American Monsters the creepy, scary, shocking & bizarre creatures, characters and stories of American folklore, legend, literature and cinema

Universal Classics Dracula, Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Invisible Man, the Werewolf, Phantom of the Opera

Universal Monsters (or Universal Horror) is the name given to a series of distinctive horror, suspense and science fiction (sci-fi) films made by Universal Studios from 1923 – 1960.

Creature from the Black Lagoon

The Invisible Man... Mad Scientist def. a scientist who is insane... and Megalomaniac def. a person who is obsessed with their own power

Dracula My name is Dracula. I am, indeed, a vampire. And I vant to suck your blood. Other Vampires

The Wolf Man It’s called a werewolf.

Frankenstein It’s my name, yo! Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley (1818) 1910: First Frankenstein film by Edison Studios 1931: Universal Studios’ Frankenstein

The Bride of Frankenstein

Phantom of the Opera BAH!

Mummy

Other Hollywood Movie Characters The Blob, King Kong, Gremlins, Pinhead, Freddy Krueger, Mike Meyers, and... Jason

The Blob (The Blob, 1958)

King Kong (King Kong, 1933) One of the most well-known characters in cinema history Made by RKO (not Universal... Rare at the time) Quiz Time! What is the name of Kong’s island? What other animals live on the island? What building does Kong climb up in New York City?

Quiz Answers

Do you know who I am? Gizmo! From the movie Gremlins (1984)

Mogwai Gremlin

Pinhead (Hellraiser, 1987) First appearance in Clive Barker’s novella, The Hellbound Heart

Freddy

Mike Myers

Jason

Know Your Basics We’ve already discussed: vampires, werewolves, mummies, and killers, but there’s more... ghosts, poltergeists, witches, the Devil, demons and aliens

Ghosts

Poltergeists “Knocking spirit”

Witches Definition 1: a woman who is thought to have magic powers 2: a person who practices magic as part of a religion (such as Wicca) 3: a very unpleasant woman 4: one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers; especially a woman practicing usually black witchcraft 5: an ugly old woman 6: a charming or alluring girl or woman 7: a practitioner of Wicca

The DevilDemons

From The Simpsons (season 5 episode 5)

Aliens

Uniquely American urban legends, folklore, Native American monsters, and local sightings

“Goat sucker” Vampire attacking livestock First sightings: Puerto Rico 1995 Many sightings in Texas Descriptions change

Wendigo Algonquian (Native American) belief Legend prevalent in northern U.S. and Canada A demonic spirit Possesses humans and turns them into cannibals Roams around woods in cold areas

Bigfoot/Sasquatch California is Bigfoot Country! Hundreds of sightings Shy, curious, rarely aggressive Good swimmer, bad smell Varied diet (fish, deer, berries, plants, etc.) HUGE! Up to 14 feet tall. Is he real?

Champ in Lake Champlain, New York A giant sea creature... like the Loch Ness Monster (Scotland)

Mothman -Point Pleasant, West Virginia (1966 – 1967) Rumors he appears before upcoming disasters to warn people of them Made famous by The Mothman Prophecies (book by John Keel)

Skin Walkers Native American lore Evil! A witch in animal form Can turn into any animal Can run faster than a car Can read human thoughts CanNOT enter a home without invitation Don’t make eye contact!

Bloody Mary 4.5 oz tomato juice 1.5 oz vodka Ice cubes Celery stick Worcestshire sauce

2014 The #1 Monster in America

American-Made -George A. Romero -Night of the Living Dead (1968) -Commandment II: The undead crave human flesh. -Today: Walking Dead is the #1 show on television.

The End... Or is it?

... Bonus

The Jackalope