"How to Contract Lycanthropy" by Rev. Matt's Monster Science at the Shoreview Library

If you've never seen Rev. Matt's Monster Science at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, or the Twin Cities Horror Festival, or the Phoenix, or your local library, this is a brief PSA to tell you why you should. Rev. Matt (aka Matthew Kessen) performed last night at my local library to an enthusiastic crowd of nerds, and a good time was had by all.

Reverend Matt has a variety of talks that he gives on various topics about the supernatural (dinosaurs, vampires, sea monsters). He perfectly embodies that dryly funny TV narrator you might see on some cable channel, speaking very seriously about something very silly. Each talk is a well-researched and unique combination of mythology, pop culture, history, and science, complete with a slide show. Last night's talk was about Lycanthropy, aka the phenomenon of people turning into animals (commonly wolves) for some period of time, and then turning back to their human form. Rev. Matt shared the evolution of the myth from early tales across various cultures through modern movies and TV shows, and drew some interesting parallels between the stories a culture chooses to tell and the message they're trying to get across.

Rev. Matt is performing two shows at the upcoming Twin Cities Horror Festival, as well as appearances at the Phoenix Theater's Late Night Series. Visit his website for more information about these events, and to find out where else he might appear.