The Legend of Loch Ness (1975) / UFOs The Best Evidence Caught on Tape (2017) / The Dogman Triangle Werewolves in the Lone Star State (2023)

While browsing through the usual paranormal channels I follow on YouTube, this old flick came up as a suggestion. I had never heard of it before, and I love retro 70’s docs, so I checked it out, eager to see what this one would have to say about Nessie.

It basically goes into the history of the Loch Ness monster sightings, alleged encounters, famous photos and films, etc. Also included were interviews from eyewitnesses about their sightings, and theories from scientists about its  possible existence. They speculated that it could be a large eel or even a fresh water shark, and if it is a dinosaur, could it have gotten into the Loch through undersea caverns? One dive recorded a depth of 975 feet, with several caverns seen below. They also discussed the possibility that one of those caverns could be an entry into a subterranean world existing below the Loch. There was a lot of science talk, but they attempted to mix it up with some spooky music here and there.

The movie was 1 hour and 30 minutes, and honestly, it could’ve been cut down to just 45 to 55 minutes. They padded out the running time with lots of odd, dull sequences, especially in the last 30 minutes, where  it seemed to jump all over the place, discussing everything from eating habits of large lizards to Aleister Crowley, with none it flowing smoothly. There was also an interview with a scientist in LA that they kept going back to multiple times. He seemed to discuss the same concept in each of his interview segments. At the end, they showed alleged footage recorded from a small submersible of a large animal with a big fin that was clearly done for dramatic effect, claiming it to be real footage. I have always had a fondness for these older docs, as they seemed more interesting and creepy (though oftentimes inaccurate), but this one wasn’t all that great. A shorter runtime and a consistent focus would’ve helped. As it stands, it’s a long, drawn out bore fest. There are much more entertaining cryptid films out there.

The next flick I watched was this UFO special on Tubi, where they showed recent footage and talked about various newer sightings.

They interviewed various people and got their take on certain cases. They showed lots of video evidence and photos of sightings, including the Phoenix lights in AZ, the Gulf Breeze sightings, activity over military fields, video clips from space, near Area 51, and from various countries. For instance, a bunch of people were recording an eclipse in Mexico, when several of them noticed strange objects in the sky and filmed them. Another person was filming something odd in the sky, and when it got closer, his camera battery suddenly drained. This was consistent with various reports from airplane pilots who stated that their instruments would fail whenever they flew near an alleged UFO. There was a cool video that showed 2 glowing orbs flying over a field, and a crop circle forming below. However, after further investigation, some experts concluded that this footage was most likely a hoax.

All of the video footage was really intriguing, showing various glowing lights, orbs, and strangely shaped objects flying in many different patterns. That, coupled with the various interviews discussing the authenticity of the footage (including George Knapp, who I know from his various guest spots on the Art Bell radio programs), made it an interesting, entertaining watch. The first 45 minutes was definitely fun, and had the feel of old 90’s shows like Sightings.

The last half hour was odd and kinda lost steam. It showed the host of a YouTube video channel called Real or Fake and a UFO investigator talking about a case in Puerto Rico, where there was footage of an object coming out of the ocean and flying over the city. They decided to go there to investigate. The entire segment was goofy and felt out of place with the previous segment, the comedic tone jarring harshly with the serious discussion that came beforehand. And ultimately, their investigation led to nothing of any substance. The doc could have done without this segment, and nothing would have been missed, as it didn't add anything new or intriguing. Besides this, the first half was good and worth checking out.

The last one I saw was a production of Small Town Monsters, that focused on Dogman sightings in Texas. There have been increasing videos and reports of Dogman sightings (there's a bunch I've watched on YouTube), so I wanted to check this one out, as I find the Dogman tales interesting and creepy. I streamed it on Tubi as well.

It focuses on a writer named Aaron Deese, who wrote a book about 3 Dogman encounters. After that, he decided to do this documentary, specifically focusing on the area in between the 3 cases that he wrote about in his book. Partnering with investigator Shannon Legro, they go about interviewing witnesses about their alleged encounters and experiences.

Discussed were several old legends from the area regarding past encounters, including a farmer's daughter who was kidnapped by a large wolf creature. She was found the next day wandering around in a daze. She claimed that the creature held her captive somewhere in the woods. The farmer gathered a group of townsfolk and went to the area where the kid claimed she was held, and eventually they found the creature, killing him. Another legend was about a father who sent his son out to the woods to hunt for a deer. The boy came back frightened, stating that he had seen a large creature. Not believing him, the father sent him back out, telling him not to come back until he shot a deer. When the boy didn't return by nightfall, the father went looking for him, and found him being eaten by the wolf creature. They also discussed what the creature could possibly be, such as a mangy bear, or even a feral dog.

They talked about how there was hardly any video or photo evidence of this beast, mainly having to go by witness accounts. One person played them a recording he took of what he believes is the creature's scream. Others talked about how various deaths in the area were spun by the media to be something else, such as a woman being found with various puncture wounds around her body, and her death being ruled a suicide. The eyewitness accounts were all intriguing, and there were lots of creepy drawings and animations that showed various wolf-like creatures. Despite ending with no real answers to the Dogman mystery, it managed to be a well-done documentary. Check it out if you're interested in cryptids and enjoy paranormal videos.