Skunk Ape (MP3)

    

Donny Lee  -  Skunk Ape  (3:24)    

According to true believers, the Skunk Ape is a regional variation of Bigfoot that makes its home in Florida, mostly in and around the Everglades.  Like Bigfoot, the mysterious Skunk Ape has rarely been spotted and one has never been captured.  The good folks at the National Park Service contend that the evasive creature exists only as a local myth.

But it's a myth embraced by a large swath of people and one that has worked its way into a wide variety of cultural artifacts like a Facebook group, annual festivals, coins, t-shirts and web sites too numerous to list individually.  And, of course, I should probably mention the Donny Lee 45rpm recording of Skunk Ape, which is posted above.

As you might imagine, confirmed Skunk Ape sightings are few and far between. 

If you really want to see a Skunk Ape, by far your best bet is to check out Stomp! Shout! Scream!, a contagiously fun beach party rock and roll monster movie set in 1966.  Written and directed by Jay Wade Edwards, the 2005 film depicts the adventures of The Violas, an all girl band of garage rockers whose van breaks down in a small Florida town where the Skunk Ape has been wreaking havoc.  Everyone involved seems to have a deep and genuine affection for the classic beach party flicks of the 1960s and the movie boasts more heart and soul than a decade's worth of big budget blockbusters.  And it surely doesn't hurt that it's accompanied by a stellar soundtrack  with songs by the Fleshtones, Catfight!, the Woggles, the Penetrators, the Hate Bombs, Johnny Knox & Hi Test, Tiger! Tiger!, the Vendettas, the Clutters, and the Evidents.

It's probably not a bad idea to mention that a distributor has retitled the film Monster Beach Party, which is how it's listed on Amazon and Netflix. Below are a few images I harvested from the movie's Flickr site.  On the right is director Edwards.  Don't let that photo fool you, though.  He doesn't play the Skunk Ape in the movie.  That role went to Ned Hastings.

       

Comments

[Arma Benoit]

Anxiously awaiting the script for the second installment of Stomp! Shout! Scream!

[[email protected]]

i like that movie

[Murray Van Creme]

Well, since Netflix can't deliver on the Alan Lomax "Songhunter" DVD I wanted, "Monster Beach Party" will be a welcome substitute.

[Bigfoot Research North East]

Just thought I would share my UK Bigfoot sighting.

Bolam Lake is an unusual place my friends and I have spent a lot of time there over the last 20 years or so, fishing, camping and walking the dog.
The night of the 1st sighting was no different than any other night. We packed our fishing gear up and headed back to the car which was parked in the bottom carpark.
We headed from the green along the wooden walkway toward the West Wood carpark to follow the track round the side of the lake to the bottom carpark.
As soon as I got onto the wooden track I felt really cold and had the feeling I was being watched. My friend Neil was up ahead of me marching off towards the carpark, and Nathan was as usual wandering casually behind me carrying his gear.
I had made it half way along the wooden track when I stopped and looked back to see where Nathan was, it was quite a light night with the moon light shining through the trees but I could not see Nathan. I could hear he footsteps on the wooden track then I saw it at the edge of the track standing in the undergrowth a tall figure at standing at least 8 feet tall and very wide at least double my size, with what looked like 2 glowing eyes. At first I thought it was Nathan messing about but then i spotted him coming all on the track to the right of the figure.
i shouted to Nathan and ran for the car yelling a Neil too as I approached him. Nathan soon caught us up and we ran all the way back to the car.
Neil and Nathan did not see this figure but Neil did have the feeeling of being watched as he had passed the same patch of the woods.
We never really talked about it again and I just put it down to my imagination.

Several years later Neil had an encounter at a different location in the park.
He was out with his girlfriend in the woods (as you do ;). When she stopped him in mid session saying that someone was watching them in the woods. She also described the same sort of huge dark figure.

Again on another, I think 2 occasions, Neil and Nathan were fishing and camping out when thier campsite was bombarded with large rocks and thier deadbaits stolen in the middle of the night.

After doing a bit of research on the subject we went out looking for signs of Bigfoot activity in the area which also covered Harwood Forest and somewhere else up next to Coldstream (cant remember the name of it). We found various teepee formations and trees torn at their bases.