Cryptid Cats, Murdering Bigfoot, and Giant Claw
Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 20th, 2006
Need a cryptofix? How about trying some cryptofiction – via a new movie of a Mystery Felid, a new novel of a Maraudering Sasquatch, and a visual flashback at an old movie of a Giant Bird?
Headlines on May 20, 2006, tell of “Giant Feral Cats to Scare on Screen”, and how they will appear through the device of a 1.5 million dollar movie. Shall our Australian readers see it first on a movie theater near you?
The mystery big cat thought to prowl the Blue Mountains is set to star in a horror movie. A Sydney-based team will start filming in the coming months, drawing inspiration from repeated sightings of the giant cat, whose existence has yet to be officially verified. Gone Missing will follow six friends on a camping trip who become fodder for giant, feral cats.
Meanwhile, from Canada, critic Ron Berthel mentions a new cryptofiction book, perhaps of interest here:
And could the perp be none other than Bigfoot? Perhaps, in A Mammoth Murder (Thomas Dunne), Bill Crider’s 13th book featuring rural Texas Sheriff Dan Rhodes, who investigates when a man claiming to have seen the mythical mammoth in the woods is found murdered there.
And finally, since so many have mentioned it on Cryptomundo, here’s some images from that 1957 classic The Giant Claw, directed by Fred F. Sears:
Click on image for full-size version
From The Giant Claw – Mitch MacAfee: Now, I don’t don’t care if that bird came from outer space or Upper Saddle River, New Jersey; it’s still made of flesh and blood – of some sort – and vulnerable to bullets and bombs.
The following The Giant Claw Diorama Model Kit (# 091LU04) is found at Monsters in Motion for $134.99. I’d love to have one for the International Cryptozoology Museum. BTW, that site is a great one for other B-movie scale models.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Loren, …that Giant Claw model in the last picture…it looks fantastic!
I’m 45 But remember the Claw very well as the Saturday ‘Creature Feature’ in the city I grew up in showed it several times. I find it interesting the story made a kind of sense. which most like films never did
Sheeeesshhh!
The birds face is hysterically funny. I love these old movies. Can anyone remember one about giant Ants? (Or did I imagine that one.)
Tabitca, you’re probably referring to THEM! It was, I believe, the best of the monster films of the ’50s/’60s. It actually had a decent budget, a respectable script, and some solid, if unspectactular, acting. I have it on DVD and have watched it numerous times.
Thanks jjames. Yes that was it THEM.The only modern movie I’ve really liked is Tremors .It had the sort light touch of the old movies.
Good Morning Cryptos…
“La coocaroo…la coocaroo”….I remember the first time I saw the “Giant Claw” I was about 10 and had to walk home in the dark afterwards….the earlier “Beast from Hollow Mountain” scared me much more…the ABSM was about to become an icon….speaking of Abominable was abominable…IMHO
seeing is believing….
ole bub and the dawgs
I remember “The Giant Claw” as a child of the 60s. It wasn’t that old of a movie then (Sheesh… I am dating myself). I remember another from the 70’s or 80’s called “Snowbeast” that was about a bigfoot who discovered a taste for human flesh.
Ahhh….nothing like those campy B flicks.
Snowbeast! I loved that flick.I was a kid when it was shown on British T.V.Snowbeast along with the Legend Of Boggy creek are completly responsable for my interest in things Crypto!
abominable kinda remind me of snowbeast. im watching abominable again on thursday at 9pm on sci fi channel i hope abominable comes on dvd in july or this year to rent or buy. abominable music soundtrack is in amazon.com. another movie i liked was the curse of bigfoot. thanks bill p.s. the music in abominable was wonderful very suspenceful
Snowbeast and Boggy creek were great but I have never seen the Giant Claw is it out on vhs or dvd by chance???
the giant claw…one of the movies where people laughed at the monster when it finally appeared.from what i remember they did a good job building up suspense and then the critter appeared and ruined it.i always thought it reminded me of the goony bird nicknack that bobbed up and down dipping it’s beak into a glass of colored water.
I saw THE GIANT CLAW in 1957(I think).
Besides the goofy looking bird, I remember seeing the strings that held it up. It was a puppet like Howdy Doody, but looked more like Clara Belle the Clown. Talk about dating myself. Whoa!