31 Days of Monsters: Squasc

Squascs are Italian bogeys that resemble tailless squirrels with human faces. They like to play nasty tricks on all humans, but when they encounter ill-mannered children, they will attack them relentlessly.

31 Days of Monsters: Pukwudgie

The Pukwudgie are small goblins from East Coast Native American legend. They are normally not hostile to humans, but when pushed can kill with a touch. They are extremely fast, seeming to appear and disappear instantaneously. They are expert marksmen with a spear and clever masters of disguise. It's not known whether they are just good at appearing as other creatures, or are natural shapeshifters, but they most often turn into porcupines or full sized humans.

31 Days of Monsters: The Bunyip

The Bunyip is an legendary Australian creature said to inhabit swamps, ponds and billabongs. The variety of descriptions of the Bunyip have lead many to believe that the monster is entirely fictional. But that doesn't explain all the missing people does it?

31 Days of Monsters: Slenderman

Slenderman is a monster of the child-snatching, bogeyman variety. Witnesses describe him as incredibly tall and freakishly thin with no facial features, wearing what appears to be a black suit, though this may be some sort of camouflage the creature has adopted to blend in around humans. From his back project numerous whip-like tendrils which people believe he uses to snare his prey, but like the Mothman, nothing is seen of the Slenderman actually doing harm to people. Rest assured, however, whenever and wherever Slenderman is seen, disappearances and tragedy are soon to follow.

31 Days of Monsters: Bloody Mary

It's said that if you stand in front of a mirror, close your eyes, and chant the name Bloody Mary three times, you will conjure forth a gruesome, blood-drenched figure of a ghostly woman. Shall we see if it works?

31 Days of Monsters: Basilisk

The basilisk was said to be the king of serpents because of a crown-like crest on its head. Basilisks are born when a chicken hatches an egg from a snake. One look from a basilisk is said to be able to kill an average man, and if stabbed, their blood can flow up swords to poison their slayers. They are aggressive to all living things, and when they cannot find animals to attack, they preoccupy themselves withering plants with their breath. Weasels and mongooses are said to be the only animal that is immune to their stare, but one of the easiest and surest ways to kill a basilisk is with a rooster. If a basilisk hears a rooster crow, it will drop dead instantly, no muss, no fuss.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Twenty-nine — Zombie (Modern)

The modern zombie is a person who has returned from the dead to feast on the flesh of the living.
It's my belief that the modern zombie is a response to the over-romanticizing of the more tradition undead monster, the vampire.
In previous generations the vampire symbolized the fear of death, disease and the fear of being eaten by predators. In early vampire folklore, they were little more than corpses who rose from the grave nightly and fed on the blood of their family members.
In later fiction however, vampires were turned into seductive, romantic figures, more akin to Satan himself tempting victims with promises of sex, immortality, power and wealth.
Whether George Romero realized it when he created "Night of the Living Dead," I believe he was giving us back a monster that deep down, we may need as a fundamental part of our psyche. Something that lets us face our fears of mortality, and bash it in the head.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Twenty-eight — A Zombie (Voodoo)

In Vodun (voodoo) it is believed that a person could be brought back from the dead to serve a Bokor. In reality, zombies were most likely people who had been heavily drugged as a form of punishment, and were held under the Bokor's power by repeated doses of the drug, strong cultural superstition and guilt over what had made them the target of zombification in the first place.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Twenty-seven — The Devil

I don't believe in actual physical incarnations of evil like The Devil, but if he did exist, I imagine he'd be pretty unassuming, and not the cloven-hooved image we usually expect. Also, he would have the easiest job in the world. He's always pictured tempting people into sinning, or tricking them into giving up their souls, but in reality, I don't think he'd have to work very hard at either of those pursuits.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Twenty-six — The Nucklavee

A Nucklavee was one of the most horrible goblins of Orcadian folklore. A Nuckalvee appears as a strange melding of a horse and rider, with flipper-like feet, long clawed arms, and a gigantic lolling head on it's more human half. It would haunt lonely roads and tear unwary travelers to shreds and feast on their remains. A Nucklavee could only be outrun if its intended victim could manage to cross a freshwater stream. It is believed that the smoke that resulted from burning seaweed to create soda ash could drive a Nucklavee into a murderous rampage.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Twenty-five — The Rebobs

Napa natives know all about the rebobs, hideous flying monkeys that live in the cemetery at the end of Partrick Road. Doubters will claim it's all just a story made up to keep young lovers away from a known make-out spot. But there are people who claim to have been attacked by the beasts, and lived to tell the tale. Who's really to say what's truth and what's fantasy?

31 Days of Monsters: Day Twenty-two — Bigfoot

I can remember watching Saturday afternoon matinee movies on TV. They always had the typical sci-fi and horror fare, but I really got a charge out of the movies TV Guide labeled "Speculation." My favorites, were the feature-length documentaries about legendary man-monster Bigfoot.
To kids of the '70s, Bigfoot was fascinating in a way other monsters weren't. It's one thing for kids to believe in monsters, but with Bigfoot, Adults believed too. They were all over the TV, and in magazines and newspapers telling their thrilling stories of frightening encounters with the mythical ape creature of the Pacific Northwest.
And adults never lie, right?

31 Days of Monsters: Day Twenty-one — Golem

The golem was a creature created from clay by a Rabbi in Prague and imbued with life by having the Hebrew word for truth (אמת) inscribed on its forehead. The creature was created to save the Jewish people of Prague from persecution, but after it drove away their enemies, the golem was put to work doing all the jobs the people didn't want to do. The golem continued to work on the Sabbath however, which drove it mad, and set it off on a murderous rampage. The golem was ultimately defeated when someone was able to erase the last letter in the inscription on its forehead, turning אמת into מת, the Hebrew word for death.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Eighteen — Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga is a dangerous and wily witch in Russian mythology. She rides through the sky in an ancient wooden mortar, pushing herself along with a pestle, and brushing away all traces of her path with a broom. She is believed to steal and eat babies and lives in a strange hut that sits on top of an enormous chicken leg. Her house is guarded by the skulls of her victims, but despite her nasty ways, at times she can be very helpful to the right people. It's best to have a safe escape plan if you encounter her however, because Baba Yaga's moods can change quickly, and you never, ever want to find yourself on her bad side.
Thanks to Rich for mentioning Baba Yaga.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Thirteen — The Jersey Devil

The Jersey, or Leeds Devil is said to haunt the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey.
Legend says that a woman known as Mother Leeds had been burdened with twelve awful children. Upon finding out she was pregnant a thirteenth time, she proclaimed that she wished the next child would be a devil instead of another ungrateful child. Upon being born, the cursed creature flew up the chimney and disappeared into the sky.
Now and again, people claim to see the creature. Skeptics claim the stories are either fabricated urban legends, or misidentification of native species in the area.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Eleven — A couple of Kobolds

What can I say about Kobolds? They are small, rough, unsavory beasties. Best to steer clear of them.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Ten — The Night of the Demon

The "Night of the Demon" is one of my favorite horror films. It's a great story of skepticism vs. superstition. A professional skeptic, played by Dana Andrews, travels to a conference in England where he is caught in the web of an Aleister Crowley-like magician. A piece of cursed parchment marks Andrews for death, but he remains skeptical to Carswell's power. Will he face the truth in time, and how will he save himself from ... THE DEMON!
This drawing is really a little misleading. The demon isn't really the villain in the film, it's Carswell. But the image of the demon has been a horror icon since the film came out, so I went with it instead of Carswell.
If you haven't seen the film, do yourself a favor and check it out. "Night of the Demon" was the original UK title. It was edited down to 83 minutes for U.S. release under the title "Curse of the Demon."
As a special treat, here's the trailer:

IMDB link for "Curse of the Demon"

31 Days of Monsters: Day Eight — Mothman

Mothman began appearing in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the mid 1960s. Described as a large moth or owl-like human, it haunted an explosives storage area on the outskirts of town.
The strange, menacing figure became a harbinger of doom for townspeople, always seeming to appear before tragedy. His appearances culminated in 1967 when he was seen shortly before the collapse of the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River, a tragic event that killed 46 people. He hasn't been seen since.
Some people believe Mothman is tied to UFO sightings in the area at the time, and he may be an alien. Others believe he may be an extra-dimensional animal who somehow slipped sideways through a crack in the Universe, and that he may be as benign to his world as a cow or rabbit seems to us.
Skeptics say that the entire Mothman phenomena was just mass-hysteria, and that what people really saw was a sand-hill crane.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Six — Troll

Trolls come from Scandinavia and make their homes in lonely mountain areas, deep caverns and isolated caves. They are fairly stupid creatures, unhelpful, and often violent. They are usually satisfied with poaching sheep, goats and the occasional cow from rural farms, but occasionally, trolls have been known to kill and eat humans who come too near their homes.

31 Days of Monsters: Day Five — Werewolf

In folklore, werewolves weren't always the tragic figures they are now. In the old days people, usually witches and warlocks, chose to become werewolves, by taking part in dark rituals involving animal skins and special ointments made from human fat and herbs.
Today however, most people know werewolves from the movies, where we get the standard mythology — full moon, silver bullets, etc.
To me, werewolves will always be cooler than vampires, which will become apparent when I cover them in an upcoming post.