10 Urban Legends That Should Be Horror Films

6. Snallygaster

What's the Legend? Have you ever heard of a tentacled, half-bird, half-reptile, shark-toothed, metal-beaked monster flying over the hills of Maryland, making noises like a train whistle? Well, if you have, you might be a German immigrant in the 1730s. That, or just a local who's heard the legend a few hundred years down the line. Whatever the case, the story has now spread itself like wildfire, and the widespread reports from the 18th Century all being of a similar nature lead many (slightly gullible) people to believe the crazy dino-octopus-cyborg monster actually existed. 'Snallygaster' comes from Schneller Geist, meaning 'quick spirit' in German. The creature was said to have swooped down on unsuspecting victims from the sky, and sucked their blood dry. What's the Movie? A creature feature, of course. Either go about it the trite way and have a bunch of college kids investigate the legend in a found-footage format, or you go the right way, and make it a period piece. Considering the resurrection of the legend in the early to mid-19th Century, supposedly to discourage slaves from running away into the Maryland woodland, it would make for a solid idea to set the film in that time period. You have the benefits of a cool period setting, but far enough from the origins of the legend to retain an 'urban legend' feel to the plot, and for the characters. Throw in the Snallygaster's supposed nemesis - a wolfman-style creature named Dewayo - and you've got all the ingredients for a good old-fashioned monster showdown with humans caught in the middle.