Development and designed by Ron Toomer, it was the first roller coaster in the world to feature interlocking loops. The roller coaster was opened within the park's Scottish hamlet, Heatherdowns, on June 2, 1978, and relates to the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. The roller coaster reaches a maximum height of 130 ft (40 m), with a maximum speed of 60 mph (97 km/h), and a total track length of 3,240 ft (990 m).
Roy P. Mackal was a University of Chicago biologist best known to the general public for his interest in cryptozoology.
Henry Hermann Bauer is an emeritus professor of chemistry and science studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is the author of several books and articles on fringe science, arguing in favor of the existence of the Loch Ness Monster and against Immanuel Velikovsky, and is an AIDS denialist. Following his retirement in 1999, he was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Scientific Exploration, a fringe science publication. Bauer also served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Virginia Tech, generating controversy by criticising affirmative action.
Kussie is a Japanese lake monster said to be living in Hokkaidō's Lake Kussharo on the northern island of Hokkaido. The name "Kussie" is seemingly inspired by "Nessie," the nickname for the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland.
MonsterQuest is an American television series that originally aired from October 31, 2007 to March 24, 2010 on the History channel. Produced by Whitewolf Entertainment, the program deals with the search for various monsters of interest to the cryptozoology subculture and paranormal entities reportedly witnessed around the world. A spin-off show, MysteryQuest, which focuses on unsolved mysteries, premiered on September 16, 2009.
In West Virginian folklore, the Mothman is a humanoid creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 15, 1966, to December 15, 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the Point Pleasant Register, dated November 16, 1966, titled "Couples See Man-Sized Bird ... Creature ... Something". The national press soon picked up the reports and helped spread the story across the United States. The source of the legend is believed to have originated from sightings of out-of-migration sandhill cranes or herons.
Balbeg is a clachan (hamlet) about 0.5 miles (1 km) north-east of Balnain, 4 miles (6 km) west of Drumnadrochit, Inverness-shire and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.
Loch Ness is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 kilometres southwest of Inverness. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for claimed sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie". It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to the high peat content of the surrounding soil. The southern end connects to Loch Oich by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal. The northern end connects to Loch Dochfour via the River Ness, which then ultimately leads to the North Sea via the Moray Firth.
Glenurquhart or Glen Urquhart is a glen running to the west of the village of Drumnadrochit in the Highland council area of Scotland.
Seth Breedlove is an American filmmaker and founder of the Wadsworth, Ohio-based production company Small Town Monsters. Under the Small Town Monsters banner, Breedlove has directed over a dozen documentary films and miniseries related to cryptids and cryptozoology, including Minerva Monster (2015), Boggy Creek Monster (2016), The Mothman of Point Pleasant (2017), and The Mothman Legacy (2020).
MetaZoo was a tabletop collectible trading card game based on cryptozoology, folklore and the paranormal first published by MetaZoo Games LLC. in 2020. MetaZoo centers around creatures known as Beasties who are inspired by cryptids and other figures from mythology and folklore such as Bigfoot, Mothman, Piasa Bird, the Chupacabra and other fearsome critters. The card game is also notable for including a fourth wall mechanic where the real-life surroundings, such as the location of the player, can affect the gameplay and the outcome of the game.
Nessie is a 2023 British-American family comedy film based on the original story by Catherine O'Reilly and Tim Churchill directed by Robbie Moffat and written by Moffat, Catherine O'Reilly and Tim Churchill. It stars Patrick Kilpatrick, John Michie, Tanya Fear and Stephanie Beacham. It won the best script award at the Monaco Film Festival.