UFOs: 50 Years of Denial (1997)

With the week in full swing, I decided that it should be a documentary week for me here on The Ringmaster’s Realm. I love documentaries, and more importantly, I have little trouble getting the daughters to watch them with me. With such a wide variety to choose from, it was a bit difficult to decide on one. What I finally decided on was UFOs: 50 Years of Denial from 1997.

Plot/ A documentary full of interesting content. From Col. Phillip J. Corso overseeing the recovery of alien spacecraft and the harvesting of technology from recovered crash debris of extraterrestrial origin to Apollo 14 Astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell reveals that the Roswell UFO crash of 1947 was a real event and discusses the 50 years of cover-up that followed.

I am a huge fan of documentaries on anything from Cryptozoology to the Paranormal to UFOs, and as a researcher on fringe subjects, there is always something to take from them. Sure many lack quality funding or like the ABC travesty are done to skew the viewers opinions. This one may not have the best production quality, but it is straightforward and paints a chronological history of the phenomenon. On top of that, the interviews and the stories passed on, are full of important facts that actually connects dots quite well. Is it perfect, no, as some of it is definitely rehashing material that is all over the place. However, it is definitely more informative than what the mainstream media wants to portray and lacks the propaganda that they spew. In the end, this one may be a bit dated, but it is definitely entertaining, informative and worth watching.

Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie (2008)

After watching the Pittsburgh Steelers dismantle the New York Jets, it was time to find something to watch. When searching, I was in the mood for something a bit different, as I am a bit tired after hiking with Jillian in the Forbes National Forest today. What I decided on was actually a documentary, Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie from 2008.  It has to be decent, it shows the hoaxer side of Tom Biscardi, doesn't it?

Plot/ Through the experiences of two amateur Bigfoot researchers in Appalachian Ohio, we see how the power of a dream can bring two men together and provide a source of hope and meaning that transcend the harsh realities of life in a dying steel town.

When I turned this on, I had no idea what to expect. What I found was so much more than I could have expected. Sure, it really is not a Bigfoot or Sasquatch research film, in fact, that is just a subtle backdrop to the story. This one is clearly a documentary about friendship (although it does quietly discuss how shady Tom Biscardi is in researching the subject).  As a documentary fan, it was an interesting break for me from the cryptozoological, horror or UFO related material I have been watching. In the end, if you enjoy documentaries that look into the real world of friendship and the strange world that draw people together, you may enjoy it.

Ghost Game (2004)

After the SyFy cheesefest Bigfoot, I decided to change genres. Although, I may have a chance to get some time in the woods this weekend, and should stay in the cryptozoological mood, I needed something from a different perspective. Unfortunately, nothing jumped out for me and I had to randomly select something. My selection for the evening is the low budget entry from 2004, Ghost Game.

Plot/ Seven Friends go out to cabin for a weekend of relaxing and find a game that should not be opened!

This low budget effort caught my eye with what sounded like an interesting (albeit cliché) story. What I found was interesting for such a low-end effort, but had so many flaws that it could not overcome. The pacing seemed off from the outset as it jumped from cliché feel to cliché feel.  The cinematography is OK, but the acting, atmosphere, characterization or horror elements are mostly non-existent. Of course, some of those flaws can be attributed to the low budget, but others, not so much. In the end, it did have untapped potential that never materialized. It is at least watchable if you do not have any other choices.

Bigfoot (2012)

 

After spending some time researching this mysterious cryptid in the field for a few days, I decided to search for it on the big screen. Unfortunately, for me, the activity we discovered in the woods may have been more believable than the trash that I watched. My selection was the 2012 SyFy Channel Original - Bigfoot.

Plot/ 1970's pop culture icons Danny Bonaduce and Barry Williams face off in the hunt for the legendary mountain creature.

As a person who has researched this famed creature, it is movies such as this one that truly drive me insane because of the mockery they make. I understand that the SyFy Channel makes some of the cheesiest monster movies out there. Sure, sometimes they are not too bad, but quite often; they could be described as train wrecks on film. For this one, train wreck would be a compliment.  I honestly do not know where to begin. I know that this was supposed to be a cheesefest, but even that fails miserably. The acting is poor, the scripting is bad, the storyline worse, and the cinematography is terrible. To top it off, the effects vary from horrid to miserable, and it may be the worst CGI Bigfoot ever.  If there was a highlight, it was Alice Cooper, who was actually hilarious. In the end, this movie should have been burnt and never seen the light of day. Now that it is video stores, stay away stay far away!

Cryptozoological History - The Mountain Gorilla

 

There are many people outside of the Cryptozoological arena that do not understand the importance of the research that goes on. They do not realize that every day, new discoveries are being made across the globe, or that some common animals started out as legends before they were officially discovered generations ago. One such success story is that of the Mountain Gorilla, who at one time could have been considered - Bigfoot! 

Stories of a large creature living outside the general populace, started pouring out of Africa around the turn of the century. In fact, those reports did not differ much from the reports made concerning Bigfoot or the Yeti today. This cryptid was reported to be large and covered in a thick coat of black fur that was spread out over its ape-like features. After these initial reports surfaced, the country of Rwanda became the focus of researchers. One in particular, Robert von Beringe, made some significant discoveries. 

Von Beringe, a German Captain, made a discovery so important that it added a branch to the family tree of the ape. Rewriting the known history of the species was not his intent as he started out. Together with some friends, von Beringe along with roughly 20 Akaris guides started their journey across the treacherous land in Usumbura on August 19, 1902. 

Their initial stop on their trip would a visit with Sultan Msinga of Rwanda. After the visit, their intentions were to continue north to a row of volcanoes (now Volcano National Park), which marked the boarder of German East Africa. Once the group reached the volcanoes, the party decided to attempt scaling Kirunga ya Sabyinyo, a 3300-meter peak in the region. Von Beringe documented this trip in his journal, recording that he set out on October 16 with Dr. Engeland, several Akaris, and only the crucial necessities for survival. 

The group stopped to spend the night on a plateau about 2500 meters above the dense trees below them at the end of their first day of hiking. The next day, as they continued their journey upward, they noticed a tremendous change in the terrain. The vegetation lessened until the terrain consisted of only rocks, blueberry, and blackberry bushes. In fact, at their next stopping point, the land was almost unsuitable for camping.

After collecting moss to be used as bedding materials and struggling to erect their tents on the extremely narrow ridge, Captain von Beringe sighted something of interest.

"From our campsite we were able to watch a herd of big, black monkeys which tried to climb the crest of the volcano. We succeeded in killing two of these animals, and with a rumbling noise, they tumbled into a ravine, which had its opening in a northeasterly direction. After five hours of strenuous work, we succeeded in retrieving one of these animals using a rope. It was a big, human-like male monkey of one and a half metres in height and a weight of more than 200 pounds [about 91 kilograms]. His chest had no hair, and his hand and feet were of enormous size. Unfortunately I was unable to determine its type; because of its size, it could not very well be a chimpanzee or a gorilla, and in any case the presence of gorillas had not been established in the area around the lakes"

Unfortunately, von Beringe's prized specimen did not make it back to civilization fully intact, losing a hand to the bite of a hyena. Eventually the remains of the animal made it back to Germany, finding its way to a museum in Berlin for further study. This discovery by von Beringe sparked an even greater search into these remote dense regions.

Among these numerous journeys to the colorful continent, one was led by Carl Akeley and headed for the heart of the Virunga Mountains. His objective was to bring back specimens of this newly found primate, named Gorilla g. beringei by a Dr. Matschi after von Beringe, to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. 

Akeley succeeded in his quest, becoming the first person to capture the new species on film. He also succeeded in killing one of the species, a silverback he affectionately named 'The Old Man of Mikeno'. However, after staring at the frozen humanoid face and black, lifeless eyes, Akeley reconsidered.

He and his party eventually returned with five intact specimens. These would be the last specimens he attained as he worked with the Belgian government to set up a sanctuary. In fact, these same five animals remain sheltered beneath the ceiling of that very museum today.

Searching the Abyss: A Beginners Guide to Cryptozoological Research

Have you ever heard of that unexplained animal sighting up the road? Or been interested in organizing a trip searching for your native legends? If so, this is the book for you. This handbook outlines the world of cryptozoology, everything from its humble beginnings to details on collecting evidence in the field. Complete with tips on researching, classifying and investigating cryptids, this book is easy to use and is everything you need to get your search started. Written for the beginner, Searching the Abyss offers both practical advice and personal experience in its quest to make you a better hunter.

Searching the Abyss is one of the best Cryptozoology books of 2006... - Cryptomundo. com

If anyone is interested in going into this field of study, I would recommend this book as not just educational reading, but as an on-hand field guide during such investigations. It is easy reading, simple, and to the point without all of the fancy words that requires a master's degree to understand. - Shawn McKenzie

Mark's book explains how to begin an investigation, how to conduct a field investigation and then form a hypothesis from your findings, all in a professional manner. Famous cryptozoological success stories, such as the coelacanth and the giant panda, are also discussed. It is a great book for getting you started in this field. - Stephen Wagner (About. com)

Is this a book for people heading out in search of Bigfoot? Yes. This book is also for anyone headed out to do any field research. It is a must read and is destined to be one of the key 'How To' books in cryptozoological research.  - Gene Lafferty (bsphi. com)

You can pick up an autographed copy from me for $15.00 (plus S/H), just drop me an email or comment on here and we will work out the details.

Fayette County Bigfoot Expedition - Day Two Afternoon and Night Investigation

 

 

With our day one of the investigation in the books, members of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society and enthusiasts spent the second day of the Fayette County Bigfoot Expedition in an area in Forbes State Forest in the southwestern corner of Fayette County.

 

 

In all, roughly 20 individuals, hit the trail for the day and night excursions. Unfortunately, while the numbers were larger, the amount of activity dropped significantly from Friday. During the afternoon hike, a possible track was found in an interesting swamp-like area that held all of the signature signs of life with abundant wildlife and a stream. This print was roughly 14 inches long, 6.5 inches wide (four at the heal) and 1.5 inches deep. There were some broken ferns along the trail, but no other noteworthy prints were discovered.

 

 

The nighttime investigations were held at multiple locations in the general vicinity of the potential track discovery. Unfortunately, like the afternoon session, the amount of activity was nowhere near as abundant as the Friday portion of the expedition. There were reports of some single wood knocks and a potential call in response to one of the team members at the outset of the evening, but for the majority of the time the land seemed quiet.

 

 

One theory for this lack of activity may be attributed to the sudden change in weather patterns from Friday to Saturday, as a cold front shifted into the area after a set of early morning storms. This weather activity dropped the temperature roughly 15 degrees during the day and over 20 in the evening. In all, both areas searched on the investigation had signs of something that cannot be ignored. Was it a Sasquatch, it is hard to tell, but they are definitely areas worth monitoring.

Fayette County Bigfoot Expedition - Day One Night Investigation

 

 

With our Friday afternoon investigation in the books, nine more team members joined us for a return trip to this active area between Uniontown and Mount Pleasant. In all we spent six more hours in search of the elusive cryptid. During the night, there were some interesting anomalies that were discovered in the area, that were on par with the events that took place earlier in the afternoon. From our arrival it was evident that this would be an active night, as the first tree knock was audibly returned.

 

 

After that incident five teams set up for observations and hade various occurrences alternately take place, including tree knocks and rock throwing, with one rock actually striking a team member. One interesting facet of the rocks that were being thrown was that the ones that were recovered all had the same shape. The other activity was in close proximity, although nothing was discovered on the thermal imagers. At the end on the evening, it was determined that this would be a solid location to revisit in the future. However, with a weather front moving in, it was best to save that for a different time.

 

 

Fayette County Bigfoot Expedition - Day One Afternoon Investigation

Today marked the beginning of the weekend Fayette County Bigfoot Expedition with the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society. On this hot Friday afternoon, six of us ventured out into a local area between Uniontown and Mount Pleasant and spent roughly five hours in search of the elusive cryptid.

 

 

While we found no conclusive evidence during this part of the investigation, there was some interesting activity that seemed like there was an intelligence involved. Sure, we could not get a visual of what was at the center of the activity, the movements definitely were slow moving and not an all out run.

 

 

The investigation will begin again tonight for a nighttime expedition to roughly the same area. One can only hope that the activity will pick up, especially if it is of an intelligent nature.  

 

 

The Sacred (2009)

After some Civil War era zombies and an unfortunate burial of the daughters pet rabbit Alfalfa, I decided to unwind with some lower budget horror. Actually, I wanted to go with Pet Sematary, but was told to stop… Oh well, my selection for the evening had that native feel, 2009s The Sacred.

Plot/ A group of students travel to a remote and sacred Native American patch of land, in order to complete a thesis on Native American Folklore. This distant swamp area was used hundreds of years ago to judge and to punish murderous criminals. The land itself has magical powers, making it possible for the dead to come back and punish the guilty.

This low budget entry actually had a lot going for it. While the acting average at best and not the greatest, the characterization was lacking and some of the scripting was extremely predictable, it was not all bad. In fact, a lot of the cinematography and effects were decent and there was some good production value. Yes, the storyline was somewhat cliché and the atmosphere could have been heavier, but there is a lot worse out there. In the end, if you can look past the so-so acting and cliché, it is a somewhat entertaining flick. Would I watch it again? No, but that is a trend with many movies I watch.

Exit Humanity (2011)

I always enjoy watching zombie flicks, although, lately that is becoming harder to do. With the overwhelming amount of low budget entries that a polluting the genre, finding one that is both entertaining and good, is becoming more and more difficult. My next choice was a zombie flick from Bloody Disgusting Selects, 2011s  Exit Humantity.

Plot/ A young man struggles to survive in the aftermath of a deadly undead outbreak during the American Civil War.

When I saw the box for this one, I was intrigued by the look and storyline. Being a fan of history, and loving zombie flicks, I have always thought that period pieces, if done right, could be awesome. Let me start by saying, this one was done right. While not really a Civil War piece, the aftermath of the tragedy was evident and done really well. In fact, the storyline, acting, make-up (there was some gore) and cinematography was all really good. Sure, it was not perfect and some horror fans may not enjoy the character driven aspects of the flick having the zombies as a backdrop, but it is entertaining. In the end, I would definitely recommend this one to anyone. Sure, it does have some blood, guts and gore, but it a solid journey into a different time.

Documenting the Grey Man (2011)

As someone that has spent time investigating mysteries of the cryptozoological and paranormal worlds, it is extremely disappointing to see low budget rip offs attempting to capitalize on the works of many serious investigators. In fact, these mockumentaries, are ridiculous. Now that I am counting down the days until my weekend Bigfoot expedition, I decided to go for something on the paranormal side with Documenting the Grey Man, maybe I should have went a different direction.

Plot/ A ghost hunting expedition goes horribly wrong when the team finds out that an old ghost story is more than legend.

When looking at movies about the paranormal, I am always a bit skeptical when thinking about the amount of direct to DVD ghost hunting / hand cam flicks that have been released. Even though it is hard to fault no-budget indie flicks for their flaws, sometimes there is nothing you can do. In this case, I definitely should have passed on by (especially considering the cover art that looked eerily familiar). While the legend seemed interesting enough in the store, the flick did little to make it anything more. In fact, hearing about it on the screen almost transformed it to something laughable.  Honestly, paranormal shows on SyFy are more believable and scary than this one. The pacing was off, acting poor, and it was roughly 65 minutes long, yep, an episode of Haunted Collector would have been a lot more fulfilling. In the end, there is not much more I can say. Stay Away!

By the Devil's Hands: The 666 Killer (2009)

I am all for no-budget indie flicks, and when I find one that comes from a production team I have never heard from, I tend to get excited. Today, I stumbled upon one of those for my evening entertainment. It was 2009s By the Devil’s Hands: The 666 Killer.

Plot/ The 666 Killer kills 6 victims over 6 days, 6 ways to die...and, unfortunately, Jamie Anderson has been chosen as victim #6.

When I saw this at Family Video, I had to grab it. Yes, I knew I was in for another low budget horror flick, and I knew there would be flaws. However, I really did not expect two different movies, with two different production values mashed together. Unfortunately, that is what you have here. Sure, some of it, particularly the murder scenes feature solid cinematography, decent kills, some blood and gore. Honestly, these parts were worth watching. Yet, the other part of the flick centered on the office was the polar opposite, with poor dialogue, so-so acting and lacking production value. In the end, this one had a lot of potential with an interesting premise. It is unfortunate that there are conflicting stories with varying cinematographic values, as the mash up did not work with the low quality office scenes. Honestly, had they stuck with the murders, they would have had a winner.