We saw the Werewolf

I just found this clip on YouTube. It´s a documentary, or perhaps part of a documentary, titled “Elusive: British Cryptids”. The end credits say the official release will be on December 7. I´m not sure how long this sneak peak will be up, so if interested you should perhaps watch it ASAP. 

To be honest, “Elusive” is extremely dragging. It lacks the dramatic-entertainment feel I´m used to from American documentaries. But then, perhaps that´s not so surprising, since this is a British production. The producer has interviewed four witnesses who claim to have seen “Bigfoot” on British soil, or at least something similar. A fifth interviewee researches Werewolf observations.

I previously reviewed Nick Redfern´s book “Wildman” about the British Bigfoot, and admit that I´m somewhat skeptical to the idea of a breeding population of huge hominids (other than Celts or Englishmen!) living in Britain at the present time. Indeed, the bulk of Redfern´s book consist of ghost stories. Of the cases featured in “Elusive”, several have typical paranormal traits (the red glowing eyes). The producers are brave enough to discuss the paranormal angle, although their favorite explanation is that we´re actually dealing with an ancient population of Bigfeet, stranded on the British Isles. One of the researchers claims that the howl of the Werewolf is identical to the call of the American Bigfoot. 

To make the theory stick, “Elusive” assumes that all of Europe was once inhabited by the Wildman (there are Wildman legends from the Middle Ages), with the British cryptids being a relict population left behind when the North Sea rose and made contact with the European continent impossible. The witnesses, some of whom seem to double as cryptid researchers, claim that there are still large wilderness areas in Britain where large creatures could hide. Maybe, but hiding isn´t enough. What do they eat? Where do they go during the winter?

The biggest disappointment in this sneak peak (?) is the supposed footage “proving” the existence of the Albion gorilla. I think a disinterested observer will concur with me that it´s just a bunch of leaves swaying in the wind…

That being said, it seems a new front has been opened up in the “cryptid wars”, or at least cryptid research. It´s interesting to speculate why. Is the public simply getting bored of US squatches? Or is it easier today to accept that there might actually be real hairy ape-men (or real ghosts) even in the backyard of some sleepy British manor? Who knows, around 2025, maybe we´ll get a documentary about Swedish Trolls!