Monster

VHS cover

*Monster* is the seventh episode of the third season of Eyewitness. The topic of the episode is about mythical monsters and real animals that humans find frightening. The episode aired on 27th October 1997.

*Monster* is not based on a book title. While there is an Eyewitness book titled Mythology, it was first published in 1999 and only has a small amount of information about monsters.

## Episode

### Introductory sequence

The camera moves through a dark forest in the middle of a thunderstorm and arrives at a large wooden door lit with burning torches. The door creaks open and allows long-eared bats to fly out, before it opens completely to show a magnified head louse. The screen fades to white and the title sequence begins.

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Monster.

The episode opens by introducing monsters as any creature that frightens us, whether it is alive or imaginary. Some of the real-life creatures we might find alarming include the aye-aye, feared by its human neighbours in Madagascar.

Some monsters are rare or imaginary beasts, while ferocious animals make monsters of themselves on a daily basis such as lions, sharks, chameleons and the lion's mane jellyfish. Some frightening animals use poison in their defence, such as the pufferfish and poison-arrow frog, while other monsters are inconspicuous, such as dust mites.

Whether an animal seems a monster may be because of how large it looms in our own imagination, with spiders given as the main example. Here the first of the episode’s four heroes, a house spider, is introduced. Spiders come in many sizes, from tinier than the tip of a pencil to the dinner-plate-sized bird-eating spider.

Our reaction to spiders may be all in our heads. The frenzied tarantella dance was created to treat a tarantula bite, even though they cannot kill an adult human. Spiders have also served as inspiration for the Navajo Indians, renowned weavers themselves. We may not be born with a fear of spiders, but a fearful reaction may be triggered because of subconscious primal terror.

Around 14,000 BC, the first mythical monsters appeared in European cave paintings. Classical Greece created a menagerie of mythical monsters including Cerberus, the minotaur and Medusa, all designed to inform the listeners of the difference between good and evil.

The Mediterranean was home to another creature many see as a real-life monster, the scorpion. The house spider hero is chased into a crack in a wall by the imperial scorpion, the next hero. Most scorpions are harmless, but around fifty species can be dangerous. While a mother scorpion will care for her young she will, in true monster fashion, eat one or two if she is hungry.

The next section cuts back to mythical beasts, looking at the beings and demons of ancient China, including the hairy giant Pangu, the giant clam Shen and the inhabitants of strange lands. Some monsters may have had their roots in nature such as the roc, inspired by the vulture, or a more modern Hollywood example, King Kong.

Any animal may seem a monster, depending on your perspective. A housecat or a lizard would be a threat to a scorpion; the scorpion hero is chased down and eaten by the next hero, a bearded dragon. There are many frightening lizards – some, like the Komodo dragon and Gila monster, are genuinely dangerous while others like the frilled lizard are all bluff. Dinosaurs stalk some of our most entertaining nightmares, but their remains were once mistaken for those of dragons.

Belief in dragons persisted for centuries, probably from encounters with real reptiles. Included in this section are accounts of the Egyptian serpent-dragon Apep, and the cult of the dragon that sprang from the tale of Saint George and the Dragon. They were recorded in bestiaries, and churches were also related to gargoyles. Some dragons were benevolent, such as the Chinese dragons that controlled the weather. However, it is the bad guys that fascinate us most.

As if lizards weren't enough, snakes have slithered into many a phobia. They inspired worship, may have inspired the myth of dragons breathing fire and are highly dangerous, killing 30,000-40,000 people each year. The different ways snakes kill their prey, including by venom and constriction, are outlined.

Even reptiles have their enemies. The bearded dragon escapes into a crack in the wall from the fourth and final hero, a striped hyena. Hyenas are aggressive hunters that emerge at night, and are associated with witchcraft.

This segues into a sequence about our fear of the dark. Studies about children’s fear of the dark shows that girls are afraid of monsters under the bed while boys fear monsters at the window. This response is possibly because of evolutionary hangover. Primitive females roosting in trees feared what came from below while males on the ground feared sneak attacks. The vampire bat specialises in sneak attacks and shares its bloodthirsty habit with vampires such as Dracula and the Chinese vampire. Dracula may have been inspired by the real-life Romanian ruler Vlad the Impaler.

Something in us loves a monster, but we can be fooled. The best-known Loch Ness monster photo was a hoax – instead, there may be better evidence for real monsters in the ocean, where mysterious creatures such as jellyfish, anglerfish and whales occur and where the megamouth shark was recently discovered. There is a possibility that a living relic exists on dry land in the form of various ape-like creatures such as bigfoot and yeti, with believers liking to remind sceptics of the recent discovery of the mountain gorilla.

Of all the real-life monsters, the shark and grizzly bear are nowhere near dangerous enough, with the biggest killer being the mosquito. It is thought that our future enemies will also be tiny, such as new viruses and bacteria.

The striped hyena is shot by a hunter but manages to run away, representing the control of our real-life monsters. But our minds conjure up even more alarming monsters including the chupacabra and aliens. The episode closes by saying that real-life monsters will continue to exist as long as evolution continues to make animals that frighten us, but the birthplace of the ultimate monster is in the human mind.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Mexican redknee tarantula, *Brachypelma hamorii*
* Indian flying fox, *Pteropus medius*
* House spider, *Tegenaria domestica*
* American alligator, *Alligator mississippiensis*
* Postman butterfly caterpillar, *Heliconius sp*.
* Imperial scorpion, *Pandinus imperator*
* Milk snake, *Lampropeltis triangulum*
* Chilean rose tarantula, *Grammostola rosea*
* Cuban boa, *Chilabothrus angulifer*
* Domestic cat, *Felis catus*
* Central bearded dragon, *Pogona vitticeps*
* Two-spotted cricket, *Gryllus bimaculatus*
* Indian python, *Python molurus*
* European legless lizard, *Pseudopus apodus*
* Ribbon snake, *Thamnophis saurita*
* Striped hyena, *Hyaena hyaena*
* Common goldfish, *Carassius auratus*
* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*

### Stock footage

* Panther chameleon, *Furcifer pardalis*
* Brown long-eared bat, *Plecotus auritus*
* Longhorn beetle, *Cerambycidae sp*.
* Saltwater crocodile, *Crocodylus porosus*
* Emperor dragonfly, *Anax imperator*
* Peacock mantis shrimp, *Odontodactylus scyllarus*
* Caracal, *Caracal caracal*
* Leopard, *Panthera pardus*
* Army ant, *Eciton burchellii*
* Bark scorpion, *Centruroides sp*.
* Maggots, *Sarcophagidae sp*.
* Aye-aye, *Daubentonia madagascariensis*
* Common mealworm, *Tenebrio molitor*
* African giant millipede, *Archispirostreptus gigas*
* Lion, *Panthera leo*
* Plains zebra, *Equus quagga*
* Black-footed albatross, *Phoebastria nigripes*
* Tiger shark, *Galeocerdo cuvier*
* African fish eagle, *Haliaeetus vocifer*
* Lesser flamingo, *Phoeniconaias minor*
* Southern sea lion, *Otaria flavescens*
* Killer whale, *Orcinus orca*
* Parson’s chameleon, *Calumma parsonii*
* Lion’s mane jellyfish, *Cyanea capillata*
* Moon jellyfish, *Aurelia aurita*
* Red-backed poison frog, *Ranitomeya reticulata*
* Golden poison frog, *Phyllobates terribilis*
* Golden toad, *Incilius periglenes*
* Dust mite, *Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus*
* Common bedbug, *Cimex lectularius*
* Fishing spider, *Dolomedes sp*.
* Brazilian salmon pink tarantula, *Lasiodora parahybana*
* Goliath birdeater, *Theraphosa blondi*
* Cross spider, *Argiope sp*.
* Common yellow scorpion, *Buthus occitanus*
* Desert locust, *Schistocerca gregaria*
* Trinidad thick-tailed scorpion, *Tityus trinitatis*
* African fat-tailed scorpion, *Androctonus sp*.
* Imperial scorpion, *Pandinus imperator*
* Lappet-faced vulture, *Torgos tracheliotos*
* Mountain gorilla, *Gorilla beringei beringei*
* Madagascar giant day gecko, *Phelsuma grandis*
* Cuban brown anole, *Anolis sagrei*
* Shovel-snouted lizard, *Meroles anchietae*
* Marine iguana, *Amblyrhynchus cristatus*
* Komodo dragon, *Varanus komodoensis*
* Gila monster, *Heloderma suspectum*
* Desert woodrat, *Neotoma lepida*
* Thorny devil, *Moloch horridus*
* Frilled lizard, *Chlamydosaurus kingii*
* Wagler’s pit viper, *Tropidolaemus wagleri*
* European cat snake, *Telescopus fallax*
* Mudskipper, *Oxudercinae sp*.
* Asian water monitor lizard, *Varanus salvator*
* Nile crocodile, *Crocodylus niloticus*
* Indian cobra, *Naja naja*
* Peringuey’s adder, *Bitis peringueyi*
* Burmese python, *Python bivittatus*
* Gopher snake, *Pituophis catenifer*
* House mouse, *Mus musculus*
* Cottonmouth, *Agkistrodon piscivorus*
* Western diamondback rattlesnake, *Crotalus atrox*
* Saw-scaled viper, *Echis sp*.
* Domestic cattle, *Bos taurus*
* West African gaboon viper, *Bitis rhinoceros*
* Green tree python, *Morelia viridis*
* Coconut lorikeet, *Trichoglossus haematodus*
* Spotted hyena, *Crocuta crocuta*
* Black-backed jackal, *Lupulella mesomelas*
* African golden wolf, *Canis lupaster*
* Common vampire bat, *Desmodus rotundus*
* Domestic horse, *Equus ferus caballus*
* Sea nettle jellyfish, *Chrysaora achlyos*
* Frogfish, *Antennariidae sp*.
* Sand goby, *Pomatoschistus minutus*
* Humpback whale, *Megaptera novaeangliae*
* Megamouth shark, *Megachasma pelagios*
* Great white shark, *Carcharodon carcharias*
* Cape fur seal, *Arctocephalus pusillus*
* Grey reef shark, *Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos*
* Whitetip reef shark, *Triaenodon obesus*
* Bowmouth guitarfish, *Rhina ancylostoma*
* Bull shark, *Carcharhinus leucas*
* Brown bear, *Ursus arctos*
* Mosquito, *Anopheles sp*.
* Lesser chameleon, *Furcifer minor*
* North Pacific giant octopus, *Enteroctopus dofleini*
* Northern green jumping spider, *Mopsus mormon*

## Stock footage sources

Killers from Space (1954) – Lizard horror film sequence

Killing for a Living

* Dressing for Dinner (1993) – Frilled lizard
* Killers of the Dark (1993) – Multiple clips: Vampire bat feeding from horse, hyenas scent marking
* Sharks! Sharks! (1993) – Great white shark eating seal

Land of the Eagle: Living on the Edge (1991) – Gila monster

Lifesense: Human Life (1991) - Bedbug feeding, mosquito feeding

Nosferatu (1922) – Vampire attacking

The Great Rift: Footprints in the Valley (1989) – Lion hunting zebra

The Lost World (1925) – Black-and-white stop-motion dinosaurs

The Velvet Claw (1992) – Spotted hyena cubs fighting

The Werewolf (1956) – Werewolf transformation

Wildlife on One

* Scorpion (1979) - Multiple clips: Scorpion and nuclear test, eating young, imperial scorpion, eating locust and crawling
* Enter the Dragons (1991) – Komodo dragon attacking, ichthyosaur skeleton, saltwater crocodile leaping from water
* The Swarm (1993) – Multiple clips: Lion’s mane jellyfish, sea nettle jellyfish
* Gremlins of the Night (1994) – Aye-aye
* Rainbow Warriors (1995) – Feeding Parson’s chameleon

The Natural World

* Search for the Yeti (1988) - Hand-drawn yeti segment
* The Sisterhood (1990) - Hyena carrying wildebeest leg, hyenas scenting
* The Serpent’s Embrace (1990) – Multiple clips: Saw-scaled viper, green tree python
* New Guinea, An Island Apart – The Unknown Shore (1992) - Mantis shrimp

The Trials of Life: Hunting and Escaping (1990) - Killer whale catching sea lion

Life on Earth: Invasion of the Land (1979) - Golden poison frog and golden toad

## Credits

* Director - Karen Walsh
* Writer - Anne MacLeod
* Music - Guy Dagul
* Graphics Director - Jean Cramond
* Graphic Design - Elaine Stroud
* Camera - Douglas Hartington and Douglas Young
* Set Design and Visual Effects - Chris Reynolds and Andy David
* Research - Honor Peters and Molly Fry
* Production Co-ordinators - Jessica Powell and Bella Thoyts
* Production Team - Philip Whelman, Jackie Byrne and Sandra Brown
* Unit Manager - Teresa Watts
* 3-D Animation - Paul Kavanagh and Andy McNamara
* Off-line Editor - Frank Riches
* Online Editor - Andy Barker
* Dubbing Mixer - Craig Irving and Kian Wong
* With thanks to:
	+ Dover Pictorial Archive

## Making this programme

The making-of documentary shows how the costume design team were able to go to town to create the minotaur, Chinese vampire, alien and Vlad the Impaler, while also showing how Medusa was made by filming a model and the snakes separately before digitally combining them. The last part of this documentary shows how the preparations were made for bringing the hyena into the Eyewitness studio and how it was trained to investigate the crack in the wall.

It should be noted that, although the filming makes it appear that the imperial scorpion was eaten by a bearded dragon, the lizard actually ate a two-spotted cricket (a more typical and safer food for a bearded dragon).

A musical cue that plays during the scene in which the bearded dragon chases and eats the scorpion is a widely-used musical cue by Dick De Benedictis. Known as '*Manhattan Chase*', it has been used in numerous film and video-game titles including Jackie Chan's First Strike (1996), Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage (1999) and Spiderman The Movie Game (2002). Another arrangement of a Dick De Benedictis piece, named '*Predators*', plays when the hyena is chasing the bearded dragon.

## Home media releases

As well as being released onto VHS, Monster was one of eight videos released onto interactive DVD:

The programme on the DVD includes fifteen hotspots (represented by snarling werewolf clip)

1. Aye-aye (from Ape) - Linked to aye-aye
2. Mermaid and centaur (from Mammal) - Linked to Greek monsters
3. Vultures (from Survival) - Linked to Roc and vulture
4. Evolution by natural selection (from Prehistoric Life) - Linked to lizards
5. Komodo dragon and Tasmanian devil (from Island) - Linked to Komodo dragon
6. Tyrannosaurus and pterosaur (from Prehistoric Life) - Linked to dinosaurs
7. Crocodiles and wildebeest migration (from Prehistoric Life and Survival) - Linked to fascination with scary animals
8. Bats (from Mammal) - Linked to vampire bat
9. Tick (from Survival) - Linked to Vlad the Impaler
10. Coelacanth and mythical monsters (from Prehistoric Life) - Linked to Loch Ness monster
11. Humpback whale, including whale myths (from Mammal) - Linked to strange sea life, including whales
12. Mythical apes (from Ape) - Linked to cryptozoological apes
13. Gorillas (from Ape) - Linked to the mountain gorilla
14. Tiger sharks and blue shark (from Survival and Ocean) - Linked to danger from sharks
15. Grizzly bears and bear attacks (from Bear) - Linked to danger from grizzly bears

The interactive DVD also includes a ten-question quiz:

1. Which monster has a dangerous wizened finger? Correct answer: Aye-aye
2. Which monster kills its prey with its tentacles? Correct answer: Lion's mane jellyfish
3. Which mythological monster could turn you to stone? Correct answer: Medusa
4. Which monster carries its sting in the tip of its tail? Correct answer: Scorpion
5. Which monster is the length of a small car? Correct answer: Komodo dragon
6. Which monster did the Chinese believe controlled the weather? Correct answer: Dragons
7. Which monster kills up to 40,000 people each year? Correct answer: Snake
8. Which monster squeezes his prey to death? Correct answer: Green python
9. Which monster do witches ride? Correct answer: Hyenas
10. Which monster licks the blood of its victims? Correct answer: Vampire bat

Eyewitness Monster interactive DVD coverEyewitness Monster interactive DVD alternative cover

**Writing staff**: Anne MacLeod • Ben Southwell • Ben Steiner • Brian Meehl • David Hanson • David Stafford • David Helton • George Bloom • Lynette Singer • Mike Tomlinson • Paul Thomas • Stan Cullimore
**Directors**: Gavin Maxwell • Justine Kershaw • David Hutt • Andrew Jackson • Justin Hardy • Ludo Graham • Jerry Foulkes • Derek Hall • Sanjida O'Connell • Caius Julyan • Bonni Cohen • Leanne Pooley • Edwina Vardey • Alexandra Beazley • Sam Hodgkin • Karen Walsh • Jack Weber • Richard Simkin • Alex Hearle • Brian Cummins • Ben Southwell
**Composers**: Guy Michelmore (season one) • Guy Dagul (seasons two and three)

**Season One**: Cat • Fish • Horse • Dog • Jungle • Bird • Amphibian • Insect • Shark • Elephant • Reptile • Dinosaur • Skeleton
**Season Two**: Desert • Tree • Ape • Mammal • Butterfly and Moth • Volcano • Rock and Mineral • Seashore • Pond and River • Weather • Arctic and Antarctic • Prehistoric Life • Shell
**Season Three**: Flight • Bear • Sight • Island • Survival • Mountain • **Monster** • Human Machine - Plant • Ocean • Planets • Life • Natural Disasters