Pop Culture

Publisher Speeds Killer ‘Gators

There’s an interesting little note in Publishers Weekly this morning. In an item entitled “Forget Later, Alligator—Let’s Publish Now” by Lynn Andriani, we already can see the reaction to the gator attacks we discussed earlier, here and here. Cryptomundo addressed why such news is of interest, also in this link. Andriani writes: Publishers often speed up books’ publication dates if relevant news events—earthquakes, blackouts, mining accidents—take place. Now they can add alligator attacks to the list. Lyons Press, which planned on releasing Killer ’Gators and Crocs: Gruesome Encounters from Across the Globe by Michael Garlock in November, has moved the [...]

Florida Gators Kill Two More

The Associated Press is reporting on May 14, 2006, that the "bodies of two women, both apparently killed by alligators, were found Sunday less than a week after a similar death in a state that had seen just 17 confirmed fatal attacks by the animals in the previous 57 years." The cases specifically are: (1) A 23-year-old woman staying at a secluded cabin near Lake George was attacked while snorkling at a lakeside recreation area, said Marion County Fire-Rescue Captain Joe Amigliore. The lake is about 50 miles southeast of Gainesville. and (2) In Pinellas County, the death of [a [...]

Why Cryptozoology Is Interested In Alligator Sightings

Okay, I started hearing about this a couple days ago, and it now seems to be taking on cryptic or even cryptid status. Folks in Tennessee are having “Alligator Sightings Outside Memphis,” according to the Chicago Tribune: Alligators aren’t suppose to be this far north. Nevertheless, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has gotten reports of alligator sightings on McKellar Lake, a backwater of the Mississippi just south of Memphis, and at T.O. Fuller State Park, north of the city. Up to five alligators may have been seen, including one said to be close to 7 feet long that was reportedly [...]

Thunderbird Film Discovered

Wisconsin writer and investigator Todd Roll has discovered an early forgotten, overlooked film that coincidentally appeared as a precursor to the famous Thunderbird flap in the 1970s. The movie was released in 1974, and entitled The Legend of Hillbilly John. Three years later, with the attempted airborne abduction of Marlon Lowe by two giant birds at Lawndale, Illinois, on July 25, 1977, the modern era of Thunderbird sightings began. The first investigator on the scene was my brother, Jerry, and the first write-up of the case came from his rough notes in Creatures of the Outer Edge. Based on a [...]

The Abominable Snowman: The Movie

Click image for a larger version In a new May 11, 2006, interview in Australia’s Moviehole, super producer Ilya Salkind notes that among his current projects is "a new film based on the mythic The Abominable Snowman." This is important to hear as it gives fresh news, the first since 2003, that The Abominable Snowman is still going to be made. In a press release on April 28, 2003, Emmett/Furla Films and Ilya Salkind (Superman) announced that they have joined forces to develop and produce a feature film entitled The Abominable Snowman. Gale Anne Hurd (The Hulk) was also in [...]