The Art of Reinvention: The Flatwoods Monster and Kaiju
By Dania Sonin
December 22, 2010
On September 12, 1952, in the small town of Flatwoods, West Virginia, a group of townsfolk had an encounter of the third kind. They reported seeing a bright red ball of light hovering in the sky, which proceeded to crash in the woods on a local farmer’s property. They promptly set out to investigate and what they discovered was followed by 48 years of mystery and investigation. It was a creature, tall with tiny, claw-like arms and a massive head or cowl shaped like a spade and was reportedly wearing a green pleated skirt. Its massive eyes were luminescent and every person that night who saw them reported breathing in a strange, noxious gas that would make them ill in the weeks to follow. The creature would come to be known by many names, the most famous being The Flatwoods Monster.
What those people saw has always been open for debate, but in 2000, a paranormal investigator named Joe Nickell concluded that everything seen that night could be explained by natural, earthly phenomena. The red light, he explained, was from a meteor which was reported to be flying over that part of the United States that night and was witnessed by other people around the state. The crash then kicked up dust and vapour, as meteor crashes often do, thus explaining the strange gas. It’s understandable that, after breathing dirt and debris, those in the vicinity would have irritated airways. They were examined by a doctor who agreed that their symptoms were consistent with breathing in noxious gas, as well as with hysteria. How, though, did Nickell explain the creatures that were seen to emerge from the crash site?
Owls. Yes. Owls. Barn owls frightened by the meteor and fleeing the area, then being frightened by the spectators come to see the crash and clinging to branches and trees in a fight-or-flight state of sheer panic, to be exact.
I’m not writing to ridicule these poor frightened people – a heightened state of anxiety from witnessing an unknown object crash to the Earth can bring on all sorts of delusions and misconceptions. What I find especially interesting about this case is that the Flatwoods Monster somehow travelled across the country and across the ocean and made its way to Japan where it has joined the ever-growing class of ubiquitous monsters known as Kaiju.
Kaiju means, literally, “strange beast” in Japanese and encompasses a number of pop-culture icons of mayhem like Godzilla, Mothra, and even the Mothman (who Joe Nickell also blames on barn owls, those rascals). Most of the creatures on that list are gargantuan abominations of familiar animals, such as King Kong and Gyaos, a giant vampire bat/pterodactyl, but the name can really apply to any strange and menacing supernatural creature, even cyborgs and robots. In the 1970s, sci-fi editor Hiroshi Minamiyama introduced the Flatwoods Monster as 3-metre Alien, influencing an entire generation. Since then, the creature has been a staple among Kaiju and has even made appearances in popular video game titles. For example, one of the side quests in one of my favourite games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, has Link on a farm defending cows from an onslaught of creepy little spade-headed aliens out to steal cows. Indeed, the Flatwoods Monster has made its way into a number of games -- definitely a serious form of art in Japan -- as either Easter Eggs, level bosses, or even common enemies as in .Hack// in which it is known by the name "Dejected". It has also been featured in anime, manga, and television shows.
But the real ubiquity is in the merch. Type "Flatwoods Monster" or, better yet, "Flatwoods Monster Kaiju" into Google Images and you'll come across a veritable army of key chains, figurines, and dolls, mostly aimed at an older audience. Some are sickly cute -- the Japanese can chibify virtually anything -- and some of them turn the creatures into cybernetic villains out for evil. So, I say take a cue from Japan: creativity doesn't always have to hinge on an original idea. The Flatwoods Monster, owl or not, is still great fodder and manages to fit itself into any number of niches. And anyway, sometimes it's fun to reinvent an old concept or rehash your favourite monster lore. Remember, it's all speculative anyway, so nobody can ever tell you that you've got it all wrong.
