Films: The Burrowers (2008)
Alias: None
Type: Unknown, possibly Ancient or Natural
Location: Underground/Forest
Height/Weight: That of large dogs.
Affiliation: Neutral
Summary: Back in the time of the untamed west, Indians were seen mostly as vile savages who caused everyone problems. The reality is that Manifest Destiny was in full throttle, and the white man was a dick. But did you know there were far worse things than racist dirtbags destroying tribes? Okay, there really wasn't, but in fictionland, there is always something worse...
History: Long ago, the Burrowers, a race of monstrous nocturnal beasts, fed primarily on bison to stay alive. Then the white settler kept killing the buffalo, and the Burrowers were forced to attack humans. The tribes, particularly the Ute, suffered for this. But it wasn't long until the settlers were faced with being attacked constantly by these tenacious terrors. Now the creatures threaten the lives of everyone in 19th century western America.
Notable Kills: First they paralyze you. Then they wait for you to rot a little. Then the feeding begins...
Final Fate: Alas, even when some people figure out the weakness of the Burrowers, their own venom and sunlight, those who know are all dead mostly due to fanatical racists still insistent on the culprits being Indians. Needless to say, the feast of the Burrowers persists due to human ignorance...
Powers/Abilities: Burrowers can see in the dark, and have toxins in their teeth that function as a sedative drug so that they may feed unimpeded. They are also surprisingly strong for their size.
Weakness: Anything conventional, though they can be dazed by their own toxin, and sunlight causes them to burn and melt away.
Scariness Factor: 4-They may not be very durable nor big, but damn, these things are hideous! Even the CGI beasts look menacing, with their grotesquely malformed heads and disturbingly humanoid bodies. Just where did these awful creatures come from in the first place?! Because if the answer isn't Hell, we don't know what is.
Trivia: -This film was based on a short film known as "Blood Red Earth". It was also done by this film's director, J.T. Petty.
-The idea of animals injecting others with toxin so that they're fully conscious as they are eaten can also be found...everywhere, honestly, when it comes to venomous predatory arthropods, particularly spiders. The only difference between a Burrower and a puny parasitic wasp is that the former doesn't go the extra mile and lay larva in the body for them to eat their way out...
