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Sukagawa, Japan

Ultraman Street

In the hometown of Eiji Tsuburaya, a street lined with intergalactic heroes and monsters.
Osaka, Japan

Tomb of the Nue

The tomb of an infamous chimeric monster whose corpse once washed ashore in Osaka.
Around the world, people ward off evil Christmas creatures, from witches to kid-eating cats.
monsters

Christmas Monsters: Our Favorite Reads

These creatures of lore are definitely on the naughty list.
Roxanne Hoorn December 20, 2024
Even colorful rainbows can carry spooky superstitions.
horror

5 Superstitious Stories for Friday the 13th

Explore these tales of death, sacrifice, and bad omens—if you dare.
Roxanne Hoorn December 13, 2024
Sukagawa, Japan

Tsuburaya Eiji Museum

A small, family-friendly museum dedicated to the “god of special effects” who brought Godzilla to life.
The wendigo of North America's Great Lakes region is a symbol of both the desperate season of winter and boundless human greed.
vampires

The Wendigo and 6 Other Ancient Monsters From Indigenous Folklore

These ancient terrors, from Australia’s bunyip to Brazil’s capelobo, still haunt—and hunt—us.
Gemma Tarlach October 4, 2024
Tokyo, Japan

Shinagawa Station

Japan's first train station is also the site of Godzilla's first destructive visit to the nation.
This colored wood engraving shows the pig-faced Miss Atkinson.
victorian

Regency Londoners Were Obsessed With Pig-Faced Ladies

In 1815, the obsession with swine-ish, upper-class ladies reached a fever pitch.
Sarah Crocker August 6, 2024
An atmospheric 2005 image of Lake Tahoe seems to capture a glimpse of Tahoe Tessie (center left).
dinosaurs

The Loch Ness Monster Look-Alike Lurking Beneath Lake Tahoe

Legends of Tahoe Tessie go back centuries.
Suzie Dundas July 30, 2024
Miyoshi, Japan

Miyoshi Mononoke Museum

A collection of nearly 5,000 yokai-themed toys, sculptures, and more, dating from the 1700s to the present day.
aliens

Podcast: Gabbing Goblins with Colin Dickey

Author and Atlas Obscura columnist Colin Dickey takes us on a wild, alien-filled ride.
The Podcast Team May 16, 2024
Beginning in the 20th century, the hunt for the deadly wampus cat was on.
cryptozoology

The Child-Eating Wampus Cat Prowling the American South

Hide your dog; hide your children.
April White May 3, 2024
The Zvoncari bell ringers banish winter with noise.
festivals

Croatia Bans Winter By Partying Like ‘Where the Wild Things Are’

Let spring's wild rumpus begin.
Justin McDonnell May 2, 2024
The capelobo is said to stalk Brazil's dense rainforests—always looking for its next victim.
cryptozoology

The Blood-Sucking Capelobo Haunts Brazil’s Dense Forests

The humanoid anteater slurps its victim’s gray matter as if devouring termites in a mound.
April White May 2, 2024
Standing no taller than a 10-year-old, the Yara ma tha who watches from the forest canopy—always ready to pounce on its next victim.
cryptozoology

The Child-Eating Bloodsucker of Aboriginal Australian Nightmares

The Yara ma tha who is more terrifying than any vampire.
April White May 1, 2024
Today the giant Pacific octopus, or <em>Enteroctopus dofleini</em>, is a beloved cephalopod, but in the early 20th century, some mistook these friendly giants as terrifying man-eaters.
disasters

How the World’s Largest Octopus Went From Cryptid to Protected

Turns out some monsters are real—and pretty cute.
Sam Fletcher May 1, 2024
Made of paper, bamboo, and found items, enormous, fearsome ogoh-ogoh figures are carried during Ngrupuk parades the night before Balinese New Year and then burned.
mythology

Meet the Creatures and Creators Behind Bali’s Parade for Banishing Evil Spirits

On the night before the Balinese New Year, villagers bring monsters to life—and then burn them.
Roxanne Hoorn May 1, 2024
The fearsome cryptid is said to grow up to six-feet-long and spit deadly poison.
cryptozoology

Inside the Decades Long Hunt for the Mongolian Death Worm

Some say the true death worm has already been found—slithering beneath the sands of the Gobi.
Mark Hay April 30, 2024