Cryptids

Is something out there? Summer is here and with it comes the time for camping, s’mores, and spooky stories told around a campfire. One of my favorite genres of scary stories to listen to and read about is cryptids. Whether you believe in them or not, it can be fun to speculate. For those who are not familiar with the term, cryptids are creatures that have not been proven to exist, but numerous people claim to have seen them. Cryptid sightings have occurred all around the world and over the centuries, even though the term “cryptid” was only coined in the 1980s.

Though cryptozoology is not recognized by mainstream science, cryptozoologists and others define cryptids as being animals that could possibly exist in nature. This means that their biology could align with known animals. This differentiates them from mythological creatures, gods/demons, spirits, and supernatural beings. Think Bigfoot, the chupacabra, and the Yeti. Popular culture and folklore often group these unknown creatures together, so the term “cryptid” can be used in those contexts to describe a broader range of creatures, like the Mothman and the Jersey Devil, who both have a more supernatural element. Some cryptids have been hypothesized to be a previously unknown species, others as animals thought to have gone extinct (like the Loch Ness Monster being a surviving plesiosaur), but many remain a mystery for us to ponder.

Looking for a new scary story to tell this summer around the campfire? Check out these recommended books, films, and TV shows below and share your own thoughts about cryptids in the comments!

Non-Fiction Books About Cryptids & Sightings

• I Know What I Saw: Modern-day Encounters with Monsters of New Urban Legend and Ancient Lore

“Which came first--the monster or the myth? Journalist Linda Godfrey investigates present-day encounters with mysterious creatures of old. The monsters of ancient mythology, folklore, and more contemporary urban legend have long captured the popular imagination. While most people in America today relegate monsters to just that--our imaginations--we continue to be fascinated by the unknown.”

• Spooky Science: Dissecting the Mysteries of Ghosts, Cryptids, Aliens, and Other Oddities

• Bigfoot to Mothman: A Global Encyclopedia of Legendary Beasts and Monsters

• Atlas of Paranormal Places: A Journey to the World's Most Supernatural Places

• Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World's Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids

• The Paranormal Ranger: A Navajo Investigator's Search for the Unexplained

• The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters

• The Bigfoot Book: The Encyclopedia of Sasquatch, Yeti, and Cryptid Primates

• American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America

Books About New Jersey Cryptids & Other Paranormal Legends

 

 

 

 

 

• The Jersey Devil

• Haunted New Jersey: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Garden StateTales of the Jersey Devil

• South Jersey Legends & Lore: Tales from the Pine Barrens and Beyond

Fiction

 

 

 

• Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre

“As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier's eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined, until now. But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town's bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing and too earth-shattering in its implications, to be forgotten. Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us, and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.”

• The Ursulina

• Near the Bone

• Into the Drowning Deep

Cozy Fiction

• Under Loch and Key

“A woman discovers that not all monsters are her enemy--the opposite, in fact--in this new paranormal romance by Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate.”

• Love and Other Conspiracies

• A Death in Door County

Movies & TV

 

 

 

 

 

• The UnXplained TV series, also on Kanopy

“Hosted and executive produced by Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actor, William Shatner, this series from History tackles subjects that have mystified mankind for centuries, from Japan's ominous 'Suicide Forest' to strange creatures like the Chupacabra to bizarre Voodoo rituals.”

• Sasquatch Sunset, also on Kanopy

“In this delightfully bizarre comedy-drama, the Zellner Brothers take us deep into the wild with a quirky family of Sasquatches grunting their way through the mundane joys and perils of forest life.”

• Willow Creek on Kanopy

“A young couple find themselves face-to-face against a terrifying evil when they venture into the heart of Bigfoot country.”

-Isabel, Ewing