A YOUNG MAN IN THE WOODS
IN THE FIGHT OF HIS LIFE WITH A REPTILIAN BEAST.
I SNAPPED MY BULLWHIP AT IT.
THE CREATURE SNATCHED IT WITH THAT TALON-LIKE HAND,
AND BIT THE END OFF OF THE BULLWHIP.
I KNEW RIGHT THERE
THAT I WAS DEALING WITH A MONSTER.
SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL,
THIS SEDUCTRESS HAS BEEN BAD... BIBLICALLY BAD.
I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING DARK. I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING EVIL.
AND IT WANTED ME, AND IT WANTED ME DEAD.
THEY THOUGHT THESE CREATURES WERE JUST A FAIRYTALE,
UNTIL IT TURNED ALL TOO REAL.
THERE'S NO EMOTION THAT COULD EVER DESCRIBE
HOW I FELT AT THAT EXACT MOMENT.
I FELT LIKE I WAS
LITERALLY GOING TO BE EATEN BY THIS CREATURE.
THE CAROLINA COAST, A REGION KNOWN FOR DENSE SWAMPS,
LAZY RIVERS, AND BLACKWATER BAYS.
WITHIN THESE BRANCHING WATERWAYS,
A LEGENDARY CREATURE.
MOST PEOPLE NEVER SEE IT COMING.
THOSE WHO DO, WISH THEY HADN'T.
I FIXED MY SIGHT
RIGHT ON WHERE THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM,
AND THAT'S WHEN I SAW THE MOVEMENT.
THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED
THAT THIS IS A MONSTER IN FRONT OF ME...
THE REAL THING.
IN THE HEART OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
THE TOWN OF BISHOPVILLE
IS A QUIET, PEACEFUL PLACE TO LIVE.
BISHOPVILLE IS A NEAT, LITTLE TOWN
THAT STILL HAS A MAIN STREET.
IT'S A NICE, QUAINT, SMALL TOWN AMERICA.
YET, OVERSHADOWING THIS IDYLLIC TOWN,
RUMORS OF A COLD-BLOODED BEAST.
REPORTER DAN TORDJMAN WILL NEVER FORGET THE DAY
THAT CAROLINA'S MONSTER LEGEND LANDED ON HIS DESK.
MY COLLEAGUES TOLD ME,
REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE UNTIL NOW,
OR WHAT YOU MIGHT DO FROM HERE ON,
THIS WILL BE THE STORY
THAT PEOPLE WILL REMEMBER YOU BY.
AND IT'S TRUE.
ON FEBRUARY 28, 2008, DAN CAUGHT A STORY.
RIGHT AWAY, HE KNEW THIS ONE WAS STRANGE.
A LOCAL FAMILY WAS CLAIMING
TO HAVE EVIDENCE CAROLINA'S REPTILE MAN WAS REAL.
DAN AND HIS CAMERA CREW SET OUT TO SEE THE EVIDENCE FIRSTHAND.
FROM THE INITIAL REPORT HE'D FILED,
YOU CAN HEAR HE'S BAFFLED.
BOB RAWSON LOOKS DOWN AT THE BLOOD ON HIS VAN,
ALL THE CLAW MARKS, AND CHECK OUT THE HOOD.
WHO HE IS,
A POINT OF RENEWED DEBATE IN THESE PARTS...
SOME SURE THEY KNOW
THE ONLY CREATURE CAPABLE OF THIS KIND OF DAMAGE.
THEY SAY IT'S THE LIZARD MAN.
IF IT IS THE LIZARD MAN,
HE'S BACK NEARLY TWO DECADES
AFTER FIRST BEING SPOTTED NEAR SCAPE ORE SWAMP.
NO ONE'S EVER BEEN ABLE TO CONFIRM AN ACCOUNT
OF THE SEVEN-FOOT MONSTER WITH GREEN SKIN,
THREE TOES, AND A THREE-FINGERED CLAW.
WHEN I FIRST SAW THE DAMAGE,
I WAS SURPRISED AT HOW EXTENSIVE IT WAS.
YOU COULD SEE WHAT APPEARED TO BE CLAW MARKS
ON THE HOOD AND ON THE FRONT BUMPER.
YOU COULD SEE HOLES
FROM WHAT APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING BITING DOWN.
IT WOULD'VE TAKEN MORE THAN JUST A DOG
TO HAVE CAUSED THAT DAMAGE.
20 YEARS EARLIER,
SIGHTINGS OF A LIZARD-LIKE MONSTER
PLUNGED THIS CAROLINA TOWN INTO TURMOIL.
I HEARD ABOUT THE LIZARD MAN
ABOUT THE SAME TIME EVERYBODY ELSE HEARD ABOUT IT.
LITTLE GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF CHRIS DAVIS
WHO'D HAD A FLAT TIRE ON THE BROWNTOWN ROAD,
AND WHILE HE WAS CHANGING IT, SOMETHING CAME UP.
AND PRETTY MUCH ATTACKED HIS AUTOMOBILE.
HE TALKED ABOUT THE THREE-FINGERED PAW
THAT REACHED DOWN ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD.
THE EYEWITNESS REPORT DREW HUNDREDS
OF CURIOSITY SEEKERS TO BISHOPVILLE.
PEOPLE SHOWED UP WITH RIFLES AND SHOTGUNS,
GOING OUT TO HUNT THE LIZARD MAN.
SOMETHING HAS KEPT THIS THING GOING
FROM THAT TIME ON.
IN 1988, PILOT FRANK MITCHELL
HAD HIS OWN TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER NEAR THE SWAMPS.
FOR THE PAST 33 YEARS,
FRANK HAS CROP DUSTED THE FIELDS AROUND BISHOPVILLE.
EVERYONE KNOWS HIM,
AND THEY KNOW HE'S NOT A MAN GIVEN TO EXAGGERATION.
I DON'T DRINK,
AND EVERYBODY THAT KNOWS ME WILL TELL YOU
THAT THEY'LL BELIEVE WHAT I TELL YOU.
I DON'T HAVE ANY REASON TO TELL ANYTHING WRONG.
ONE MORNING,
FRANK WAS PREPARING HIS PLANE FOR TAKEOFF.
THE RUNWAY LINES UP
DIRECTLY OVER THE SCAPE ORE SWAMP.
A STRANGE CREATURE WOULD APPEAR ON HIS FLIGHT PATH.
IT WAS LIKE ANY AVERAGE DAY.
THE WEATHER WAS PERFECT,
AND IT WAS IN THE EARLY MORNING.
AND THERE'S A POINT
THAT I CALL THE POINT OF NO RETURN.
YOU'RE EITHER GOING TO LIFTOFF
'CAUSE YOU'VE ALREADY GOT TO TAKEOFF SPEED,
OR EITHER YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THEM WOODS.
AND SO, ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY,
I WAS RIGHT AT THAT POINT,
AND THIS THING COMES WALKING ACROSS THE RUNWAY
RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.
IT ACTUALLY STOPPED AND LOOKED,
LOOKED RIGHT AT THE AIRPLANE COMING.
AND THEN TURNED ITS HEAD AND KEPT RIGHT ON WALKING,
AND WALKED RIGHT ON ACROSS THE RUNWAY.
IT WAS GREENISH-BROWN IN COLOR.
I COULDN'T TELL IF IT WAS SCALES OR IF IT WAS SKIN,
AND IT HAD A FACE KIND OF LIKE A MONKEY,
BUT A LONGER FACE THAN A MONKEY.
THIS THING WAS IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION.
IT LOOKED LIKE SOME OF BOTH... AN ANIMAL AND A HUMAN.
FRANK CIRCLED BACK TO GET ANOTHER LOOK.
BY THE TIME I MADE THE TURN,
THE CREATURE WALKED ACROSS THE RUNWAY,
AND INTO THE WOODS, AND I NEVER DID SEE IT AGAIN.
FRANK MITCHELL HAS A SIGNIFICANT ENCOUNTER,
BECAUSE IN HIS CASE, HE SAW A STRANGE CREATURE
BEFORE IT WAS COMMON KNOWLEDGE OR IN THE NEWS.
TRULY, HE DID SEE SOMETHING, AS FAR AS WE KNOW,
AND IT CAN'T BE EXPLAINED, TO THIS DAY.
THIS WAS SOME UNEXPLAINABLE CREATURE
THAT WAS PASSING THROUGH SCAPE ORE SWAMP.
WHEN YOU LOOK
AT AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THIS REGION,
THERE ARE POCKMARKS
ALL OVER THIS SECTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
CALL THEM CAROLINA BAYS,
THEY LOOK LIKE METEORITE STRIKES.
IT CAN GIVE YOU A LOT OF ROOM FOR...
LET YOUR IMAGINATION GO A LITTLE BIT.
MAYBE THE LIZARD MAN CAME IN ON ONE OF THOSE.
COULD THIS HAPPEN?
CAN THIS PHYSICALLY HAPPEN?
AND I LIKE TO THINK, "YES, IT COULD HAPPEN."
YOU NEVER KNOW.
A LIZARD-LIKE MONSTER HAS BEEN REPORTED
DOZENS OF TIMES IN THE COASTAL BAYS,
BUT IT'S ALSO BEEN SEEN IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CAROLINAS.
IN THE OLD-GROWTH FOREST OF THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
A SIGHT THAT'S NOT EASILY FORGOTTEN
BY THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET AWAY.
TOO MANY THINGS WERE GOING THROUGH MY MIND AT THAT TIME.
WAS IT GOING TO ATTACK ME? WAS IT TRACKING ME?
I PROBABLY RAN FASTER
THAN I EVER HAD BEFORE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
IN THE CAROLINAS, THERE'S A LEGEND
OF A BIZARRE LIZARD-LIKE MONSTER...
A TWO-LEGGED MUTANT COVERED IN SCALES.
ONE LOOK AT ITS BURNING YELLOW EYES
MAKES THE BLOOD RUN COLD.
SOME ACCOUNTS DATE BACK MANY HUNDREDS OF YEARS
TO A TIME WHEN NATIVE AMERICANS
LIVED IN GREAT NUMBERS IN THE CAROLINAS.
THERE IS A STORY ABOUT WHEN THE MEN WITH TAILS
CAME HERE TO LIVE WITH THE WUKSACHI INDIANS.
THEY WERE FISH-EATERS,
BUT AFTER THEY ATE UP ALL THE FISH,
THEY WENT INTO THE SWAMP,
AND THAT'S WHERE THEY'VE LIVED EVER SINCE.
MORE RECENTLY,
THE CAROLINA CREATURE HAS BEEN SEEN
OUTSIDE OF THE SWAMPS IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.
IN AUGUST OF 1990,
17-YEAR-OLD JAMIE ANDERSON DECIDED HE NEEDED AN ADVENTURE.
IT BEGAN BY SNEAKING AWAY FROM HOME.
THIS WAS A TRIP
THAT I DECIDED TO TAKE ON MY OWN,
WITHOUT ANYONE'S PERMISSION.
I WAS DEPRESSED, AND I REALLY WANTED TO GET AWAY.
ON A BUS RIDE FROM MINNESOTA TO FLORIDA,
JAMIE RECONSIDERED.
ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN THERE, WE REACHED NORTH CAROLINA,
AND I HAD A CHANGE OF HEART, SO I STOPPED THERE
AND DECIDED TO GO BACK TO MINNESOTA.
BUT THE NEXT BUS
WAS NOT SCHEDULED TO DEPART FOR ANOTHER TWO DAYS.
BEING AT MY AGE, I COULDN'T GET A HOTEL
OR A MOTEL OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT,
I DECIDED TO GO CAMP OUT.
AND I WAS PREPARED FOR CAMPING, SO I MADE MY WAY OUT
INTO THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS AREA.
KNOWING THAT THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS
WERE HOME TO THE DENSEST BLACK BEAR POPULATION
IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES,
JAMIE CAME PREPARED TO DEFEND HIMSELF.
I HAD A BULLWHIP, I HAD A MACHETE,
AND I WAS PRETTY MUCH PREPARED
FOR ANY TYPE OF WILDLIFE THAT WAS OUT THERE,
EXCEPT FOR WHAT I ENCOUNTERED NEXT,
I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR.
IT WAS AROUND 1:00, 1:30 IN THE MORNING...
...AND I WOKE UP FROM THIS GOD-AWFUL SOUND.
MY HEART JUMPED UP INTO MY THROAT,
THE HAIR ON MY ARMS JUST STOOD STRAIGHT UP,
AND I IMMEDIATELY STARTED LOOKING AROUND.
MY FIRST THOUGHT... IT WAS A COUGAR.
SO, I GRABBED THE BULLWHIP,
AND I STARTED LOOKING AROUND
FOR ANY SIGNS OF SOMETHING STALKING ME.
THE NOISE WAS DEFINITELY CLOSER,
AND THAT'S WHEN I SAW SHADOWS IN THE BUSHES SORT OF MOVING.
AND MY EYES MET WHATEVER IT WAS.
THE EYES WERE A PETRIFIED YELLOW.
I KNEW RIGHT THERE
THAT I WAS DEALING WITH A MONSTER.
THE ADRENALIN JUST TOOK OVER,
KNOWING THAT THIS THING WAS LOOKING AT ME,
KNOWING THAT IT WAS TRACKING ME.
AND I ACCIDENTALLY TRIPPED, AND WHEN I HIT THE GROUND,
THAT'S WHEN I HEARD THE THUMPING BEHIND ME,
AS LIKE SOMETHING WAS RUNNING.
THE FEAR OF DYING, IT'S SOMETHING
THAT I NEVER FELT BEFORE,
AND I WAS DETERMINED TO DEFEND MYSELF.
JAMIE ANDERSON CRACKED HIS WHIP.
WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT
WAS NOTHING THAT I'D EVER SEEN BEFORE.
IT WAS HUMANOID,
BUT IT WAS VERY REPTILE IN APPEARANCE.
IT HAD RIDGES ON ITS HEAD.
IT LURCHED FORWARD,
AND I SNAPPED MY BULLWHIP AGAIN AT IT.
THE CREATURE SNATCHED IT WITH THAT TALON-LIKE HAND,
AND BIT THE END OFF OF THE BULLWHIP.
AND I RAN.
I PROBABLY RAN FASTER
THAN I EVER HAD BEFORE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
THE ONLY THING THAT WAS REALLY GOING THROUGH MY MIND
AT THE TIME WERE HOW MUCH DISTANCE
I COULD PUT BETWEEN ME AND THIS THING...
WHATEVER IT WAS.
JAMIE WAS SO DESPERATE TO ESCAPE,
HE DOVE INTO A COLD MOUNTAIN STREAM.
WHEN I GOT TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER,
I GOT OUT AND I IMMEDIATELY STARTED SCANNING THE AREA
LOOKING AROUND FOR IT.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE IT WAS.
FOR ALL I KNEW, IT COULD BE IN THE WATER.
SO, I DECIDED TO PUT SOME DISTANCE
BETWEEN ME AND THE RIVER.
I MUST'VE BEEN WALKING FOR... SIX HOURS, AT LEAST.
AND THAT'S WHEN I RAN INTO A CHEROKEE INDIAN,
AND ASKED IF I COULD GET A RIDE BACK TO THE BUS STATION.
JUMP IN.
I LOOKED PRETTY BEAT UP, SCRAPES FROM TRIPPING,
AND I WAS STILL SHAKING FROM THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE.
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?
SOMETHING INSIDE ME TOLD ME TO JUST TELL HIM.
AND THERE WAS A VERY LONG PAUSE THERE, AND I THOUGHT,
"HE'S GOING TO KICK ME OUT OF THE CAR FOR SOUNDING CRAZY."
HE GOES, "YOU'RE LUCKY YOU ONLY RAN INTO THE ONE."
LET'S GO.
WE JUST LEFT IT AT THAT.
WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT IT ANYMORE.
I GO BACK THROUGH FOLKLORE, AND I HEAR STORIES
THAT HAVE BEEN HANDED DOWN FOR CENTURIES,
THAT, NOW, SCIENTISTS ARE FINDING OUT ARE TRUE.
THE SAME THING COULD APPLY TO THE LIZARD PEOPLE.
THEY MAY BE OUT THERE,
AND WE JUST HAVEN'T FOUND THEM YET.
I USED TO WALK THE LONG WAY AT NIGHT.
I LIKE TO GET OUT AND JUST WALK
AND LOOK AT THE STAR AND WHATEVER,
AND LISTEN TO THE SOUNDS.
I DON'T WALK IN THE WOODS NO MORE.
THE HISTORIC COMMUNITY OF SOUTH BOSTON, VIRGINIA,
WAS FOUNDED IN 1796.
HISTORIC BY AMERICAN STANDARDS,
YET IT'S BEEN VISITED BY A DEMON
THAT'S THOUGHT TO BE THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD.
SHE TYPICALLY WEARS A HUMAN FACE,
A VOLUPTUOUS BODY, AND LURES HER VICTIMS
WITH A PROMISE OF SENSUAL PARADISE.
THAT'S WHEN HER TRUE NATURE IS REVEALED.
I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING DARK. I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING EVIL.
AND IT WANTED ME AND IT WANTED ME DEAD.
A SUCCUBUS IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED
TO BE A DEMON THAT HAS A SEXUAL ELEMENT
TO THE WAY IN WHICH SHE MANIFESTS.
SOME OF THE MOST COMMON DESCRIPTIONS
DESCRIBE SOMETHING FIERY ABOUT HER EYES,
AN UNNATURAL HEAT TO HER SKIN,
SOMETIMES SHE WILL HAVE NONHUMAN ELEMENTS TO HER BODY.
MINISTER RUSSELL IRBY
ROUTINELY WARNS HIS FOLLOWERS ABOUT THE TEMPTATIONS OF EVIL.
HE HIMSELF ENCOUNTERED A DEVIL IN THE FLESH
AT A TIME WHEN HE WAS ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO ATTACK.
WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT TODAY, COUNSELOR?
I'D BEEN A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER FOR AWHILE
WORKING AT THE MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON,
AND THEN I WAS PROMOTED TO COUNSELOR.
AND THEY NEEDED SOMEONE TO WORK WITH SEX OFFENDERS.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CASE.
YOU WANT TO HEAR WHAT I DID?
I WOULD DO COUNSELING WITH THEM.
I'M TRYING TO SEE WHAT WERE THEIR ISSUES,
WHAT WERE THEIR TRIGGERS, AND SEEING IF THEY COULD WORK
AROUND THOSE TRIGGERS AND STAY AWAY FROM THOSE THINGS.
SPENDING LONG HOURS AT THE PRISON
TOOK A PSYCHOLOGICAL TOLL ON RUSSELL.
TWO THINGS WAS HAPPENING...
ONE, DISGUST, BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
FOUND MYSELF WANTING TO LEARN MORE
AND GETTING MORE INTO IT, WANTING TO READ THE CASES.
SO, I'M HAVING THIS FIGHT ON THE INSIDE OF ME.
HOW CAN THIS BOTH BE EXCITING TO ME,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, BE TOTALLY DISGUSTED BY IT?
THE SUCCUBUS APPEARS TO DRAW UPON THE FANTASIES
OF THE PERSON FOR WHOM SHE APPEARS,
AND WILL FULFILL THOSE FANTASIES
OFTEN APPARENTLY IN THE FLESH.
IT'S A FEAR THAT'S BEYOND HUMAN,
BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU'RE DEALING WITH SOMETHING THAT'S NOT HUMAN.
AND IT FEELS LIKE IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN JUST DO MORE THAN KILL YOU.
THE SUCCUBUS,
THE ORIGINS OF THIS EVIL TEMPTRESS
EXTEND BACK TO OLD TESTAMENT STORIES,
TO A DARKER VERSION OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN,
WHERE ADAM CONSORTS WITH A SHE-DEMON
CALLED LILITH.
THERE IS THIS EXTENSIVE MYTHOLOGY AROUND LILITH,
WHERE SHE WENT OUT OF EDEN, AND BECAME THE MOTHER OF DEMONS.
IN SOME STORIES, SHE COPULATED WITH ANGELS.
THERE ARE SOME STORIES THAT EVEN TIE HER STRANGELY
TO THE SERPENT THAT TEMPTED EVE.
THROUGHOUT TIME, THE SUCCUBUS HAS TAKEN THE FORM
OF AN ALLURING WOMAN TO AMBUSH UNSUSPECTING MEN.
PRISON COUNSELOR RUSSELL IRBY BELIEVES HIS WORK
WITH SEX OFFENDERS MAY HAVE TURNED HIM
INTO THE PERFECT TARGET FOR THE SUCCUBUS.
BEING IN THAT KIND OF ENVIRONMENT,
I NOTICED CHANGES IN MYSELF.
I WAS GOING TOWARDS MORE PERVERSE SITUATIONS.
I THINK AS LONG AS I STAYED AROUND THAT KIND OF DEVIANCE,
I WAS GETTING DEEPER AND DEEPER IN IT.
THE SUCCUBUS IS ATTRACTED
TO SOMEONE WHO HAS REPRESSED SEXUAL URGES.
YOU'RE SCARED,
BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO ACT ON THINGS LIKE THIS,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT FEELS LIKE
IT'S GETTING STRONGER AND STRONGER WITHIN YOU.
ONE WAY A SUCCUBUS COMES ABOUT
IS SHE'S PARTLY BUILT FROM THOSE THOUGHTS,
THOSE FANTASIES, THOSE DREAMS.
IT IS BELIEVED THAT SHE DRAWS HER POWER
FROM THE PERSON THAT SHE'S PREYING UPON.
THE SUCCUBUS FIRST APPEARS IN VISION AND DREAMS,
AND THEN SHE BEGINS TO GAIN PHYSICALITY.
I WAS LIKE, WELL, SOMETHING NOT RIGHT HERE,
AND THAT'S WHEN I WOKE UP.
AND I COULD FEEL THAT THING THERE ON THE BED BESIDE ME.
SHE LOOKS ENTICING,
BUT HER INTENT'S PURE EVIL.
SHE'S A BREATH-STEALER, AND A LIFE-STEALER.
AND SHE SEEMS TO MAKE A TRANSFORMATION...
...FROM THIS GORGEOUS, CAPTIVATING, BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.
THE DARKER NATURE IS REVEALED.
I WANTED TO SCREAM.
I HAVE AIR COMING IN, I HAVE AIR COMING OUT,
BUT I COULDN'T MAKE A NOISE.
MY HANDS WERE ABOVE MY HEAD.
I COULD NOT MOVE.
I WAS TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL OF SOMETHING ELSE.
AND THAT'S PROBABLY
THE MOST TERRIFYING THING ABOUT IT.
YOU CAN'T MOVE, YOU CAN'T FIGHT, NOTHING YOU CAN DO.
BUT YOU FEEL JUST LIKE SOMETHING IS JUST...
IT'S KILLING YOU, AND IT'S GETTING CLOSER.
IT FEELS LIKE IF IT JUST COMPLETELY TOUCHES YOU
THAT YOU'RE DONE.
I JUST STARTED PRAYING,
WHETHER IT BE AN ANGEL COME DOWN, THAT JESUS DO SOMETHING.
LORD, I BEG YOU.
I REACHED OVER
AND GRABBED THE PISTOL OFF OF MY NIGHTSTAND.
DON'T MOVE.
I'LL SHOOT YOU.
AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS AND NOTHING MOVED,
I GOT THE COURAGE TO CUT THE LIGHT ON.
THE SUCCUBUS WHO TRIED, BUT ULTIMATELY FAILED
TO TURN RUSSELL TO THE DARK PATH...
A WAKE UP CALL THAT LED HIM TO MAKE CHANGES IN HIS LIFE.
TOLD MY BOSS
THAT I COULD NO LONGER DO THE SEX OFFENDER COUNSELING,
I COULD NO LONGER WORK THE ISOLATION, DEATH ROW,
THAT I WAS DONE.
I NEEDED TO CYCLE OUT OF IT, AND I WAS TOLD THAT I COULDN'T.
NO ONE ELSE WANTED TO DO IT.
SO, I TOLD HIM I WAS DONE.
RUSSELL IRBY WAS ABLE TO DERAIL THE SUCCUBUS' TRAP.
ANOTHER VICTIM CAME EVEN CLOSER TO PERIL.
IN THE 1990s, SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI,
AND ITS MANY COUNTRY MUSIC CLUBS ABRUPTLY SHIFTED ITS FOCUS.
HEAVY METAL MUSIC WAS ALL THE RAGE.
KENNETH DEEL WAS RIDING THIS WAVE.
THE HAIR BAND THING ON MTV WAS REALLY POPULAR.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU WERE SMALL
AND JUST STARTING OUT, YOU WERE IN DEMAND.
AND WITH THAT COMES THE WINE, WOMEN, AND SONG LIFESTYLE.
WHOO!
KENNETH WAS LIVING IN THE FAST LANE,
GOING HOME WITH SOMEONE ELSE EVERY NIGHT.
NAUGHTY BOY.
BUT STILL, SOMETHING WAS MISSING.
SEEMED LIKE ALL MY FRIENDS HAD THE RELATIONSHIPS,
AND THEY ENVIED ME BECAUSE I HAD A REVOLVING DOOR,
AND I ENVIED THEM BECAUSE THEY HAD RELATIONSHIPS.
I JUST FELT EMPTY INSIDE THE WHOLE WHILE.
THEN ONE NIGHT, AN UNHOLY CREATURE APPEARED,
OFFERING KENNETH A DANGEROUS ALTERNATIVE.
I WOULD ROLL OVER IN BED,
AND I WOULD SEE SOMEONE STANDING THERE,
VERY VIVID, JUST LIKE IT WAS
A REAL PERSON STANDING THERE... BEAUTIFUL FEMALE.
SHE'S A FANTASY TURNED INTO FLESH.
BUT IT BECOMES CLEAR WHAT SHE WANTS IS
TO POSSESS THE PERSON UTTERLY AND TO DEVOUR THEM
ON A LEVEL THAT GOES DEEPER THAN THE FLESH.
IT JUST KIND OF DISAPPEARED THROUGH THE WALL.
KENNETH DISMISSED THE EXPERIENCE
AS A WISHFUL FANTASY.
BUT DAYS LATER, WHEN THE SHE-DEMON RETURNED,
THIS DREAM BECAME HIS WORST NIGHTMARE.
IT WAS LIKE AN ASSAULT.
THE SUCCUBUS TRIED TO COLLECT MY SOUL.
IN THE PANTHEON OF MONSTERS,
THE SUCCUBUS IS UNIQUE.
AT FIRST, SHE SEEMS AN ENTICING FLOWER,
DRAWING HER VICTIMS IN LIKE A VOLUPTUOUS VENUS FLYTRAP.
GET TOO CLOSE,
AND THOSE MOMENTS OF SWEET NECTAR
WILL BE YOUR LAST.
DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS IDENTIFY THEM DIFFERENTLY.
HOWEVER, MOST OF THEM AGREE
THAT THEY ARE LUSHLY, SEXUAL, SENSUAL WOMEN.
ONCE SHE'S BEEN ACCEPTED, AND INVITED IN,
SHE BEGINS TO WEAR AWAY
AT THE PERSON'S HEALTH AND VITAL SPIRIT.
IN THE 1990s,
LIFE FOR KENNETH DEEL, A HEAVY METAL MUSICIAN
WAS A BLUR OF SEX, DRUGS, AND ROCK AND ROLL.
DURING A STREAM OF ONE-NIGHT STANDS,
KEN IS CERTAIN HE ENCOUNTERED A SUCCUBUS.
AT FIRST, HER VISITS WERE ALLURING.
OVER TIME,
HER APPEARANCE MAY CHANGE OR SHIFT,
AND SO, WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE WOMAN OF YOUR DREAMS
TURNS OUT TO BE THE WOMAN OF YOUR NIGHTMARES.
IT WAS LIKE AN ASSAULT HOLDING ME IN BED.
AND SHE WAS STRADDLED OVER ME
WITH ITS HANDS OVER MY FACE LIKE THIS.
I FELT THESE FEET DIG INTO ME,
LIKE TOENAILS DIGGING INTO ME TIGHTER,
ALMOST LIKE A KNIFE.
IT WAS PAINFUL AND HARD TO BREATHE.
WORST-CASE SCENARIO IS YOU GET TO SEE A TRULY UGLY SIGHT,
AND SHE BECOMES THE CREATURE OF CADAVEROUS PALLOR AND DECAY.
THE FLESH LOOKED LIKE IT WAS BURNED, LIKE BURNED SKIN.
I WAS HAVING SOMETHING LIKE AN OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE.
I ACTUALLY WAS SEEING MYSELF BEING ASSAULTED
BY THIS GROTESQUE THING...
JUST LIKE AN OLD HAG, HAD REALLY LONG WHITE HAIR.
I WAS SCARED.
THE SUCCUBUS TRIED TO COLLECT MY SOUL.
I HAD TO BREAK THIS THING SO IT COULDN'T ESCALATE FURTHER.
LIKE, I'M GOING TO THROW IT OFF.
I JUST COUNTED IN MY MIND, 1... 2... 3.
AND I GET UP
AND THERE'S NOTHING THERE.
IT JUST LIKE, MAGICALLY
JUST SNAPPED OUT OF THERE, AND IT WAS GONE.
BECAUSE MOST INTERPRETATIONS OF THE SUCCUBUS
IDENTIFIES HER AS SOME TYPE OF DEMON,
THE CURE IS TO SOMEHOW DRIVE HER OFF THROUGH FAITH.
IT'S THE PERSON WHO SHE'S APPEARING TO
WHO HAS TO DRAW A LINE,
AND DRIVE OFF THIS SPIRIT THAT'S PREYING ON THEM.
AFTER WITNESSING THE TRUE NATURE OF THE SUCCUBUS,
KENNETH TOOK ACTION
TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM HER WRATH.
IF IT DID THIS ONCE,
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN IT COMES BACK AGAIN?
GOING TO THE CHURCH
AND GETTING INVOLVED WITH THE SACRAMENTS
WAS THE THING THAT I HAD TO DO TO GET THIS MONKEY OFF MY BACK.
THEY'LL KILL YOU,
THEY WILL KILL YOUR FAMILY, SPIRITUALLY,
AND THEY WILL TAKE YOU DOWN AND GET RID OF YOU.
DON'T PUT YOURSELF IN A SITUATION
WHERE YOU OPEN THE DOOR,
AND THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT MIGHT COME INSIDE.
NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.
TO MOST, THIS IS WINE COUNTRY...
AN IDYLLIC TOURIST DESTINATION,
A PICTURE-PERFECT WAY TO SPEND A WEEKEND.
IF YOU'RE SMART,
YOU'LL STICK CLOSE TO THE VINEYARDS,
AND AVOID THE STEEP ROAD
THAT SNAKES ITS WAY WEST OUT OF TOWN.
OVER THE YEARS,
THE OVERGROWN LANE KNOWN AS PARTRICK ROAD HAS
TAKEN ON A NASTY REPUTATION.
DOZENS CLAIM IT'S HOME TO A FOREST
FULL OF FLYING MONKEYS WITH A THIRST FOR BLOOD.
I'M QUESTIONING WHAT I'M SEEING
THE WHOLE TIME I'M LOOKING AT THIS.
I CAN'T REALLY COMPREHEND IT IN MY MIND.
CAN THIS ALL BE REAL?
DO YOU SEE THAT?
IT LOOKED LIKE THE DEVIL.
SCORES OF NAPA RESIDENTS HAVE HEARD THE STORY.
EVERYBODY WAS VERY FEARFUL OF PARTRICK ROAD.
EVEN NOW, IF YOU ASK A LOCAL ABOUT IT
THAT HAS BEEN HERE FOR, YOU KNOW, FOREVER,
THEY'LL TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT THE REBOBS.
FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS,
THRILL-SEEKERS HAVE BEEN DRIVING TO THE TOP OF PARTRICK ROAD.
GROWING UP,
I HEARD A LOT ABOUT REBOBS FROM MY PARENTS
ME AND MY BROTHER,
WE THOUGHT THERE WERE THESE FAKE STORIES
THAT PARENTS TELL THEIR KIDS
TO KEEP THEM AWAY FROM CERTAIN AREAS,
WHICH KIND OF DREW US UP THERE
'CAUSE WE WANTED TO KIND OF SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON.
WHAT I HEARD AND SAW OVER THERE SCARED ME MORE THAN ANYTHING
I HAD EVER WITNESSED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
ACCORDING TO LOCAL LEGEND,
PARTRICK ROAD IN NAPA VALLEY IS HAUNTED
BY A MONSTROUS BREED OF MONKEYS
KNOWN AS THE REBOBS.
AS A KID, WE ALL TOLD STORIES
ABOUT THE REBOBS AT OUR SLUMBER PARTIES,
AND WE DEFINITELY BELIEVED THAT THEY WERE OUT THERE.
THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE SIGHTINGS OVER THE YEARS.
THE MAJORITY THAT STARTED GETTING REPORTED
WERE AROUND THE '60s AND '70s, AND SINCE THEN,
PEOPLE REPORT SIGHTINGS ALMOST EVERY YEAR.
ADAM DANIELSKI
IS A PROGRAM MANAGER FOR A SOFTWARE COMPANY.
WHEN HE WAS IN HIS TEENS,
ADAM, HIS OLDER BROTHER, AND A FEW FRIENDS,
DECIDED TO GO CAMPING AT THE TOP OF PARTRICK ROAD,
CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THE LEGEND WAS TRUE.
WE LAID SOME BLANKETS DOWN THERE,
WE HAD A COUPLE SLEEPING BAGS THAT WE ROLLED OUT.
MY BUDDIES GOT INTO THE COOLER.
THEY WERE HAVING A COUPLE DRINKS,
WHERE I WAS BASICALLY THE DESIGNATED LOOKOUT
FOR THE EVENING WHILE THEY WERE DRINKING.
AND THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED HEARING THE SCREAMING.
IT SOUNDED LIKE A FEMALE VOICE,
BUT IT WAS SO FAR OFF.
WE KNEW OTHER PEOPLE WENT UP THERE, GUYS AND GIRLS,
YOU KNOW, SO WE DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT
UNTIL IT GOT CLOSER.
YEAH, MAN, FIRST WATCH TONIGHT.
SO, THAT MEANS I GET THE FIRST SHIFT?
IT'S ALL YOU, BRO.
I'LL TAKE THE SECOND SHIFT, ADAM.
THAT WAS NOT A GIRL.
WE HEAR IT AGAIN, EXCEPT FOR THIS TIME,
THE SCREAM IS A LITTLE BIT LOUDER.
GUYS?
AND CLOSER TO US.
THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE.
WE WERE A LITTLE TOO SCARED
TO EVEN GO BACK TO THE CAR AT THIS POINT.
WE DID DECIDE THAT ONE PERSON WOULD TAKE TURNS WATCHING
WHILE EVERYBODY ELSE SLEPT, AND KIND OF GO FROM THERE,
BUT WE'RE TEENAGERS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT.
SO, WE ALL FELL ASLEEP AROUND THE SAME TIME.
THE REST OF THE NIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL...
OR SO THEY THOUGHT.
THINK IT WAS AROUND 7:00 A.M. WHEN WE FIRST WOKE UP.
GUYS? GUYS? GUYS?
ONE OF OUR FRIENDS STANDS UP, AND WE LOOK OVER
AND FROM HIS LEFT SHOULDER DOWN TO ABOUT HIS RIGHT PECTORAL
WERE THREE VERY DISTINCT SCRATCH MARKS.
WE KIND OF LOOKED AT HIM, LIKE....
WHAT CAUSED THAT?
BECAUSE WE KNOW
THAT THOSE WEREN'T THERE PRIOR TO THE EVENING.
AND THIS FRIGHTENED US TO NO END.
I MEAN, WE WERE LIKE, "OKAY, IT'S TIME TO GET OUT OF HERE."
THEY TOLD THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHAT HAPPENED.
NOBODY BELIEVED THEM.
SO, A FEW WEEKS LATER,
ADAM AND HIS FRIENDS RETURNED TO PARTRICK ROAD
DETERMINED TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS THERE.
ONCE AGAIN, IT'S PITCH-BLACK.
ALL WE CAN SEE IS KIND OF THE DUST
AROUND THE SHADOW IN THE HEADLIGHTS.
AND WE GET ABOUT HALFWAY UP THE HILL,
AND SOMETHING JUMPS IN FRONT OF THE CAR.
AND I LOOK OVER JUST IN TIME TO SEE THIS HUMANOID SHAPE...
...JUMP TO A TREE FROM THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
AND IT STARTS CLIMBING UP THE TREE.
I'M ABSOLUTELY PETRIFIED.
I CAN'T EVEN MOVE.
AND THAT'S WHEN IT HIT ME THAT THERE'S ONE...
COULD THERE BE MORE?
THE TEENAGERS FLEE, BUT THEY CAN'T ESCAPE
THE REALITY OF WHAT THEY'VE SEEN.
WE WERE 100% SURE
THAT IT WAS A REBOB AT THAT POINT.
THERE WAS NO DOUBT OF WHAT IT WAS.
ANOTHER SIGHTING... FURTHER EVIDENCE
TO FILL OUT A PICTURE OF WHAT THESE CREATURES ARE.
THE REBOBS ARE SAID TO BE
VERY LARGE, INTIMIDATING CREATURES.
LARGER THAN THE AVERAGE MAN, UPWARDS OF SEVEN-FEET-TALL,
DARK, FURY BODIES, RED, GLOWING, BEAMING EYES,
LARGE WINGS WITHOUT FUR,
AND ONE OF THEIR MOST COMMON ATTRIBUTES
IS THEY HAVE A LOUD, TERRIFYING SCREECH.
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
AND THIS IS A MONKEY GONE TERRIBLY WRONG.
IT LOOKED LIKE PURE EVIL TO ME.
IT LOOKED LIKE THE DEVIL.
DO YOU SEE THAT?
IN MY LIFE,
I'VE NEVER BEEN SCARED AS MUCH AS I WAS THAT NIGHT.
THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS WORLD
THAT WILL EVER MAKE ME GO BACK TO THAT ROAD.
AS IT'S OFTEN TOLD,
IN NAPA, CALIFORNIA, AT THE END OF PARTRICK ROAD
IN AN OLD, DARK HOUSE LIVED A SCIENTIST GONE MAD.
HE WAS EXPERIMENTING,
MAKING MUTANT MONKEYS WITH WINGS.
EVENTUALLY, THE APES GOT LOOSE,
CLAIMING THE WOODS AROUND PARTRICK ROAD
AS THEIR OWN.
GROWING UP IN NAPA VALLEY, IT'S HARD TO AVOID
HEARING THE STORIES ABOUT THE FLYING REBOBS.
I HEARD ABOUT REBOBS THROUGH DIFFERENT FAMILY MEMBERS,
OLDER GENERATIONS TALKING ABOUT THEM BEING UP IN THE HILLS,
BY THE WINERIES, OUT ON PARTRICK ROAD.
SABRINA MONTA KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE LOCAL LEGEND.
I GREW UP IN SANTA ROSA, ABOUT AN HOUR FROM HERE,
AND I'D NEVER HEARD OF THE REBOB UNTIL I MET BRYAN.
I DIDN'T BELIEVE A WORD THAT CAME OUT OF HIS MOUTH
WHEN HE TOLD ME ABOUT IT.
IN 1997,
WHEN BRYAN AND SABRINA WERE 17, THE COUPLE DECIDED
TO MAKE A LATE-NIGHT RUN TO FIND THE REBOBS.
WE WERE YOUNG.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO, SO WE DROVE TO NAPA.
AS THEY WENT UP THE DARK AND WINDING ROAD,
THE MOOD IN THE CAR ABRUPTLY CHANGED.
THERE'S A MYTH
THAT WHEN YOU PASS THE CATTLE GRATES HALFWAY UP,
THE TEMPERATURE DROPS.
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ALWAYS BEING WATCHED.
AND WE GET NOT EVEN A MILE UP INTO THE ROAD....
CAN WE TURN THE HEAT ON?
...AND I STARTED GETTING, JUST SHIVERS.
AND I TOLD BRYAN, "CAN WE TURN THE HEATER UP?
CAN WE ROLL THE WINDOWS UP? IT'S REALLY COLD."
AND I NOTICED HE HAD GOOSEBUMPS ON HIS ARMS.
AT THE END OF THE ROAD,
THEY FOUND THE GATES OF THE ABANDONED PARTRICK HOME.
AND I REMEMBER LOOKING AT THE HOUSE
THAT'S ON THE TOP OF HE HILL
AND THERE'S THIS BIG, BLACK GATE,
AND IT'S ALMOST GOTHIC-LOOKING.
I REMEMBER TELLING BRYAN, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SILLY.
WE NEED TO GO.
THIS IS NOT FUN ANYMORE. I WANT TO GO HOME.
CAN YOU HEAR THAT?
YOU COULD HEAR IT.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
I DIDN'T KNOW.
ALL I KNOW IS I DIDN'T LIKE WHAT I SAW.
BRYAN IS TELLING ME, "GET IN THE CAR."
I'VE NEVER SEEN HIM THAT SCARED,
AND I'VE KNOWN HIM FOR A LONG TIME.
AND THAT'S WHEN WE SAW SOMETHING LEAN OUT FROM BEHIND THE TREE.
AND WHAT STICKS IN MY MIND THE MOST IS THE EYES...
THE BIG, RED EYES, THE PENETRATING LOOK.
I FELT LIKE IT WAS LOOKING INTO MY SOUL.
THERE'S NO EMOTION THAT COULD EVER DESCRIBE
HOW I FELT AT THAT EXACT MOMENT.
IT WASN'T JUST PANIC AND FEAR.
IT WAS... I FELT LIKE I WAS
LITERALLY GOING TO BE EATEN BY THIS CREATURE.
THEY JUMPED INTO THE CAR,
AND RACED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL.
WHAT WAS THAT?
ONLY THEN DID THE TEENAGERS FEEL SAFE ENOUGH
TO ADMIT WHAT THEY HAD SEEN.
BRYAN WAS THE FIRST ONE THAT SAID, "I SAW THE REBOB."
AND THEN I SAID, "IF YOU SAW WHAT I SAW,
IS THIS WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE?"
AND HE DESCRIBED IN DETAIL EVERYTHING THAT I HAD SEEN.
HE HAD SEEN THE EXACT SAME THING.
IT PROVES THAT YOU'RE NOT CRAZY.
YOU DIDN'T JUST IMAGINE SOMETHING.
WHAT YOU SAW WAS ACTUALLY THERE.
FOR THOSE COUPLE OF SECONDS, IT WAS PURE TERROR.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOOKED INTO THOSE BLOOD-RED EYES,
THE FEAR LASTS FOREVER.
THERE'S NO EMOTION
THAT'S GOING TO BE STRONGER THAN REAL FEAR,
AND REALLY SEEING SOMETHING THAT IS NOT NATURAL.
AFTER SEEING THAT, I DON'T FEEL LIKE
I'M EVER GOING TO BE THAT SCARED AGAIN.