Film Review: The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear (Small Town Monsters, 2018) The Monster Guys
New Post has been published on http://themonsterguys.com/flatwoods-monster-film-review-small-town-monsters/
Film Review: The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear (2018, Small Town Monsters)
Reviewed by D.C. McGannon & C. Michael McGannon, @TheMonsterGuys
The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear (2018, Small Town Monsters)
Produced by: Seth Breedlove & Adrienne Breedlove
Written and Directed by: Seth Breedlove
The Flatwoods Monster is perhaps, despite its growing popularity, one of the most unusual, obscure, concise, and terrifying phenomenon to be reported in the history of our modern world. With that in mind, who better to explore the encounter, testimonies and experiences of the events that spawned the nearly indefinable creature, also known as the “Green Monster,” than Seth Breedlove and his team at Small Town Monsters?
For most that have attempted to research and document the events that stemmed from the encounter, their collected understanding would, at best, hardly fill the chapter of a book. Any insight into the topic beyond that would reveal a bevy of creepy artistic interpretations of The Flatwoods Monster, as well as numerous theories, rumors, and an array of exaggerated media coverage. And though the film addresses the inflated, and often distorted, claims of various reports throughout the years, it is careful not to get caught up in those details. Instead, we are informed by a trusted voice as Small Town Monsters peels away layer after layer of this most intriguing paradox.
One would have to dig deep to find the remnants of truth surrounding the grim tales born on that hilltop in the little town of Flatwoods, located in Braxton County, West Virginia on September 12, 1952. That is what Seth Breedlove and Small Town Monsters do best, and that is precisely what they’ve done here. The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear is masterful storytelling—visually, audibly, and historically.
As long-time fans of Small Town Monsters’ documentary films, we feel this latest entry recaptures some of the early spirit we’ve experienced with their previous films such as Beast of Whitehall, Minerva Monster, and Boggy Creek Monster. We got to know a sleepy little town with a really big secret; its people, their stories, on their terms. All this, while stepping up their production as we’ve most recently been treated to with films such as The Mothman of Point Pleasant and Invasion on Chestnut Ridge. What is so incredibly cool about this film is that from the opening title, we are transported to a golden age of monster movie styled film making, standing toe-to-toe with Hollywood, without cheapening the message. Cue our inner childhood excitement as we traveled to where few have dared gone before.
Coupled with mesmerizing and entertaining visuals and an original score begging to be devoured, we are immersed in the broader narrative of UFO culture, stories, and hysteria from mid-20th Century global events. These events, this narrative, consumed our country and the world for decades, and during that time were born some of America’s notorious paranormal mysteries; the Mothman, the Boggy Creek Monster, and the Flatwoods Monster included—complete with its glowing eyes, spindly claws, and a spade-like collar sitting atop an otherworldly metallic vestment, of sorts.
Seth Breedlove delivers on crucial Small Town Monsters signature elements that we’ve come to expect in his films: eyewitness reports, locally preserved evidence, and secrets previously known only to the people who have experienced these alarming events. And, boy, do they ever deliver here!
In The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear, you’ll hear firsthand from those who were there, face to face with the monster. This is unprecedented as so little has ever been revealed from these eyewitnesses, and as you’ll learn during the interviews in this film, some of this information was in very real danger of being lost to our knowledge forever. We believe you’ll see things and learn things that the general public has never been privy to, and as such, this is as important an inquiry and examination to UFO and paranormal investigations as has ever been recorded.
Once more, Small Town Monsters invites us to meet at the crossroads of two disparate worlds—two worlds that witnesses wish had never merged. Regardless, the events that garnered the attention of local and national media, authorities at all levels, and a host of investigators and enthusiasts did happen—however shocking, however life-altering—and now you have the privilege of hearing the stories of those who were there as if you were talking to an old friend.
Sixty-five years ago, something landed in the Appalachian Mountains, and the residents of Flatwoods, West Virginia have never been the same. On April 6, 2018, that something will visit us again in the form of The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear by Small Town Monsters. Prepare to believe!
Visit www.SmallTownMonsters.com for updates and info about this and all their productions and events.
Check out our previous podcast episodes with Seth Breedlove and Small Town Monsters on The Monster Guys Podcast:
Episode 032.5: Small Town Monsters with Seth Breedlove
Episode 036: The Mothman of Point Pleasant with Seth Breedlove & Lyle Blackburn of Small Town Monsters
Episode 046: “Strange September, Part 2” – Invasion on Chestnut Ridge with Seth Breedlove of Small Town Monsters
Also check out our article for FolkloreThursday.com in the UK, in which we write and podcast about 5 Legendary Monsters of North American Folklore, where we list The Flatwoods Monster in that collection.
Follow The Monster Guys on Twitter
Like The Monster Guys on Facebook