171 Items Tagged

Monsters

Boulder City, Nevada

Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum

A professional special effects makeup artist’s collection of horror creatures and one-of-a-kind recreations on display in downtown Boulder City.

The 2012 film <em>The Possession</em>, starring Natasha Calis, was based on the legend of the "Dybbuk Box."

The Modern Resurrection of the Dybbuk, Demon of Jewish Folklore

How a superstition goes from the Talmud to TikTok.

Anya Gruber October 10, 2023

The Charming True Story of the Haunting ‘Lady in the Tree’

How an art prank created a new Halloween legend for the Miawpukek First Nation.

Roxanne Hoorn October 6, 2023

These FX Artists Make Nightmares Come Alive (Or At Least Undead)

Mark Villalobos and Heather Mages create frightful fun in horror films big and small.

Karuna Eberl October 5, 2023

Each night during his journey across the netherworld, the sun god Ra's barque crosses the desert Rostau, realm of the falcon god Sokar, borne by snakes.

In Ancient Egypt, the Duat Was a Netherworld of Gods and Monsters

A guide called the Amduat helped pharaohs navigate the complex afterlife.

Nicky Nielsen October 3, 2023

Costumes and cheap beer are staples of most weird sports, says photographer Sol Neelman, but no one takes dressing up quite as seriously as one of his all-time favorite sports events: Kaiju Live Monster Wrestling (formally known as the Kaiju Big Battel) in Queens, New York. “Kaiju monster wrestling has always been my favorite,” says Neelman. “Mainly because I don't know what's happening. There are a lot of people that follow the storylines and follow the characters. It's kind of like a mix of pro wrestling, Godzilla, and daytime soap opera.”

Monster Wrestling And Other Weird, Wonderful Sports from Around the World

From traditional Japanese log riding to charitable llama races in Colorado, this photographer has seen it all.

Roxanne Hoorn September 26, 2023

Godzilla Rock

A natural resemblance of the monster of film lore.

Wander into our forest of blood-chilling spring tales—if you dare.

Spring Is for Monsters, Ancient Rituals, and Scary Stories

From haunting tales of the Bell Witch to child-eating swamp monsters, the season is full of frights.

Sarah Durn May 8, 2023

Miniwashitu is described as a frightening-looking creature with an important job: breaking up the ice on the Missouri River with its saw-like backbone.

In North Dakota, the Hideous Miniwashitu Ushers in Spring

The Madan people knew the Missouri River could bring both salvation and destruction.

April White May 5, 2023

The fossegrim might just be the most diabolical violin teacher you’ll ever meet.

This Norwegian Water Spirit Just Wants to Teach You How to Fiddle

But make sure you bring the fossegrim the proper offering—or else.

Diana Hubbell May 3, 2023

A long-necked, plesiosaur-like creature, known as Nahuelito, has been spotted from the banks of Nahuel Huapi Lake in Patagonia for millennia.

Argentina’s Loch Ness Monster Lurks Beneath a Patagonia Lake

Nahuelito’s plesiosaur visage can be found all over the small town of Bariloche.

Juan Relmucao May 2, 2023

As Edinburgh's days lengthen and warm, the Beltane Fire Festival celebrates the shifting seasons in style.

Welcome to the Dark Side of Spring

The sun is out and the monsters are here.

Sarah Durn May 1, 2023

There are many depictions of the bunyip, but one common iteration is a cow-sized, aquatic wombat-like creature.

The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australia’s Wetlands

But its complex Aboriginal Australian origins have today been commodified and suppressed.

Sarah Durn May 1, 2023

Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania

Beasts of Beaver Meadows

Metal monsters made from repurposed materials lurk alongside this Pennsylvania road.

The Gocta Waterfalls in northwestern Peru are the subject of one of our favorite recent Atlas Obscura Podcast episodes.

7 Recent Atlas Obscura Podcast Episodes You Just Have to Hear

For our two-year pod-iversary we're headed back to some of the coolest places we've taken you recently.

April White March 22, 2023

The pink mermaid sitting by the Alzette.

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Melusina Statue

This magenta statue commemorates the legendary marriage between a mermaid and the city's founder.

The shadow of Count Orlok is long.

A New Look at Nosferatu’s Bloody Legacy

An exhibition in Berlin celebrates a century of one of the most famous, and complicated, vampire stories.

Diana Hubbell December 15, 2022

A member of the Milwaukee Krampus Eigenheit was one of dozens of furry, horned menaces swatting onlookers with switches during the annual Milwaukee Krampusnacht.

Krampus Is the Christmas Icon We Need—And Maybe the One We Deserve

At Milwaukee’s Krampusnacht, we go in search of the essence of Santa’s unholy enforcer.

Gemma Tarlach December 9, 2022