Minerva Monster Screens at Ohio Bigfoot Conference

Minerva Monster will be screened at the Ohio Bigfoot Conference

"Watching 'Minerva Monster,' I was reminded of that old TV series 'Unsolved Mysteries,'"--Robert McCune, Independent Correspondent 

In the Summer of 1978 a family was convinced of seeing a bigfoot-like creature, known as the Minerva Monster, near their home. A sheriff claimed that hair samples were collected and taken to a Malone College lab. Unfortunately any trace of this evidence has since disappeared.

A movie based on the family's encounter has since been documented by first-time filmakers. The movie is another exciting feature of the Ohio Bigfoot Conference and will be screened Saturday.

Read more about the family encounter below as well as some information about the filmakers. The excerpt is from an article written by Robert McCune, an independent correspondent for  IndieoOnline.com.

Family members described it as a big, manlike thing, with bowed legs, covered in hair. Not a man, not a bear. Some think it was Bigfoot, or in the sasquatch family. Whatever it was, the town of Minerva adopted it, and in local lore, it became the “Minerva Monster.”

The family’s story set off a sensational media storm. It blamed the creature for the rocks that pelted their house — and later, suspected it in the death of a dog. Police investigated, and after it made the newspapers, there were other “sightings” in the area. “Bigfoot hunters” descended on Minerva. Family members started to wish they had kept their “creature” to themselves.

Now this story is the subject of a documentary film by a Northeast Ohio crew, Small Town Monsters. “Minerva Monster” is directed by Seth Breedlove, of Wadsworth, and produced by Jesse Morgan and Alan Megargle, with an original score by composer Brandon Dalo.

This is clearly a passion project for these first-time filmmakers. With a camera, and little budget to work with, Breedlove and crew spent months interviewing eyewitnesses, and the sheriff and newspaper reporter who investigated the incidents nearly 40 years ago.

Watching “Minerva Monster,” I was reminded of that old TV series “Unsolved Mysteries,” on which host Robert Stack sometimes delved into the paranormal. That’s a compliment; I loved that show growing up.