Cryptidcore

Cryptidcore is an aesthetic traditionally associated with Cryptozoology, or the study of creatures from urban legends and folklore, and the romanticization of the adventure and mystery surrounding conspiracy theories, ghost-hunting, cryptid-hunting, and the supernatural. Most fans of the aesthetic are a part of, or want to be a part of, a community that gets to solve something beyond themselves with their friends and witness something strange and fantastical. Alternatively, some people interested in the aesthetic empathize or even want to be a cryptid themselves.

Many parts of Cryptidcore have been inspired from media associated with cryptids and conspiracies, such as Gravity Falls, Twin Peaks, Welcome to Night Vale, Sightings, Unsolved Mysteries and The X-Files. Cryptidcore enthusiasts are often fans of these fictional works, and a love for cryptids and mysteries often comes from the love for the original works.

The visual aspects of Cryptidcore originate largely from the places these cryptids are allegedly located in (mostly the forests and deserts of the United States), as well as the kitschy tourist trap culture capitalizing on the people who have a fascination with these cryptids. Cryptidcore is also generally vintage, and takes visual inspiration, especially in regard to fashion, from the 1970s - 90s. This is largely due to the rise of tabloids and fiction revolving around these mysteries during that time.

History[]

In the early 1970s, after countless horror and sci-fi films and shows, a new breed of speculative horror was born. The TV show Kolchak: The Night Stalker centered on a reporter who researched aliens, vampires, and Bigfoot in night-shrouded forests, sewers, city, and suburban environments.

This went on to inspire the most famous occult-detective TV shows, namely David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and The X-Files (although neither had as much to do with cryptid mythology as The Night Stalker did). These continued on the aesthetic of After Hours-type environments added with the threat of supernatural horror.

During the early-to-mid-2010s, it was common for fandoms to create moodboards that encapsulate the aesthetic of the work or certain characters. Scooby-Doo (1969), Twin Peaks (1990), The X-Files (1993), Welcome to Night Vale (2012), Gravity Falls (2012), and Buzzfeed Unsolved (2016) are some fandoms that had a strong moodboard culture.^[1] These works of fiction are all in the same sort of genre of supernatural and cryptid-oriented mysteries. Many fans thus are a part of all of these fandoms and noticed the similarities in the aesthetic to tie these works together under the Cryptidcore umbrella.

The term "Cryptidcore" first emerged from tumblr user on-a-crescendo in 2014, where they give a list of visuals, such as "kitschy t shirts and keychains from souvenir shops depicting the local urban legends and monsters," "tin foil hats," and "muffled x files, gravity falls, and twilight zone theme songs playing in the distance."^[2] This post gained popularity, and the tag was born. As the text post was passed around and fans of different media made moodboards, the fans of Cryptidcore started to make aesthetic posts outside the context of fandom.

Many Cryptidcore elements also originated from the Regional Gothic trend on tumblr in 2015. Much of the trend was focused on elements of mystery, unreality, and the uncanny valley. Images such as deer in darkness, forests, diners, etc. in the Regional Gothic trend were popular, and have clear crossover with Cryptidcore.

Visual[]

Dark forests
Abandoned buildings
Polaroid cameras
Kitschy t-shirts
Key chains
Glow-in-the-dark iconography
Alien imagery
Supernatural-themed tourist traps
Ouija boards
Tin foil hats
Old alien or supernatural movies
VHS tapes
Pocket knives
Old newspapers of cryptid sightings
Cryptozoology field diaries

Fashion[]

Cryptidcore includes fashion that is casual, vintage, and retro style. Preferenced to practical and comfy outfits, typically with browns, beige and muted colours.

Some of the clothing would be things such as:

Big sweaters
Doc Martens/Combat boots
Graphic tees
Jean shorts
Cargo pants
Flannel shirts
Corduroy jackets
Plaid jackets
Trench coat
Hoodies
Iron on patches
Backpacks
Lanyards (especially with badges)
Converse (the more worn the better)
Earthy tones

Activities[]

Reading about conspiracy theories
Researching local mysteries
Long walks in the forest
Lying in wheat fields at night watching for aliens
Exploring haunted places
Writing short horror stories
Taking pictures with a Polaroid camera
Road trips
Camping
Ghost stories around the campfire
Watching vintage sci-fi /horror
Thrift store shopping
Searching garage sales for haunted items
Planning your wedding with Mothman
Taking walks in the woods (especially at night)
Being paranoid
Researching government cover-ups
Anything alien related
Watching documentaries
Exploring corn mazes
Setting up murder boards
Keeping notes of everything
Researching lost media
Staring longingly at aesthetically pleasing images of foggy woods
Hanging around diners (Specifically Denny's)
Browsing Tumblr, DeviantArt, Amino, Reddit, Disorder and other social media apps
Reading creepypastas and nosleeps
Searching for numbers stations on the radio
Making trips to local state/national parks and state/national forests

Cryptids[]

Grainy and greyscale picture of a shadow - which looks like a winged man - in the sky towards a tree. — Mothman?

A few of the most popular cryptids amongst the cryptidcore folk include:

Mothman
Slenderman
Goatman
The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui
Dover Demon
Jersey Devil
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Fresno Nightwalkers
The Owlman of Mawnan
The Loch Ness Monster (a.k.a. "Nessie")
Ogopogo
Flatwoods Monster
The Highgate Vampire
The Cactus Cat
The Honey island Swamp Monster
The Feu Follet
The Rougarou
Bigfoot (a.k.a the Sasquatch)
Bunyip
Kraken
Yeti
The Loveland Frog Man
Crungus
Passenger Pigeon
The Beast of Bodmin Moor
Santers
Chupacabra
Chessie

The cryptids in the world are innumerable and cannot be encapsulated within a single list. It is encouraged that you do research to find your local cryptids.

Media[]

Art[]

Trevor Henderson
Simon Stålenhag

Podcasts[]

Alice Isn't Dead
King Falls AM
Old Gods of Appalachia
The Adventure Zone: Amnesty
The Left Right Game
The Magnus Archives
Welcome to Night Vale
Camp Monsters
Alien Theorists Theorizing
Camp Here & There
Freaky Folklore
Supernatural with Ashley Flowers
Out There: A Cryptid Podcast
Unexplained
Haunted Objects
Martin Mystery
Last Podcast On the Left
Monsters Among Us

Television[]

Kolchak: The Night Stalker (an originator of the aesthetic)
Unsolved Mysteries
Stranger Things
Gravity Falls
The Secret Saturdays
The Twilight Zone
The Outer Limits
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
Supernatural
Invader Zim
Twin Peaks
Midnight, Texas
X-Files
Eerie, Indiana
Sightings
His Dark Materials
Beyond Reality
So Weird
Expedition X
In Search of...
Dark
Over The Garden Wall
Scooby Doo TV Shows
Wellington Paranormal
Inside Job
Psych: Season 7, Episode 3 (Bigfoot themed)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Hellier
Lockwood and Co.
Gargoyles
Odd Squad
Lost Tapes

Manga & Comics[]

Lalin's Curse
Higanbana no Saku no Yoru Ni

Video Games[]

Alan Wake
Bendy and the Ink Machine
Death Stranding
The Lurking Horror
Fran Bow
Little Misfortune
Little Nightmares
Sally Face
Night In The Woods
Poptropica: Cryptids Island
Kentucky Route Zero
Thimbleweed Park
The Sims 4: StrangerVille
Firewatch
Oxenfree
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Moonrise Fall

Film[]

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Scooby-Doo movies
Starman
Artemis Fowl
Casper
The Mothman Prophecies
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Ghostbusters
Shadows in the Desert: High Strangeness in the Borrego Triangle
Various horror movies

Literature[]

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
The Owlman and Others by Jonathan Downe
Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
The Spiderwick Chronicles series by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Claire
Cryptids and Other Creepy Creatures by John D. Wright
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
The Paladin Prophecy series by Mark Frost
Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Goosebumps by R.L Stine
Fear Street Series by R.L Stine
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Web Series[]

The Walten Files
Marble Hornets
Local58
Boisvert
Vita Carnis
hiimmarymary
Eventide Media Center
Omega Mart
Daisy Brown
Dog Nightmares
Monument Mythos
BuzzFeed Unsolved
Harmony & Horror
Gemini Home Entertainment
The SMILE Tapes
No Through Road
this place is not happy (Happy Meat Farms)
Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen
The Mandela Catalog
Greylock
White Stag Education
Stone Cold (the Medusa Virus)
Local 58
The Tangi Virus
Any Analog Horror works, including a few already mentioned (this place is not happy, The SMILE Tapes, Gemini Home Entertainment, Monument Mythos, Vita Carnis, The Walten Files, etc.)

Other[]

The SCP Foundation
Tales from the Gas Station
Works of H.P. Lovecraft
Alternate Reality Games
The Backrooms

Music[]

Cryptidcore music is either directly about cryptids, supernatural entities, or eerie feelings. Common genres include alternative, electropunk, indie, and rock.