Balladeer’s Blog covers a lot of mythology and folklore, so here’s a look at five monster legends of the U.S. (Non-Bigfoot categories).
I don’t believe that there was anything truly supernatural in any of these tales, but life is less fun without legends like these. All of them are ripe for embellishment and screen adaptations.
THE VAN METER VISITOR
First Appearance: 1903
Lore: From September 29th to October 3rd of 1903 the Iowa town of Van Meter was supposedly plagued by at least two 8-9 feet tall batlike creatures who could fly, stand upright, climb up and down telephone poles and shoot a noxious odor as a defense mechanism. The three-toed creatures also had a blunt horn on their heads and said horns could supposedly cast light beams via bioluminescence.
Over the course of the visitation multiple shots were fired at the beings as they flew around town, perched on rooftops and telephone wires and roamed around a nearby brick and tile factory as well as an abandoned mine. By October 3rd an armed crowd of Van Meter citizens investigated the factory and the mine. They spotted two of the batlike creatures emerging from the mine and opened fire on them again to no effect.
Eventually the two winged beings retreated into the mine and the crowd quickly blocked off the mine entrance for good, thus ending the rash of sightings.
THE BUTTERFLY PEOPLE
First Appearance: 2011
Lore: On May 22nd, 2011 Joplin, Missouri was hit by an F5 tornado which killed 160 people, destroyed 900 homes and injured hundreds. Among those injured were multiple children and early teens who attributed their survival to the intervention and/or protection of winged butterfly people. Continue reading
FOUR OVER TWO – In NCAA Division Two the 4th ranked defending national champions, the UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA ARGONAUTS, welcomed the number 2 team in the nation – the VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS. By Halftime the Argonauts held a 24-21 edge over the Blazers. The 3rd Quarter ended with the University of West Florida on top 45-35 before putting it away in the 4th, 61-42. 
DOWN GOES NUMBER FIVE – Over in the NAIA the number 13 SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE MOUNDBUILDERS took it on the road to battle the 5th ranked KANSAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY COYOTES. The Coyotes led 7-0 in the opening Quarter but the Moundbuilders were up 13-7 at the break. Southwestern College had a 28-21 advantage in the 3rd Quarter and ultimately won the game 42-24.
SERVICE ACADEMY MANIA – This game pitted the UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY MARINERS against their archrivals the COAST GUARD ACADEMY BEARS. The Mariners seized a quick 21-0 lead in the 1st Quarter and never looked back from there. In the end they embarrassed the Bears by a score of 49-14 in their own house. 
GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN Vol 1 #2 (October 1974) 
THE LAST GENERATION – A STORY OF THE FUTURE (1908) – Written by James Elroy Flecker. A poet longs to see beyond his own era and experiences. He is visited by a time-travel phenomenon which is similar to a wind. The Time Wind transports him to various periods in the future. 
PART 60 – As always, this installment of The Fool-Killer included sentiments that would tick off people from both the left and the right. Some of the Fool Killer’s targets in the October of 1912 edition of James Larkin Pearson’s publication:
THE HOOKED GENERATION (1968) – Directed and co-written by the one and only William Grefe. William is known to me and my fellow fans of bad movies for Florida-filmed cult turkeys like Sting of Death, Death Curse of Tartu, The Wild Rebels and Impulse, with William Shatner. 
THREE OVER TWO – In the NAIA the number 3 team in the nation – the MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS – traveled to face the 2nd ranked NORTHWESTERN (IA) COLLEGE RED RAIDERS. The Mustangs led 14-10 in the 1st Quarter but the Red Raiders went up 26-24 by Halftime. Morningside College went back on top 34-33 to end the 3rd Quarter before cementing the Upset in the 4th with a 55-49 win. 
NUMBER FIVE TAKES A FALL – Staying in the NAIA for a moment, the CENTRAL METHODIST UNIVERSITY EAGLES welcomed America’s 5th ranked BAKER UNIVERSITY WILDCATS. The Eagles put the Wildcats on Upset Alert at the break with a 7-6 edge, then led 14-12 in the 3rd Quarter and won out in the end 21-19. 
DOWN GOES NUMBER SIX – Over in NCAA Division Two the SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE SAVAGE STORM visited the country’s number 6 team – the OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY TIGERS. The Savage Storm parlayed a 7-0 opening Quarter lead into a 28-7 advantage at the Half. After the break SOSU held off the Tigers to win the game 35-21. 
EIGHTY-FOUR – Down in NCAA Division Three the LAKE FOREST COLLEGE FORESTERS played host to the BELOIT COLLEGE BUCCANEERS yesterday. By the midpoint of the game the Foresters held an amazing 56-3 lead. They never looked back from there, ultimately triumphing by a final score of EIGHTY-FOUR to THREE. 
SPIDER-MAN Vol 1 #138 (November 1974) 
The following morning, Peter gathers what few belongings he was able to salvage from the destruction and stops by the adjoining building’s rooftop to retrieve the spare Spider-Man costume, web fluid cartridges and web shooters that he tossed there days ago to prevent them being found in his apartment after the bomb went off. 
IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1994) – Directed by John Carpenter and written by Michael De Luca, this movie was an unabashed valentine to H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King’s imitations of Lovecraft, and The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers. The King in Yellow, of course, is the 1895 book 
Soon, Trent is visited in his padded cell, where he has used a black crayon to cover his body and the padded walls with crucifixes for protection. His visitor is Dr Wrenn, played by David Warner, the panicked, crucifix-surrounded man from The Omen, now talking to the panicked, crucifix-surrounded Sam Neill in this film. (I admit that’s a sly touch in keeping with the style of the movie. It even has echoes of the victim in Equinox fixating on his protective crucifix.) 
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