THE HAIRY-HEADED BEAST CALLED MOMO.
IT WAS JUST STANDING THERE.
IT HAPPENED SO QUICK, IT FELT LIKE MY STOMACH DROPPED.
IT SCARED ME TO DEATH.
EVIDENCE OF THE BEAST RECOVERED.
THERE'S NOTHING THAT I KNOW OF
THAT WOULD LEAVE A PRINT THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT.
MONSTERS THAT STRIKE FROM THE SHADOWS.
I WOKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT,
AND I SAW A SHADOWY FIGURE...
AND I STARTED SCREAMING.
DAD!!
I WAS SCARED... INCONSOLABLY SCARED.
THE BIZARRE BAT MONSTER THAT TOOK ON AN ENTIRE TOWN.
THIS CREATURE TERRIFIED THIS TOWN.
THEY'RE AFRAID... "WHAT CAN IT DO TO OUR KIDS?
WE'RE STAYING INSIDE." IT CHANGED THIS TOWN FOREVER.
70 MILES NORTH OF ST. LOUIS,
THE SMALL TOWN OF LOUISIANA, MISSOURI,
SITS QUIETLY ALONG THE BANKS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
ANY TOWN OF ABOUT 4,000 PEOPLE IN MISSOURI
IS PRETTY QUIET.
IT'S JUST A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE.
LIKE THEY SAY, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
AND THERE'S NO PLACE QUITE LIKE LOUISIANA, MISSOURI.
NOT SINCE A MONSTER SHOWED UP AND TERRORIZED THE TOWN.
LOUISIANA IS A VERY SERENE TOWN,
AND THEN ONE DAY, THERE WAS MOMO.
THERE WAS A CREATURE, AND YEAH, THINGS CHANGED.
I CAN REMEMBER MY MOM TELLING ME ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE WITH MOMO.
MOMO IS SHORT FOR "MISSOURI MONSTER."
I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED A DIFFERENT NAME.
IT SOUNDS WAY TOO CUTE.
TO THOSE WHO ENCOUNTERED IT,
THERE WAS NOTHING CUTE ABOUT THE LONG-HAIRED BEAST.
TO ME, IT WAS A MONSTER.
IT WAS REAL SHAGGY.
IT LOOKED LIKE BIGFOOT, EXCEPT IT WAS HAIRIER.
IT WAS SO HAIRY,
THAT THERE WEREN'T ANY REPORTS OF ANYBODY SEEING ITS FACE.
THIS CREATURE EMITTED A HORRIBLE STENCH.
IT HAD BLOOD ON IT, IT WAS BIG AND HAIRY, AND IT STUNK.
IT SCARED US.
WE THOUGHT FOR SURE WHATEVER IT WAS, IT WAS GONNA GET US.
WHAT WOULD DRAW THE ATTENTION OF MONSTER HUNTERS NATIONWIDE
BEGAN WITH A SIGHTING IN 1972
BY A 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL, DORIS HARRISON.
I WAS BORN IN LOUISIANA, MISSOURI.
EVERYONE THAT LIVES HERE KNOWS ME AND MY FAMILY.
BEFORE I SAW THE CREATURE, EVERYTHING WAS FINE.
EVERYTHING.
SEEING THIS CREATURE CHANGED MY LIFE.
THE MORNING OF JULY 11, 1972,
STARTED OFF AS A TYPICAL SUMMER DAY FOR DORIS.
I WAS HOME WATCHING MY TWO BROTHERS.
MY YOUNGER BROTHERS WERE 8 AND 5.
THE TWO BOYS WERE PLAYING.
AT SOME POINT, THEY WENT FROM THE BACKYARD
INTO A STAND OF TREES.
I WAS CLEANING, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,
THEY JUST BURSTED THROUGH THE DOOR.
I SAID, "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU ALL?"
THEY WAS MUMBLING WORDS
AND STUMBLING ALL OVER THEIRSELF.
THEY SAID THEY'D SAW SOMETHING BIG.
I CAN'T SAY THAT I BELIEVED THEM AT THE TIME.
I'M SURE IT WAS JUST AN ANIMAL,
BUT YOU GUYS, PLAY INSIDE FOR A WHILE.
THERE'S A WINDOW, AND I LOOKED OVER.
IT WAS JUST STANDING THERE,
CARRYING SOMETHING UNDER ITS ARM.
AND THERE WAS SOME BLOOD.
IT FELT LIKE MY STOMACH DROPPED.
IT SCARED ME SO BAD. IT SCARED ME TO DEATH.
I DROPPED EVERYTHING, CALLED MY DAD AT WORK.
I WAS TELLING THEM, "DON'T GO OUTSIDE, WHATEVER D... I-I... "
I LOST MY WAY OF THINKING, EVEN.
I WAS AFRAID IT WAS GONNA COME AND GET US.
I WAS SCARED.
I PROMISE YOU, THERE IS A PERFECTLY GOOD EXPLANATION.
DORIS' BOYFRIEND, RICHARD, REMEMBERS THOSE FIRST FEW HOURS.
SHE STILL HAD A PRETTY RED FACE,
AND YOU COULD TELL SHE HAD BEEN CRYING
'CAUSE SHE WAS THAT SCARED.
THAT EVENING, RICHARD AND DORIS' FATHER
SEARCHED THE WOODS BEHIND THE HOUSE.
YOU COULD TELL THAT SOMETHING HAD BEEN STANDING
WHERE SHE SAID SHE HAD SEEN IT
BY THE MASHED DOWN GRASS AND WEEDS.
WHAT IS THIS?
THE QUESTION WAS, WHAT EXACTLY HAD THESE CHILDREN SEEN?
THE CREATURE WAS LARGE, ALMOST 8 FEET IN SOME REPORTS.
A BIG, GIANT HEAD THAT ALMOST LOOKED LIKE IT HAD NO NECK,
COVERED IN FUR HEAD TO TOE.
THERE WERE NO MOMO REPORTS OF IT ATTACKING PEOPLE,
BEING VIOLENT TOWARDS HUMANS IN ANY WAY.
HOWEVER, IT DID SEEM TO HAVE AN APPETITE FOR DOGS.
AFTER THE HARRISONS SIGHTED MOMO,
THERE WERE DOGS THAT ENDED UP MISSING.
THEY NEVER DID FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE DOGS.
THE HARRISON FAMILY TRIED TO CONTINUE WITH LIFE AS USUAL.
SOON AFTER THE ENCOUNTER,
DORIS' FATHER ASSEMBLED A PRAYER MEETING IN THE BACKYARD
TO HELP FAMILY AND FRIENDS COPE WITH THEIR FEARS
ABOUT A BEAST IN THE WOODS.
THE SPIRITUAL COMFORT DIDN'T LAST LONG.
WELL, WE WERE HAVING OUR PRAYER MEETING,
AND THERE WERE NUMEROUS PEOPLE THERE.
IT IS DARK, AND MY DAD WAS STANDING OUTSIDE
STRUMMING ON HIS OLD GUITAR,
EVEN THOUGH HE COULDN'T PLAY A LICK.
AND RICHARD WAS THERE.
AS THE LORD TELLS US IN JOB 5:23,
"AT DESTRUCTION AND FAMINE, YOU SHALL LAUGH."
"NEITHER SHALL YOU BE AFRAID OF THE BEASTS OF THE EARTH."
THE NEXT THING WE KNOW, IT HOLLERED.
IT WAS SO LOUD THAT CHILLS JUST WENT THROUGH YOUR WHOLE BODY.
IT WAS THE MOST BLOODCURDLING NOISE
I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE.
IT WAS UNREAL.
AND MY DAD AND THEM HOLLERED OUT,
"IT'S COMING! IT'S COMING OFF THE HILL!"
IT'S COMING OFF THE HILL!
COME HERE, BUDDY! COME WITH ME! COME HERE, BUDDY!
IT TOOK US ALL BY SURPRISE AND SHOCK,
AND THERE WERE LITTLE KIDS CRYING AND SCREAMING.
IT WAS NOT SOMETHING
YOU WOULD HAVE WANTED TO HAVE BEEN FACE-TO-FACE WITH.
IN THE BACK SEAT! GET IN THE BACK SEAT!
RICHARD TOOK THE KIDS, AND WE TOOK OFF.
DORIS AND HER FAMILY LEFT THEIR HOME BY THE HILL
AND WARNED OTHERS TO STAY AWAY.
MOMO WAS ON THE MOVE.
WHEN I WAS 7 YEARS OLD,
I LIVED ON A FARM WAY OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
WITH REPORTS OF THIS CREATURE IN MY BACKYARD, BASICALLY,
I WAS PRETTY SCARED TO GO OUTSIDE.
OUR GRADE SCHOOL IS A THREE-LEVEL BUILDING,
AND ON THE TOP FLOOR,
THE KIDS THAT WERE IN THE CLASSROOM AT THE TIME
LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND SAW MOMO.
TEACHERS SAW IT.
THERE WERE TWO DIFFERENT TEACHERS
IN THE CLASSROOM AT THE TIME THAT SAW IT.
BOTH THOSE TEACHERS AND THE CHILDREN IN THAT CLASSROOM
STILL SWEAR THAT WHAT THEY SAW WAS MOMO.
MOMO WAS ON A TEAR THROUGH TOWN, STIRRING UP TROUBLE AND FEAR.
MY GREAT UNCLE ELLIS,
WHEN HE TURNED THE LIGHT UP IN THE ROAD,
THERE IT WAS STANDING THERE LOOKING AT HIM.
HE THOUGHT ABOUT 6 FOOT, MAYBE 7-FOOT TALL.
SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME.
I MEAN, I'M ONLY 14 YEARS OLD, YOU KNOW.
IN 1972, IN THE SMALL TOWN OF LOUISIANA, MISSOURI,
A GIANT, HAIRY BEAST KNOWN AS MOMO SPREAD PANIC AND FEAR.
15-YEAR-OLD DORIS HARRISON WAS BABYSITTING HER BROTHERS
WHEN SHE MET THE MONSTER FACE-TO-FACE.
I'VE NEVER SEEN THE LORD, JESUS CHRIST...
BUT I HAVE SEEN MOMO.
DAYS LATER, 14-YEAR-OLD DAVE MINOR
WAS HEADING TO BED WHEN HE HEARD HIS UNCLE YELLING OUTSIDE.
HE LOOKED LIKE A GHOST.
HE HAD A T-SHIRT ON,
AND YOU COULDN'T REALLY TELL THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN HIS SKIN AND HIS T-SHIRT.
THEY WERE BOTH WHITE.
HE WAS REALLY SHOOK UP.
DAVE'S UNCLE ELLIS
HAD BEEN RESTING ON THE PORCH, HIS DOG NEARBY.
APPARENTLY, MOMO HAD HIS EYE ON DINNER.
THE DOG JUMPED OUT AND STARTED BARKING AND RAISING CAIN,
AND HE TURNED HIS FLASHLIGHT AROUND UP IN THE ROAD,
AND IT WAS STANDING THERE WATCHING HIM.
SAID, "I TURNED THE FLASHLIGHT AROUND ON HIM,
AND THERE HE WAS."
I THINK THE THING COULD ACTUALLY SMELL THE DOG.
HE LOOKED AT IT, AND THEN IT JUST TOOK OFF.
WITHIN DAYS, MOMO WAS FRONT-PAGE NEWS.
IT CREATED A FERVOR AROUND THE NATION,
AND PRESS CAME IN FROM ALL OVER JUST TO COVER THE MOMO STORY.
AND DORIS HARRISON WAS AT THE CENTER OF A MONSTER STORY
SHE WISHED HAD NEVER HAPPENED.
REPORTERS WERE BUGGING US TO DEATH.
LIVING IN THIS TOWN, IT WAS HARD.
WHEN MY MOM TALKS ABOUT MOMO, SHE'S ALWAYS SERIOUS ABOUT IT.
YOU CAN TELL IT STRIKES HER DEEP IN THE HEART.
WHILE SOME RIDICULED THE STORY,
MAYOR TOM WALLACE DECIDED TO RULE OUT
ANY POSSIBLE DANGER TO THE COMMUNITY.
EVERYBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT IT,
AND SOME OF THE MOTHERS WERE SAYING,
"WELL, I'M GONNA KEEP MY KIDS AT HOME."
WHEN THE FIRST STORY CAME OUT,
YOU KNOW, MOMO WAS TURNING OVER CARS,
HE WAS BREAKING TREES.
YOU KNOW, HE WAS THIS BIG-TOOTHED, MEAN CREATURE.
IT WAS SEVERAL MONTHS OF TRYING TO FIND MOMO.
WHERE WAS MOMO? WAS MOMO REAL?
THIS TOWN WAS UP IN ARMS. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT.
I MEAN, IT LOOKED LIKE THEY HAD A MILITIA.
EVERYBODY HAD GUNS, WAS WANTING TO GO UP AND HUNT MOMO.
MAYOR WALLACE LED THE EFFORT TO ROOT OUT MOMO.
HIS CHOICE FOR AN ARMY WAS SURPRISING.
I WAS AN ADVISOR FOR TROOP 155, A BOY SCOUT TROOP.
WE THOUGHT THAT IF WE TOOK A TROOP OF BOYS UP ON STAR HILL
AND SPENT THE WEEKEND,
WE COULD PUT EVERYBODY'S FEARS TO REST.
SCOUTS, YOU HAVE NOW BEEN DEPUTIZED.
I WAS 12 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF THE MOMO EPISODE.
CALVIN, YOU READY TO GET THIS THING?
YES, SIR.
IT WAS A LITTLE TENSE.
KIND OF LIKE AN ADVENTURE, YOU KNOW?
MIKE, IT'LL BE ALL RIGHT.
THERE WAS A MONSTER ROAMING AROUND ON STAR HILL.
LIGHTS ON.
THE 21 BOYS THAT I WENT UP ON STAR HILL WITH,
I THINK THEY WAS THE GUTTIEST 21 BOYS I'VE EVER KNOWN.
THEY SAID, "IF THERE IS ONE UP THERE, WE CAN FIND HIM."
IT WAS A BIG, HAIRY MONSTER, MEAN AND UGLY.
PEOPLE WERE TERRIFIED.
MAYOR WALLACE AND HIS BOY SCOUTS SET OUT,
NOT KNOWING WHAT THEY'D FIND.
WE SPLIT UP IN PAIRS IN CASE WE WOULD GET LOST.
THEY SCOURED EVERY ROCK AND EVERY TREE
AND EVERY BRUSH PILE UP ON STAR HILL,
AND WE DID HAVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT GO UP THERE
AND CHECK TO SEE IF THEY FOUND ANY TRACKS OR ANYTHING,
AND THEY ALL WALKED STAR HILL AND FOUND NOTHING.
JUST WHEN IT SEEMED THE MONSTER HAD DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE,
ONE FAMILY FOUND A WAY TO PRESERVE A BIT OF PROOF.
THE ONLY PIECE OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
THAT I KNOW EXISTS FROM THAT TIME IS THIS FOOTPRINT.
THERE'S NOTHING THAT I KNOW OF
THAT WOULD LEAVE A PRINT THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT.
IN THE FALL OF 1972,
RESIDENTS OF THE SMALL MISSOURI TOWN OF LOUISIANA
REPORTED SEEING A HUGE, SHAGGY, UNIDENTIFIABLE BEAST.
IT CAME TO BE KNOWN AS MOMO.
AFTER MONTHS OF TERRIFYING ENCOUNTERS,
THE MONSTER DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW.
JUST WHEN THE COMMUNITY WAS LEFT WONDERING
IF WHAT THEY'D FEARED WAS EVER REALLY THERE,
SOMEONE FOUND A CLUE.
MY FATHER RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM ONE OF HIS FRIENDS
SAYING THAT, "I FOUND PRINTS IN MY GARDEN,
AND I BELIEVE THEY'RE PRINTS OF MOMO."
AND SO, MY DAD AND HIS BROTHER,
THEY TOOK A PLASTER CAST OF ONE OF THE PRINTS.
THE ONLY PIECE OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
THAT I KNOW EXISTS FROM THAT TIME IS THIS FOOTPRINT.
THE TOES ARE ODD.
IT HAS A VERY DEEP HEEL, SO WHATEVER IT WAS WAS HEAVY.
BOTH SCIENTISTS AND EXPERT TRACKERS
HAVE EXAMINED THE PRINT AND DECLARED IT STRANGE.
NO KNOWN MAMMAL RUNS ON THREE TOES,
NOR SINKS ITS HEEL SO DEEP.
WITH NO SIMILARITY TO ANY OTHER CREATURE,
IT'S THOUGHT TO BE EITHER FABRICATED,
OR A SIGN OF SOMETHING TRULY AMAZING.
IT COULD BE SOME CREATURE
THAT SCIENCE JUST HASN'T DISCOVERED YET.
NO FURTHER TRACE OF MOMO HAS EVER BEEN FOUND.
YET, FOR THOSE WHO ENCOUNTERED IT,
THEY'RE CERTAIN THEY SAW A FLESH-AND-BLOOD MONSTER.
WE HAVE MILES UPON MILES
OF ENDLESS WOODS AND DEEP, DEEP HOLLERS.
HE COULD BE JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE
IN THESE THICK WOODS WE HAVE AROUND HERE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN TOWN
WHO, 100%, BELIEVE THAT MOMO EXISTS.
I'VE NEVER DOUBTED WHAT I SAW. NEVER. NEVER WILL.
300 MILES WEST OF MOMO'S STOMPING GROUNDS
IS THE SMALL TOWN AND FARMING COMMUNITY
OF MARYVILLE, MISSOURI.
HERE, AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MONSTER
LURKS WITHIN THE DARKNESS,
ONE THAT STRIKES OUT FROM THE SHADOWS.
MARYVILLE SEEMS TO HARBOR A MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENON.
STRANGE ENTITIES THAT DARKEN ANY CREVICE OR CORNER.
SHADOW PEOPLE.
GENERALLY, PEOPLE SEE SHADOW PEOPLE, TO BEGIN WITH,
OUT OF THE CORNER OF THEIR EYE. JUST A FLEETING SHADOW,
WHEN THEY TURN THEIR HEAD, IT'S GONE.
THEY'RE USUALLY TALLER THAN A NORMAL HUMAN,
BUT THEY'RE HUMAN-SHAPED, TWO-DIMENSIONAL.
USUALLY, PEOPLE DO NOT SEE A SHADOW PERSON'S FACE.
WHEN YOU'RE IN A PITCH BLACK ROOM,
AND YOU SEE SOMETHING DARKER THAN THAT,
YOU START ASKING QUESTIONS.
FEAR DOESN'T QUITE COVER IT.
IF YOU'VE EVER HAD SOMETHING HAPPEN
WHERE YOU WERE SHOCKED SUDDENLY, AND YOU FEEL YOUR BODY CHILL.
YOU FEEL THE BLOOD DRAIN FROM YOUR FACE,
AND YOUR HEART'S RACING.
THAT'S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE WHEN ONE OF THESE SHADOW PEOPLE
POPS IN ON YOU UNEXPECTEDLY,
AND IT SCARES THE NONSENSE OUT OF YOU.
THE SHADOWS WE KNOW ARE CAST BY LIGHT,
BUT SHADOW PEOPLE ARE CREATURES OF THE DARK,
ON THE PROWL FOR VICTIMS,
AND ONE HAS PLAGUED CODY LILLY SINCE HE WAS YOUNG.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, I WOKE UP, JUST FREEZING.
JUST HAD THIS REALLY TIGHT FEELING IN MY CHEST.
STANDING IN THE FAR CORNER OF THE ROOM,
THERE IT WAS, STARING AT ME.
IT HAD FAINTLY GLOWING RED EYES,
AND IT WAS DARKER THAN THE DARKNESS AROUND IT.
I SAT THERE, JUST SCARED,
STARING AT THIS THING PRETTY MUCH ALL NIGHT.
THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL, I SAW IT REGULARLY.
ALWAYS IN THE SAME AREA, ALWAYS LOOKED THE SAME.
THE WIDE, FLAT-BRIMMED HAT, THE RED EYES.
HE SAW THE SHADOW MAN SO OFTEN, HE NAMED IT "THE COWBOY."
THERE'S A TYPE OF SHADOW PERSON CALLED THE HAT MAN,
WHO IS WEARING A FEDORA, OF ALL THINGS.
I'VE TALKED TO MANY PEOPLE WHO'VE ENCOUNTERED THAT
OVER AND OVER AND OVER,
AND IT'S GOT TO BE THE SAME THING.
BY THE LATE 1990s,
THE INTERNET WAS AWASH WITH REPORTS OF SHADOW PEOPLE.
MESSAGE BOARDS FILLED WITH HUNDREDS OF WITNESSES
AND DOZENS OF VARIATIONS.
IN CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD,
SCARY, SHADOWY BEINGS ARE A STAPLE.
THE ANCIENT HEBREWS BELIEVED IN DEATH SHADOWS
THAT STALKED THE UNDERWORLD.
IN ISLAM, THE SUPERNATURAL DJINN
CAN BE A COMPANION OR A KILLER IN THE SHADOWS.
THE OBJECT OF CODY LILLY'S FEAR
FITS ONE OF THE PREVAILING PATTERNS...
TALL, DARK FIGURE, WIDE-BRIMMED HAT,
PURSUING ITS VICTIM RELENTLESSLY.
AFTER I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, I MOVED OUT, WENT TO COLLEGE.
IT WAS A HUGE SPAN OF TIME WHERE IT JUST WASN'T THERE,
BUT IN THE BACK OF MY MIND,
I WAS ALWAYS WAITING FOR IT TO SHOW UP AGAIN.
JUST WHEN HE THOUGHT
THE DARK SHADOWS OF HIS PAST WERE BEHIND, THEY STRUCK AGAIN.
I WAS DRIVING AROUND IN MY CAR.
I HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE.
STEAM STARTED SPEWING OUT.
SO, I PULLED OVER INTO THE APARTMENT PARKING LOT
THAT I WAS LIVING AT AT THE TIME.
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON.
SO, I'M ON THE PHONE,
SITTING IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT, BROAD DAYLIGHT.
THEN I SEE SOMETHING MOVE OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE,
AND THERE'S MY COWBOY.
HE BENDS DOWN TO LOOK AT ME...
AND KNOCKS ON THE WINDOW.
I WAS COMPLETELY TERRIFIED.
I WAS SHAKING,
AND THEN IT JUST DISSOLVED LIKE A FILM REEL WAS BLOWING APART.
IT WAS INSANE.
I THINK IT CAME BACK SAYING, "HEY, I HAVEN'T LEFT YOU.
I'M STILL AROUND. I'M STILL WATCHING."
IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE THAT DAY IN THE PARKING LOT.
CODY LIVES WITH HIS WIFE
IN THEIR HOME OUTSIDE OF KANSAS CITY.
HE STILL DREADS THE SHADOW'S NEXT VISIT.
EVERY NIGHT WHEN I GO TO BED, I STILL LOOK AT THE SHADOWS,
JUST WAITING FOR IT TO POP OUT.
JUST A FEW MILES ACROSS TOWN FROM CODY,
ANOTHER MARYVILLE FAMILY WAS ALSO WAGING A BATTLE
AGAINST THESE SHADOW FORCES.
BRANDON WHITE, HIS WIFE, AND TWO SONS
LIVED A HAPPY LIFE TOGETHER.
WHEN TRAVIS WAS 9 YEARS OLD...
DAD, WHERE ARE MY VIDEO GAMES?
...THE FAMILY MOVED TO AN OLD, VICTORIAN HOUSE
JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN.
WE LIVED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
YOU COULD SEE THE STARS,
IT WAS THAT FAR AWAY FROM THE GLOW OF SOCIETY.
DAD, I'M GONNA GO SEE MY NEW ROOM.
TRAVIS WAS THE OLDEST SON...
A CHEERFUL, SPIRITED CHILD THAT LOVED TO READ.
HE WAS A REALLY GOOD KID. PEOPLE LOVED HIM.
HE WAS OUTGOING, FUNNY, INTELLIGENT,
AND JUST SMART AS A WHIP.
INSIDE THIS BIG HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE,
THE SHADOWS WERE GATHERING.
WE ACTUALLY WERE SEEING STRANGE GOINGS-ON AROUND THE HOUSE.
JUST THINGS THAT WE COULDN'T EXPLAIN,
YOU KNOW, JUST BY SAYING, "IT'S AN OLD HOUSE."
IT'S LIKE THE FEELING OF THERE'S SOMETHING WATCHING YOU,
OR THERE'S SOMETHING OUT OF PLACE.
I WOKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT,
HAD A STRANGE FEELING,
AND I LOOKED AT THE FOOT OF MY BED,
AND I SAW A FIGURE... A VERY SHADOWY FIGURE.
DAD!!
IT FELT VERY REAL.
DAD!!
I WAS JUST SCARED.
DAD!!
IN MARYVILLE, MISSOURI, THERE ARE RUMORS ABOUT SHADOW PEOPLE.
ONE NIGHT, 9-YEAR-OLD TRAVIS WHITE
WOKE UP TO THIS SINISTER WORLD OF SHADOWS.
I WAS SCARED. I WAS INCONSOLABLY SCARED.
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON,
AND I COULDN'T EVEN RATIONALIZE IT.
THE SHADOW PEOPLE EXPERIENCE
IS AS REAL AS YOU'RE SITTING IN A ROOM TALKING TO SOMEONE
OR LOOMING OVER THE BED OR LEANING THROUGH DOORWAYS.
THEY HAVE BLOODRED, BLAZING EYES,
AND THEY SEEM TO ELICIT AN UNNATURAL FEAR IN PEOPLE.
DAD!!
DAD? I SAW THE SHADOW AGAIN.
MY DAD TOLD ME IT WAS PROBABLY A BAD DREAM.
HE DID THE WHOLE FATHER,
"MAKE SURE THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE CLOSET OR UNDER THE BED,"
AND TOLD ME TO GO BACK TO SLEEP.
TRAVIS' FATHER THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A BAD DREAM
UNTIL HIS OWN HORROR STORY BEGAN.
I STARTED SEEING FULL-FIGURE SHADOW PEOPLE
WALKING AROUND THE HOUSE,
AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.
I THOUGHT MAYBE I WAS SEEING THINGS
'CAUSE I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN THAT.
AS THE YEARS WENT BY, BRANDON DIDN'T WANT TO ALARM HIS SON.
LITTLE DID HE KNOW,
TRAVIS WAS ONLY BARELY HOLDING THE SHADOWS AT BAY.
EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE GOING WELL.
I WAS CONSIDERING GOING TO A SEMINARY.
I HAD A GIRLFRIEND.
I HAD A LOT OF THINGS THAT I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO.
Here. Here I am.
No.
Here I am.
IN THE BACK OF MY MIND, I KEPT THINKING,
"IT'S GONNA SHOW UP AGAIN."
EVENTUALLY, THE SHADOW MONSTER STEPPED INTO THE LIGHT.
WHEN I WAS 17 YEARS OLD,
I WOULD WAKE UP, AND THIS FACE WOULD KIND OF BE THERE.
AND THAT STARTED HAPPENING MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY
TO THE POINT WHERE IT WAS ALMOST NIGHTLY.
THE SHADOW HAD TAKEN A STEP CLOSER,
REVEALING ITS AWFUL FACE.
IT'S WHEN PEOPLE CAN SEE THEM STRAIGHT ON
WHEN IT GETS REALLY SCARY.
WHAT I SAW HAD A DARK, BLOODRED-COLORED FACE,
VERY SCARRED.
IT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN BURNT.
ITS EYES WERE BLACK.
ITS NOSE WAS VERY OBVIOUSLY BROKEN.
IT WAS BENT OUT OF SHAPE.
THE FACE WAS VERY DISFIGURED.
AND THEN THERE WAS THE VOICE.
TRAVIS.
IT WAS TELLING ME TO DO THINGS.
THE FACE TOLD ME TO CUT PEOPLE OUT OF MY LIFE.
TOLD ME TO IGNORE MY FAMILY,
TO IGNORE MY GIRLFRIEND, TO IGNORE MY BEST FRIENDS,
AND WHEN THAT DIDN'T WORK,
THE FACE STARTED TELLING ME TO HURT THEM.
YOUR FATHER.
TRAVIS WAS LOSING CONTROL, THE SHADOW TAKING OVER.
I DEFINITELY FELT FEAR
FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE I CARED ABOUT.
FINALLY, ONE NIGHT, TRAVIS KNEW HE WAS AT THE CROSSROADS.
IT WAS FRIGHTENING WATCHING THIS PERSON
THAT YOU HAD KNOWN HIS WHOLE LIFE
TURN INTO SOMEBODY COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
IT'S SCARY.
I SAW THE SHADOW AGAIN...
IT TOLD ME TO KILL YOU.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU COULD JUST SEE HIS EYES FIXATE.
I COULD LITERALLY SEE THE BLOOD RUSH FROM HIS FACE.
HE BECAME PALE, AND HE STARTED SHAKING.
OFF IN THE DISTANCE, I SEE THIS SHADOWY FIGURE.
AND I COULD ACTUALLY SEE TWO DARK FIGURES STANDING THERE.
ONE OF THEM WAS JUST THE FAINTEST ORANGE GLOW
WHERE HIS FACE SHOULD BE.
THAT REALLY FREAKED ME OUT.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE PART IN THE HORROR MOVIES
WHERE YOU DO SOMETHING STUPID AND GET YOURSELF KILLED.
I SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS,
BUT I TURNED AROUND, AND I WAS JUST ANGRY.
YOU'RE NOT WELCOME HERE!
YOU KNOW, THIS IS MY SON. GO AWAY!
BRANDON UNLEASHED ALL HIS FURY
AT THE DARK MONSTER THAT HAD TORMENTED HIS SON.
AND I TOLD THEM TO GO AWAY, AND THEY DID.
AND IN THAT MOMENT, THE SHADOWS BLASTED THROUGH THE TREES.
PART OF ME IS AFRAID
OF THE FACE COMING BACK WITH THAT KIND OF STRENGTH,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
I FEEL LIKE, IF I BEAT IT ONCE, I CAN BEAT IT AGAIN.
I DON'T THINK THAT YOU CAN EVER GET RID OF THESE THINGS.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE STILL OUT THERE,
AND THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT, YOU KNOW,
IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL, AT ANY TIME,
YOU COULD OPEN YOURSELF UP TO THEM.
FAR FROM THE DARK SHADOWS OF MARYVILLE,
ACROSS STATE LINES INTO IOWA, SITS A SMALL PRAIRIE TOWN
WITH A SUPERNATURAL HISTORY ALL ITS OWN.
WHEN YOU THINK OF RURAL IOWA, YOU PROBABLY PICTURE VAN METER.
A COUPLE MAIN STREETS,
LESS THAN A THOUSAND PEOPLE WANDERING AROUND.
THE VAN METER DOWNTOWN AREA IS STILL, ESSENTIALLY,
ONE BLOCK BY ONE BLOCK,
AND NOT A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE 1903.
1903.
THAT WAS A TURNING POINT FOR VAN METER
WHEN THE VISITOR CAME TO TOWN.
VAN METER WAS IN A FRENZY.
PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS MONSTER.
NOT ONLY TALKING, PEOPLE WERE SHOOTING AT IT.
IT MUST HAVE SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF THE WILD WEST.
A TIME SO FRENZIED,
RESIDENTS BANDED TOGETHER FOR THEIR VERY SURVIVAL.
THE TROUBLE BEGAN
AT A COAL-MINING OPERATION ON THE EDGE OF TOWN.
THERE WERE A LOT OF REPORTS OF THE OLD MINE BEING HAUNTED
BY SOUNDS, BY MYSTERIOUS NOISES.
THE OLD GENERATION AHEAD OF ME
WAS AFRAID FOR THEIR KIDS TO GO UP THERE.
THERE WAS A BIG SHAFT,
AND WE WERE TOLD NOT TO GO OVER THERE BECAUSE OF THE MONSTER.
ONCE, FROM DEEP INSIDE THIS GROUND,
A BIZARRE BAT CREATURE EMERGED... FANTASTICALLY HUGE.
SOME OF THE MOST RECOGNIZED AND MOST RESPECTED BUSINESSMEN
WERE THE ONES WHO WITNESSED
THIS GIANT, 8-FOOT BAT-LIKE CREATURE
THAT WAS TERRORIZING THE TOWN FOR AT LEAST FIVE NIGHTS.
YOU HAD A DOCTOR, A SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT,
A HARDWARE STORE OWNER, AN IMPLEMENT DEALER,
ONE THAT WORKED AT THE BANK.
THESE WERE MACHO MEN AT THE TIME, CARRIED WEAPONS,
THEY PRIDED THEMSELVES ON THEIR BRAVERY AND CONFIDENCE.
BUT THEY WERE HELPLESS AGAINST IT.
IT SEEMED TO BE IMPERVIOUS TO THEIR WEAPONS.
THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING
TO FIGHT OFF THIS MYSTERIOUS MONSTER.
THIS CREATURE TERRIFIED THIS TOWN.
I MEAN, THEY ALMOST LOST ALL CONTROL
BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID OF THIS MONSTER.
THEY'RE AFRAID... "WHAT CAN IT DO TO OUR KIDS?"
IT CHANGED THIS TOWN FOREVER.
BURIED IN THE HISTORICAL RECORD FOR THE FALL OF 1903
IN VAN METER, IOWA, IS ONE EXTRAORDINARY WEEK
WHEN A GIANT-WINGED CREATURE
CREPT OUT OF A COAL MINE AND TERRORIZED THE TOWN.
THE CREATURE WAS SAID TO BE HALF-HUMAN, HALF-BAT.
IT STOOD OVER 8-FEET TALL
AND HAD THESE GIANT, FEATHERLESS WINGS LIKE A BIRD.
IT ALL BEGAN HERE,
WHERE THE TOWN'S BRICK AND TILE FACTORY STILL SITS,
ABANDONED AND CRUMBLING.
IT IS AN EERIE PLACE.
JUST BEING OUT THERE, YOU CAN GET A SENSE
OF WHAT THESE PEOPLE WENT THROUGH IN 1903,
AND IT'S NOT HARD TO IMAGINE, AT ALL,
A GIANT, BAT-LIKE CREATURE FLYING OUT THERE TODAY.
AUTHOR CHAD LEWIS CAME TO VAN METER
TO UNCOVER THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE LEGEND.
I THOUGHT, "WELL, THIS IS GOING TO BE A FUN CASE,
BUT IT'S GOING TO BE VERY SHORT
BECAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A HOAX."
BUT AS WE STARTED DIGGING,
WE FOUND THERE WAS A LOT MORE TO IT.
AS LEWIS WOULD DISCOVER,
THE ARRIVAL OF THE VISITOR BEGAN SUDDENLY,
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1903.
APPROXIMATELY 1:00 A.M.,
LOCAL BUSINESSMAN U.G. GRIFFITH WAS COMING BACK TO VAN METER
AFTER A DAY OF TRAVEL.
AND HE NOTICED A MYSTERIOUS LIGHT
HOVERING OVER THE BUILDING.
HE THOUGHT IT WAS A ROBBER.
THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY SAW THIS MONSTER,
THEY CLAIMED THAT HE COULD JUMP
FROM THIS BUILDING TO THAT BUILDING.
IT DISAPPEARED, ONLY TO REAPPEAR ACROSS THE STREET,
AND U.G. GRIFFITH WAS AMAZED BY THIS,
HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON.
PEOPLE THOUGHT THE LIGHT
WAS NOTHING MORE THAN ROBBERS WITH LANTERNS
TRYING TO SCOPE OUT THE BANK.
BUT THEY SOON FOUND OUT IT WASN'T.
THE FOLLOWING NIGHT, FEARING THE BANK WAS IN DANGER,
PETER DUNN, THE BANK MANAGER,
ARRIVED TO PROTECT THE TOWN'S FUNDS.
ABOUT 1:00 A.M., HE HEARD THE SOUND OF SOMEONE STRANGLING.
AT THAT MOMENT, A BRIGHT LIGHT STARTED SHINING INTO HIS ROOM.
MR. DUNN GRABBED HIS SHOTGUN LOADED WITH BUCKSHOT...
...AND BLASTED AT THIS CREATURE, SHOOTING OUT THE BANK WINDOW.
IN ORDER FOR MR. DUNN, A WELL-RESPECTED BUSINESSMAN,
TO BLOW OUT THE FRONT WINDOW OF THE BANK,
SOMETHING MUST HAVE TERRIFIED HIM.
PETER DUNN WAS THE BOSS. HE RUN THE TOWN, PETE DUNN DID.
WHATEVER HE SAID, THAT WAS IT,
SO IF HE BELIEVED IN THE MONSTER, EVERYBODY DID.
IN 1903, WHEN PRAIRIE TOWNS LIKE VAN METER
HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH ELECTRIC STREET LIGHTS...
THIS NIGHT TIME ILLUMINATION MUST HAVE SEEMED REMARKABLE.
NEXT NIGHT, DR. ALCOTT,
WHO WAS SLEEPING ABOVE HIS OFFICE IN THE BUILDING,
HE WAS AWOKEN AT APPROXIMATELY 1:00 A.M.,
AS WELL, WITH A BRIGHT LIGHT,
AND THIS WAS SO BRIGHT, IT NEARLY BLINDED HIM.
SO, HE GRABBED HIS GUN AND BRAVELY RAN OUTSIDE
TO CONFRONT WHAT HE MUST HAVE THOUGHT WERE ROBBERS, AS WELL.
THAT'S WHEN HE CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH THIS GIANT, WHAT HE CALLED
HALF-HUMAN, HALF-BAT-LIKE CREATURE
WITH FEATHERLESS WINGS LIKE A BAT
WITH A BLUNT HORN ON ITS FOREHEAD
AND A LIGHT THAT WOULD EMANATE FROM THE HORN.
DR. ALCOTT SHOT FIVE OF HIS SIX ROUNDS
AT THIS CREATURE,
AND EITHER HE MISSED ALL FIVE ROUNDS,
OR THEY HAD NO EFFECT ON THE BEAST,
AND DR. ALCOTT RETREATED.
YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE TERROR GOING THROUGH HIS MIND.
IN 1903, THE SMALL, MIDWESTERN COMMUNITY OF VAN METER, IOWA,
AWOKE TO FIND THEMSELVES CONFRONTED
WITH A GIGANTIC, BAT-LIKE CREATURE.
THERE'S BEEN REPORTS OF THESE TYPES OF CREATURES
ALL OVER THE PLACE,
FROM AS EARLY AS WE CAN GO BACK TO, UP 'TIL NOW.
THERE'S MOTHMAN, JERSEY DEVIL, ON AND ON.
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY CULTURE AND EVERY PART OF THE COUNTRY
HAS THIS ANIMAL THAT'S VERY SIMILAR TO THIS.
BY ALL ACCOUNTS, IT WAS A PREHISTORIC MONSTER,
A TERRIFYING CREATURE
THAT NOBODY HAD SEEN THE LIKES OF BEFORE.
THE NEIGHBORS, THE SMALL BUSINESSMEN,
THEY WERE ALL TALKING ABOUT IT, AND FEAR WAS BUILDING.
THE SIEGE HAD ALREADY GRIPPED THE TOWN FOR THREE DAYS RUNNING.
THEY WERE TERRIFIED.
THEY WERE LOCKING DOORS, THEY WERE PULLING THEIR SHUTTERS.
PEOPLE WERE MORE CAREFUL OF THEIR CHILDREN,
MAKING SURE THEY WERE IN.
JUST A FEELING OF FEAR.
THE NEXT EVENING, LOCAL BUSINESSMAN O.V. WHITE,
WHO RAN THE HARDWARE STORE, WAS AWOKEN AT 1:00 A.M.
BY THE SOUND OF SCREECHING AND GRINDING.
HE WALKED OVER TO THE WINDOW TO TAKE A LOOK.
HE SAW THIS GIANT VISITOR BAT CREATURE.
O.V. WHITE WAS KNOWN AS A GREAT SHOT.
HE TOOK DELIBERATE AIM...
SHOT THIS GIANT VISITOR BAT CREATURE...
AND ALL IT DID WAS ANGER IT.
THE CREATURE TURNED ITS LIGHT RIGHT ON MR. WHITE
WHILE RELEASING SOME TYPE OF ODOR.
MR. WHITE SAID WHEN HE WAS HIT BY IT,
IT ERASED HIS MEMORY,
AND HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED
AFTER HE WAS HIT BY THAT MYSTERIOUS ODOR.
ON THE FOURTH DAY,
THE TERROR MOVED TO THE TILE AND BRICK FACTORY.
WORKERS ON THE NIGHT SHIFT WERE STRUCK DUMB
BY THE SOUNDS OF HORRENDOUS SHRIEKING.
THESE WERE HARD CORE WORKERS,
MANLY MEN WHO YOU WOULDN'T THINK WOULD GET SPOOKED BY ANYTHING.
YET, THEY WERE TOO AFRAID TO GO INVESTIGATE THIS MINE.
PETRIFIED WITH FEAR, YET MUSTERING ALL THEIR COURAGE,
THE TOWN BANDED TOGETHER WITH ALL AVAILABLE GUNS AND AMMO.
THEY BELIEVED THE COAL MINE HAD RELEASED THE CREATURE,
SO THAT'S WHERE THEY HEADED.
A FINAL FACE-OFF WITH THE MONSTER.
AND AT THIS POINT, THE PEOPLE OF VAN METER HAD HAD ENOUGH.
AND THEY GATHERED ALL THE DYNAMITE,
BLEW UP THE MOUTH OF THIS CAVE, BLOCKING THE ENTRANCE,
AND NEVER SEEN OR HEARD FROM IT AGAIN.
FINALLY, THE BEAST THAT HAD VISITED THE TOWN
AND SPREAD SO MUCH FEAR WAS BANISHED,
ITS REIGN OF TERROR ENDED.
THE OLD MINE NEVER REOPENED.
THE AREA TODAY, WHERE THE MINE SITS,
IS COVERED OVER WITH GRASS.
WALKING ON THOSE GROUNDS,
YOU'RE JUST IMAGINING WHAT IS BELOW YOU.
ARE THESE DEEP CAVERNS
FULL OF THESE CREATURES STILL ALIVE TODAY,
OR ARE THEY JUST MERELY CLOSED OFF
AND A COUPLE BODIES STILL UNDERNEATH?
CURRENT VAN METER LIBRARIAN JOLENA WELKER HAS HEARD
ALL THE OLD STORIES ABOUT THE TOWN'S INFAMOUS VISITOR.
SHE NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D HAVE A VISIT OF HER OWN.
I'VE LIVED HERE JUST SINCE 1983, ALTHOUGH I GREW UP NEAR HERE.
NOW THAT I'M THE LIBRARIAN,
I PRETTY MUCH KNOW EVERYBODY IN TOWN.
YET, JOLENA FELT SHE DIDN'T KNOW ENOUGH
ABOUT THE 1903 TOWN PANIC.
ONE EVENING, SHE SET OUT FOR THE SITE OF THE MONSTER ENCOUNTER,
WHERE THE TOWN'S OLD BRICK AND TILE FACTORY
STILL SITS ABANDONED.
I DROVE MY VEHICLE DOWN TO THE SITE AS CLOSE AS I COULD GET.
AND I JUST THOUGHT I'D GO OUT AND LOOK AT IT.
I DID THINK I MIGHT SEE SOMETHING.
THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE HOW I FELT
WAS A VERY STRONG SENSE OF EVIL.
AND I GOT VERY AFRAID.
JUST WHEN JOLENA WAS READY TO FLEE, HER CAR WOULDN'T GO.
AND I START PRAYING.
MY GOD, PLEASE START!
JOLENA, SHAKING WITH FEAR, TRIES ONE MORE TIME.
FINALLY, I AM ABLE TO BACK MY VEHICLE UP AND GO HOME.
I'VE SPENT MANY NIGHTS OUT BY THE OLD MINE,
AND IT IS TRULY A CREEPY ATMOSPHERE OUT THERE.
IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO IMAGINE
THAT THESE CREATURES ARE STILL LIVING THERE,
AND THAT IF YOU LOOK UP INTO THE SKY,
YOU MIGHT JUST SEE AN 8-FOOT MONSTER
COMING DOWN AFTER YOU.
100 YEARS AGO, SOME UNIMAGINABLE MONSTER
VISITED THIS MIDWEST PRAIRIE TOWN.
WHAT IT EXACTLY WAS AND WHETHER IT MIGHT STILL BE AROUND
REMAINS A MYSTERY.
IN THE HEARTLAND, IF YOU'RE LIVING OUT ON A FARM,
YOUR NEAREST NEIGHBOR MIGHT BE TOO FAR AWAY TO HEAR YOU SCREAM.