Of all of the cryptids in all of the world, the best of all is The Mothman and I refuse to bend on that. Mothman is both scary and sympathetic, majestic, and mysterious. There are connections to disasters and aliens, strange experiences, and bad omens. When people think of the Mothman, the only thing they think of is the Silver Bridge collapse in the ’60s but the history of the creature is so much more vibrant and extensive than anyone would have thought. THE MOTHMAN LEGACY is a documentary that explores the first-person accounts of encounters with the cryptid but AFTER the disaster at Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and who better to do it than Seth Breedlove and Small Town Monsters?

Seth Breedlove is a master of all things cryptid. He has created some of the best cryptid documentaries covering everything from the Bigfoot, Thunderbirds, the Flatwoods Monster, the Beast of Bray Road, and many more. His cryptid documentaries are always so well done with in depth information and interviews. THE MOTHMAN LEGACY is a direct sequel to The Mothman of Point Pleasant which was released in 2017 and focused more on the event that everyone connects to the Mothman. However, after the Silver Bridge collapse in 1967, sightings of the monster didn’t stop and had a resurgence in the early 2000s.

THE MOTHMAN LEGACY heavily focuses on the work of Jeff Wamsley, the man who owns the only existing Mothman museum and who has continued researching sightings of the cryptid after the death of John Keel. Keel was THE source for information regarding the sightings in the ’60s and wrote The Mothman Prophecies. He documented Woodrow Derenberger’s experiences with Indrid Cold and the possible connections to the Mothman. Wamsley has worked to document continued sightings of the Mothman through the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and especially after the release of the film.

This is an interesting fact that I learned from this film: the idea of the Mothman being a harbinger of doom was created for the movie as a dramatic element because of its proximity in time with the bridge collapse. After that, the element of doom pretty much stuck and became as much a part of the legend as anything else. As a fan of the creature, I never knew that and always associated the cryptid with coming disasters. There were even possible sightings in New York City in 2001. The documentary starts as a bit dry, but after about 15 minutes, it kicks in and becomes extremely engaging. I loved learning about more recent sightings, not just in Point Pleasant but the surrounding areas of the Appalachian Mountains. The film also digs into the area’s past between the indigenous people and the French. Over 30 tribes commuted through the area due to the French and Indian War but none of those tribes had a Thunderbird Legend, which is often connected to the Mothman. That was a very interesting fact.

If you are already familiar with the story of the massive, winged creature, then this is a great companion documentary to expand your knowledge with information you may not have known from the past and the present. Combine that with gorgeous visuals, pretty good recreations and in-depth interviews and you have an engaging and interesting documentary with a runtime of just under an hour and a half. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and that is appreciated.

THE MOTHMAN LEGACY is now available on all digital streaming platforms and I highly recommend this one for cryptid and documentary lovers alike.