1091 Pictures
Available to stream on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, and FandangoNOW.
Like many other cryptozoology documentaries, Small Town Monsters can only offer so much about these creatures said to be roaming the fringes of civilization. The latest, The Dogman Triangle, considers the history of reported werewolf (wild canines in this case) sightings in Texas. Like other known areas of mystery, whether their reach extends beyond a certain geographical region needs to be explored.
The background music helps shape the narrative and as a fan of the Weird West, I had to check this latest by Seth Breedlove out. The sound design helped to get me inspired, and as for whether the stories are true or not, it doesn’t really matter. After watching this work, I had to investigate other series about the oddities from other locations, often identified with that geometric shape too.
Although Alaska is many geographic states and a province away, it has a lot more mysterious cryptids roaming about. The series The Alaskan Triangle (available on Discovery+) is comfort food for my imagination as it delves into more, like the attempts to find The Black Pyramid and reveals how this area is home to lots of UAPs and Bigfoot! The fact this filmmaker spent time there to make his duology, Alaskan Coastal Sasquatch, shows just how deeply invested he is in the topic!
There’s also a marked off triangular region in British Columbia where people go missing and there’s monster sightings. But that along with Bermuda and Bermington is barely scratching the surface of why things go bump in the night. There’s also missing peoples and planes. If that’s not enough, there’s bigfoot too, which this filmmaker loves to investigate. In my home province, we have the sea monsters Ogopogo being more famous than the Cadborosaurus, and for Alaska, the Tizheruk. The list can go on forever, and I’m glad this filmmaker is taking a systematic approach to explore as much as he can and offer these shorts on his YouTube channel.
Whether these creatures are shapeshifters, skinwalkers or humans going feral, their origins aren’t fully explored. What’s offered here are encounter stories rather than huge conversations concerning where they came from. The stories contradict each other as to their behaviour, and it’s tough to identify who is making things up than being honest.
Also, the discussions don’t get deep into aboriginal origins. I’m sure they can be traced back to some legend, and this work doesn’t identify what they are. What’s glossed upon here goes in a different direction. And as for the supernatural aspects, it’s not really even discussed. All I can theorise based on this documentary is that they are an alien species, instead of humans cursed with Lycanthropy.
I get the feeling the purpose of this work is to help sell Aaron Deese‘s book of the same name. I assume his work goes into better detail and I’ll most likely buy it in due time. When he’s the star in this documentary, this reveal should not be surprising.
After watching The Dogman Triangle, I’m inspired to draft up a scenario for Call of Cthulhu or Deadlands: the Weird West Role Playing Game to offer my take. In the game, players will discover why they exist, who created them, and reveal in true horror movie fashion, the hornet’s nest stirred up. By the climax, the rampage will show it’s not wise to upset where the buffalo roam, since without that primary food source, the Dogman may well chasing after humans next!
The Dogman Triangle Trailer
