Day 176: Sasquatch/Yeti/Bigfoot

I just watched the second MST3k movie of the new season and it is all about Bigfoot. A little kid believes in him and poachers and something. It was not a good movie but it primed me for this write up. The old random topic generator wants me to discuss why these folklore monsters are scary.

It is also ironic that a pro-science march happened this past weekend because the entire concept of Yetis and Bigfeet are pretty anti-science. Science has classified and defined everything in the natural world to the point where there are no mysteries or surprises. Belief in these evolutionary throwbacks is a middle finger to science understanding the known world. If these creatures can exist without being public knowledge, what else is out there?

It also helps that they are bestial, savage and vicious in all the ways we don't want the natural world to be. If we are the apex predator, what are these things that could hunt us so easily?

Another big aspect is location, location, location. These creatures are not scary if you don't live in their geographic radius. Bigfoot is in the Pacific Northwest, the Yeti is in the Himalayas, etc. Eventually, it seems every region develops their own weird creature. The Jersey Devil in New Jersey is a good example while the famed Lizard Man of South Carolina is a bad example.

I think nature is scary enough without having to invent new creatures to frighten us. In the end, this breed of monster is one of the hardest to make terrifying. Your mileage may vary.