THE MONSTER'S CHEST WAS VERY, VERY WIDE.
I THINK ALL THE TIME
WHAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED IF I'D ACTUALLY HIT IT.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
Holmes: I HAD THE GUN READY
TO DEFEND MYSELF AND MY SON AGAINST THE MONSTER.
Hill: IT WAS HALF MAN, HALF GOAT.
IT LIVED OUT THERE ON THE POPE LICK.
HE'D LURED KIDS UP ON TOP OF THE TRACK
AND THEN TRY AND KILL THEM.
[ ANIMALS HOWLING ]
Miller: ALL OF A SUDDEN, ALL THE ANIMALS IN THE FOREST
JUST STARTED GETTING REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOUD.
LOOKING AT EACH OTHER LIKE, "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
[ SCREAMS ]
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator: THE OZARKS --
THEY ROSE FROM THE PRIMORDIAL OCEANS
NEARLY 300 MILLION YEARS AGO.
TODAY, IT'S A REGION SO DENSE AND DANK,
IT CAN SHIELD A PEOPLE WHO OFTEN CHOOSE TO BE LEFT ALONE.
[ TRAIN HORN BLOWING ]
IN THE HARDSCRABBLE LIFE OF OZARKERS,
THE OLD STORIES ARE HELD CLOSE.
FAITH IN THE MYSTERIOUS AND THE UNEXPLAINABLE STANDS FAST.
Blackburn: ARKANSAS AS A WHOLE, INCLUDING THE OZARKS,
HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF SIGHTINGS OF MYSTERIOUS CREATURES.
THIS WOULD ALL BE A PLACE WHERE AN UNKNOWN ANIMAL COULD HIDE.
THE PEOPLE THAT REALLY HAVE SEEN THE MONSTER TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
I KNOW OF SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO WERE SKEPTICAL BEFORE.
THEY'RE NO LONGER SKEPTICAL.
Blackburn: THERE IS A LOT OF OPEN SPACE HERE.
THERE IS A LOT OF DENSE COUNTRY THAT IS NOT EXPLORED.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE RIGHT AT THE OUTER EDGES OF SOCIETY.
SO YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE THINGS
THAT ORDINARY PEOPLE DON'T SEE.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
Narrator: IN AMERICA'S HEARTLAND,
THERE IS BUT ONE MOUNTAINOUS REGION, THE OZARKS.
ON ITS SOUTHERN EDGE LIES FOUKE, ARKANSAS --
A TINY TOWN OF LESS THAN 1,000
IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE.
SINCE 1908, THERE HAVE BEEN 70 SIGHTINGS
OF SOMETHING MONSTROUS CREEPING IN THE WOODS.
ONE OF THE LATEST CASES IS THAT OF HEATHER OWEN.
Heather: GROWING UP OUT HERE IN THE COUNTRY
IN A RURAL SETTING WAS GREAT.
I LOVED IT.
IT'S JUST PEACEFUL, QUIET.
EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYBODY,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT.
Jane: SHE WAS A VERY ACTIVE KID.
SHE WANTED TO BE INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING,
AND SHE PRETTY MUCH WAS.
Narrator: HEATHER OWEN GREW UP A TYPICAL OZARK COUNTRY KID.
LEARNING TO HUNT AND FISH
FOLLOWED SOON AFTER LEARNING TO WALK.
AND ALONG THE WAY,
SHE HEARD THE LEGENDS OF THE BEAST THAT HIDES IN BOGGY CREEK.
Heather: I WAS ALWAYS A SKEPTIC.
I REALLY DIDN'T PAY MUCH ATTENTION
TO THE STORIES ABOUT THE FOUKE MONSTER.
BUT I NEVER THOUGHT THAT I WOULD SEE ONE.
Narrator: ONE FALL NIGHT, THAT WOULD CHANGE.
RUMORS WOULD TURN INTO REALITY.
Heather: SEPTEMBER OF 2011, PROBABLY AROUND 6:00,
GOT MY BOOKS, MY LAPTOP, AND MY PENCILS AND PAPER.
AND I WENT OVER TO MY FRIEND'S HOUSE TO STUDY WITH HER
'CAUSE SHE HAD AN ENGLISH PAPER DUE AT THE SAME TIME.
DID YOU GO TO THE REVIEW SESSION LAST THURSDAY?
I DID NOT.
WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THAT SESSION?
IT WAS TERRIBLE. YOU DIDN'T MISS MUCH.
I DON'T THINK IT WILL HELP ME AT ALL ON THIS TEST EITHER.
[ DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE ]
I KEPT HEARING A DOG BARKING.
[ BARKING CONTINUES ]
AND SO, PROBABLY AFTER 20 MINUTES OF THIS DOG BARKING,
I ASKED, "WHY IS IT BARKING?"
AND SHE SAID, "OH, SHE JUST WANTS IN.
SHE SEES THE LIGHT'S ON."
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
IT'S SO ANNOYING.
AROUND MIDNIGHT, I GATHERED UP MY LAPTOP, MY BOOKS,
AND PUT THEM IN MY CAR.
OUTSIDE, I NOTICED THAT IT WAS...
VERY STRANGELY QUIET.
I DIDN'T HEAR NO CRICKETS, NO COWS, NOTHING.
I MEAN, NO NOISE.
KIND OF LIKE A REAL QUIET, ALMOST KIND OF EERIE NIGHT.
I PULLED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, AND I HAD MY RADIO GOING
'CAUSE I USUALLY PUT MY RADIO AS LOUD AS I CAN.
AND I WAS JUST DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD LIKE I NORMALLY WOULD.
[ COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING ]
Narrator: WHAT WAS NORMAL WAS ABOUT TO TAKE A RADICAL TURN.
WHAT CATCHES MY EYE IS THAT
I SEE THIS THING SLOUCHED OVER OR SQUATTING OR SOMETHING.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, STANDS UP.
AND THE ROLL OF HAY GOES ABOUT MID-CHEST TO IT.
THE MONSTER'S CHEST WAS VERY, VERY WIDE, ABOUT THREE FEET.
I'M 5', SO I'D SEE HE'D BE ABOUT EIGHT FEET TALL.
IT KIND OF LOOKS AT MY CAR,
GOES ABOUT LIKE THAT, LOOKS AT IT AGAIN.
OH, MY GOD. AND THEN DARTS OFF.
AFTER I GOT THE GOOD GLIMPSE,
HE RAN INTO A THICKET ACROSS THE ROAD, AND I DIDN'T SEE HIM.
HE WAS GONE.
I WAS SITTING THERE, THINKING TO MYSELF,
"WHAT DID I JUST SEE?
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?"
Narrator: AND IT MIGHT NOT BE OVER.
SHE WAS THERE ALONE, AND ALL HER WINDOWS WERE DOWN.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ] [ SCREAMING ]
HEATHER WAS NO LONGER SURE WHAT WAS THERE OR NOT.
BUT SHE KNEW SHE HAD TO LEAVE
AND MAKE IT TO THE ONE PERSON WHO WOULD UNDERSTAND.
I SAW IT. THERE WAS THIS THING IN THE ROAD.
Jane: SHE WAS JUST PRACTICALLY SCREAMING OUT AT ME.
IT RAN OUT.
VERY HIGH-PITCHED VOICE,
AND HER WORDS WERE RUNNING TOGETHER.
...IN FRONT OF MY CAR.
I TOLD HER, "JUST SLOW DOWN AND JUST WAIT.
SLOW DOWN."
AND WE WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS ABOUT TWO MORE TIMES
UNTIL I HEARD HER COME OUT PLAIN
AND SAID THAT SHE HAD JUST SEEN THE FOUKE MONSTER.
WELL, I WAS SCARED.
I WAS FRIGHTENED THAT SOMETHING BAD COULD'VE HAPPENED TO HER.
TWO DAYS LATER, AFTER THE INCIDENT HAPPENED,
WE WENT DOWN THERE DURING THE DAYTIME.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
MY MOM WANTED TO SEE WHERE I HAD HAD THE SIGHTING.
I DIDN'T HAVE ANY DOUBTS.
I KNEW WHAT I SEEN.
I THINK ALL THE TIME
OF WHAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED IF I'D ACTUALLY HIT IT.
[ TIRES SQUEAL ] [ THUD ]
AND I'M JUST SEEING HANDS COMING UP AT ME
AND JUST THINKING THE MOST HORRIFYING THING
JUST SCARED THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF ME.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WOULD'VE DONE.
Narrator: HEATHER OWEN HAS JOINED
THE GROWING LEGION OF BELIEVERS
IN THE EXISTENCE OF THE FOUKE MONSTER.
THE SIGHTINGS HAVE BEEN CLUSTERED IN SOUTHERN ARKANSAS,
AND THEY DESCRIBE THE CREATURE AS TALL AND APELIKE.
Wayman: THEY LOOK RATHER LARGE, YOU KNOW?
AND THEIR ARMS WAS SWINGING.
YOU KNOW, THEIR ARMS WAS LONGER THAN PAST THEIR KNEES,
AND IT WAS LOOKING BACK OVER ITS RIGHT SHOULDER AT ME.
Narrator: SOME WITH CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
HAVE REPORTED A HIDEOUS STENCH.
Marva: IT SMELLED LIKE OLD, WET DOG HAIR,
MAYBE SOMETHING SORT OF DEAD.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST -- IT WAS AWFUL.
I MEAN, IT WAS REALLY GROTESQUE.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
Narrator: OTHERS HAVE RECOUNTED A SCREAM...
[ CREATURE GROWLS ] ...LIKE A PANTHER IN HEAT.
A FEW HAVE EVEN SEEN
GLOWING, RED EYES THE SIZE OF SILVER DOLLARS.
SOMETIMES SEEING THE MONSTER FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME
IS A VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE.
THE VERY FIRST THING THEY ALWAYS SAY IS,
"DON'T TELL ANYBODY" OR "DON'T MENTION MY NAME."
Narrator: FOR THE BELIEVERS, THERE'S A SAFE HAVEN IN FOUKE --
A DINER THAT DISHES OUT GENEROUS HELPINGS OF MONSTER LORE.
McFerrin: WHEN A PERSON TELLS ME THEY'VE SPOTTED SOMETHING
THAT'S SO ABOVE THE ORDINARY...
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER I'M IN A POSITION TO SAY,
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE LYING.
YOU CAN'T -- YOU DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING LIKE THAT."
IT'S EASY FOR ME TO DO THAT,
BUT I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE KIND OF PERSONS
WHO JUST DISMISSES WHAT A PERSON SAYS.
Blackburn: SKEPTICS, YOU KNOW, SAY,
"AW, YOU DON'T BELIEVE THIS, DO YOU?"
WELL, AS SOMEONE WHO'S INTERVIEWED COUNTLESS PEOPLE,
PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THEY SAW SOMETHING UNEXPLAINABLE,
AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW, I COME AWAY WITH THE BELIEF
THAT THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAW SOMETHING --
SOMETHING THEY COULDN'T EXPLAIN,
SOMETHING THAT FRIGHTENED THEM.
Narrator: NOW, ONE LOCAL OZARK HUNTER
SAYS HIS BELIEF HAS TURNED INTO PROOF.
Holmes: WHEN YOU SEE IT FOR THE FIRST TIME...
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
...IT CHANGES YOUR OUTLOOK ON WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW
AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE BEEN TOLD IN YOUR LIFE.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ] [ BRANCHES CRACKING ]
[ GROWLING CONTINUES ]
Narrator: IN THE OZARKS, RESIDENTS OF FOUKE, ARKANSAS,
HAVE LONG CLAIMED THAT A MANLIKE BEAST
HIDES IN THE AREA'S SWAMPY FORESTS.
ONE OF THE LATEST IS COLLEGE STUDENT HEATHER OWEN.
A SHORT TRIP HOME FROM STUDYING
TURNED INTO ONE OF THE MOST TERRIFYING NIGHTS OF HER LIFE.
[ CREATURE GROWLS ] [ SCREAMS ]
AFTER THAT, THERE WAS NO UNCERTAINTY FOR HEATHER.
THE FOUKE MONSTER IS REAL.
Blackburn: RIGHT HERE IS BOGGY CREEK --
GROUND ZERO FOR THE FOUKE MONSTER.
THIS IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT AREA BECAUSE
WHERE WE STAND WOULD BE AN AREA WHERE --
A CREATURE, IF IT WAS TO COME OUT
OF THAT MORE REMOTE, RUGGED AREA AND APPROACH CIVILIZATION,
THIS WOULD KIND OF BE WHERE IT WOULD COME TO THE LIMITS
AND POSSIBLY BE SEEN BY SOME OF THE PEOPLE
THAT LIVE OUT ON THESE COUNTY ROADS.
IN FACT, A LOT OF THE SIGHTINGS TOOK PLACE ALONG BOGGY CREEK.
Holmes: MY FAMILY GOES BACK
PROBABLY WITHIN A 200-MILE RADIUS OF THIS AREA,
PROBABLY 100 YEARS AGO.
MY DAD STARTED ME FISHING, I GUESS, BEFORE I COULD WALK.
WHEN I WAS A LITTLE CHILD, HE WOULD TAKE ME OFF IN THE WOODS
AND TEACH ME HOW TO TRACK DEER AND HUNT SQUIRRELS.
AND WE FILLED THE FREEZERS UP WITH SQUIRRELS,
AND MY MOM WOULD COOK THEM UP AND PUT MEAT ON THE TABLE.
Narrator: DOYLE HOLMES THOUGHT HE KNEW
EVERY CREATURE IN THE OZARK FOREST...
EXCEPT THE ONE HE CAME ACROSS ONE FOGGY MORNING IN 2004.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
IT WAS, I WOULD SAY, 6:00 IN THE MORNING.
THE SUN WAS JUST STARTING TO COME UP,
AND I GOT ON THE LAKE EARLY THAT DAY.
IT WAS VERY FOGGY.
AND I HEARD SOME SPLASHES IN THE WATER.
[ SPLASHING ]
AND THEN AS THE LIGHT STARTED TO SHINE THROUGH THE FOG...
[ WATER SPLASHING ] [ CREATURE GROWLING ]
...I COULD SEE SILHOUETTE OF A BIPEDAL ANIMAL
STANDING UP IN THE WATER.
WHEN YOU FIRST SEE IT,
IT JUST RUNS THROUGH YOUR MIND
THAT YOU CAN'T BE POSSIBLY SEEING
WHAT YOUR EYES ARE TELLING YOU YOU'RE SEEING.
[ CHIRPING, GROWLING CONTINUES ]
IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS HUNTING FOR SOMETHING IN THE WATER.
HE WAS KICKING DEBRIS UP OUT OF THE WATER.
IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS FISHING.
[ GROWLING CONTINUES ]
Narrator: AS AMAZING AS THE SIGHT WAS
FOR DOYLE HOLMES THAT MORNING,
HE COULDN'T BE SURE WHAT HE'D SEEN.
THAT WOULD CHANGE.
IT WAS JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING.
WE WERE ALL FULL OF TURKEY, AND IT WAS STARTING TO GET DARK,
AND WE THOUGHT, "WELL, LET'S GO OUT IN THE WOODS
"SINCE WE GOT SOME TIME WITH THE KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL.
AND LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET A HOG."
Narrator: WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF HABITAT, FOOD, AND WATER,
THE OZARK WOODS ARE ALIVE
WITH A NASTY ASSORTMENT OF FERAL PIGS.
WILD HOGS ARE DANGEROUS.
SO YOU'VE GOT TO KIND OF WATCH YOUR STEP
WHEN YOU'RE HUNTING WILD HOGS.
Narrator: NEAR THE SAME LAKE
WHERE HE'D SEEN THE HAIRY BIPED SPLASHING ALONG THE BANK...
CHECK IT OUT.
...DOYLE AND HIS SON WERE SETTING OUT TO TRACK HOGS.
DAD?
WHAT'S UP? LOOK.
MY SON COME ACROSS A FOOTPRINT THAT HE COULDN'T IDENTIFY,
SO HE CALLED ME OVER.
AT THAT TIME,
I WAS LOOKING AT SOMETHING THAT I COULDN'T IDENTIFY.
I WAS STUNNED AT WHAT I SAW.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT.
THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF IS, IS THIS THE FOUKE MONSTER?
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
[ BRANCHES CRACKING ]
Narrator: ONE EVENING IN THE OZARKS,
DOYLE HOLMES AND HIS YOUNG SON WERE OUT HOG HUNTING.
DAD?
WHAT'S UP? LOOK.
WHEN THEY CAME ACROSS HUGE TRACKS,
THEY REALIZED THEY HAD STEPPED INTO MONSTER COUNTRY.
Holmes: I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT.
IS THIS A HUMAN PRINT, AN ANIMAL?
WHAT WOULD DO THIS?
IF IT WAS A HUMAN, HE WOULD BE HUGE.
THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF IS, IS THIS THE FOUKE MONSTER?
Narrator: IF IT WAS, DOYLE AND HIS SON MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE.
THEY WERE ON FOOT AND TRAPPED AGAINST THE EDGE OF THE LAKE.
Holmes: YOU COULD TELL THAT WHAT MADE THE PRINT
HAD JUST WALKED THROUGH.
IT HAD COME UP OUT OF THE LAKE,
AND YOU COULD TELL THE FOOTPRINTS WERE REALLY FRESH.
WITH IT GETTING DARK, WE DECIDED TO GET OUT OF THERE.
[ SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ]
Narrator: THEN OUT OF THE BLUE...
[ CREATURE GROWLING ] WHOA!
...A HORRIFIC SCREAM
UNLIKE ANYTHING HOG OR HUMAN THEY'D HEARD BEFORE.
[ GROWLING CONTINUES ]
WHAT WAS THAT?! WHAT WAS THAT?!
THERE IT IS.
[ GROWLING CONTINUES ]
SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLY LARGE WAS THRASHING IN THE BUSH.
Holmes: I HAD THE GUN READY TO DEFEND MYSELF AND MY SON
AGAINST THE FOUKE MONSTER
IN CASE HE WAS TO BURST OUT OF THE WOODS ON US.
[ LEAVES RUSTLING ]
YOU HAVE TO BE READY FOR ANYTHING AT THAT POINT,
AND SEEING THOSE TRACKS GO RIGHT THERE, I HAD TO BE READY.
Narrator: JUST AS SUDDENLY, THE MONSTER DISAPPEARED,
ALLOWING DOYLE AND HIS SON TO ESCAPE UNHARMED...
BUT LEAVING A TRAIL OF QUESTIONS.
Blackburn: I THINK IT'S POSSIBLY
SOME TYPE OF UNDISCOVERED PRIMATE
WHO'S MANAGED TO REMAIN ELUSIVE ALL THIS TIME.
I KNOW IT'S HIGHLY IMPROBABLE, BUT IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
YOU KNOW, AN AREA LIKE ARKANSAS FROM THE OZARKS
TO THE SOUTHWEST TIP TO ALL SIDES,
IT IS THE KIND OF PLACE THAT COULD HIDE
SOME TYPE OF CREATURE THAT IS AN EXPERT IN REMAINING ELUSIVE.
McFerrin: HE'S VERY CONTROVERSIAL.
THERE HAVE BEEN REWARDS PUT OUT FOR HIS CAPTURE.
HE'S EXTREMELY AGILE, QUICK, FAST FOR HIS SIZE.
TAKING, FOR EXAMPLE, IN ONE STEP
THE DISTANCE THAT A HUMAN WOULD TAKE IN A COUPLE OR THREE.
Purvis: TALKING TO THESE PEOPLE,
THERE'S NO WAY I COULD DISPEL WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
WHEN THEY HAVE CREDIBLE EVIDENCE AND SIGHTINGS.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
THEY'VE SEEN SOMETHING OUT THERE,
SO I BELIEVE THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE.
I REALLY DO.
Narrator: NO ONE NEEDED TO CONVINCE DOYLE HOLMES
THE MONSTER IS REAL.
SUBSTANTIATING THAT BELIEF WAS SOMETHING ELSE.
Holmes: WHEN I GOT HOME THAT NIGHT,
I ACTUALLY PONDERED WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED,
WHAT WE HAD JUST FOUND.
AND YOU START TO THINK, "OKAY, HOW ARE WE GONNA PROVE THIS?"
YOU CAN TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU'VE SEEN,
AND THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY GONNA BELIEVE IT
UNLESS YOU HAVE PROOF.
Narrator: THE PROOF WAS THE MUDDY FOOTPRINTS
ON THE BANKS OF THE LAKE.
[ THUNDER CRASHES ]
WHEN THE WEATHER TURNED BAD TWO NIGHTS LATER,
DOYLE HAD TO MOVE FAST.
ARMED WITH A BAG OF PLASTER AND A REVOLVER ON HIS HIP,
HE WENT BACK INTO THE WOODS, THIS TIME ALONE.
Holmes: IT WAS STARTING TO GET DARK.
IT WAS STARTING TO RAIN.
AND IT WAS COLD.
I WAS KIND OF NERVOUS GOING BACK WHEN I DID,
BUT I HAD TO GET THE TRACK.
I NEEDED TO GET THE TRACK AND PRESERVE IT.
WHEN I GOT DOWN THERE,
I FOUND THAT THE HOGS HAD BEEN BACK THROUGH THERE,
AND I WAS ONLY ABLE TO FIND
ONE GOOD TRACK LEFT THAT I COULD PRESERVE.
I BROUGHT IT HOME AND LET IT DRY,
AND A FEW HOURS LATER, I TOOK THE CAST OUT.
AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I HAD.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT HAD TURNED OUT AS GOOD AS IT DID.
IT'S PROOF THAT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN AWAY.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS TANGIBLE, THAT YOU CAN TOUCH.
THIS IS WHAT'S DOWN THERE.
SOMETHING IS MAKING THESE TRACKS.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
Narrator: AND THIS TRACK MAKER MIGHT NOT BE ALONE.
SINCE WE FOUND THAT ONE TRACK, I'VE NOTICED OTHER TRACKS.
I BELIEVE THERE ARE FAMILY GROUPS
DOWN THERE IN THE WOODS.
Narrator: DOYLE HOLMES MANAGED TO FIND A KEY PIECE OF EVIDENCE.
YET FOR THOSE ON THE HUNT,
IT ONLY WETS THE APPETITE
ON THE WAY TO PROVING THE FOUKE MONSTER LIVES.
I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO HAVE A SIGHTING MYSELF,
TO FIND THE FOUKE MONSTER.
THAT WOULD BE SORT OF THE HOLY GRAIL OF ALL THIS
IF YOU COULD SOMEHOW PROVE TO THE WORLD
THAT WHAT YOU'VE BEEN SPENDING YOUR TIME DOING --
THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING
THAT WOULD BE JUST ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
Narrator: THE FOUKE MONSTER REMAINS ELUSIVE,
BUT AT LEAST IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO HAVE HOMICIDAL TENDENCIES.
QUITE A DIFFERENT STORY IS THE CASE
OF A FRIGHTENING GOATMAN MONSTER...
...ONE THAT'S PLAGUED PARTS OF KENTUCKY
SOME 300 MILES TO THE EAST.
[ TRAIN HORN BLOWING ]
Narrator: LONG AGO,
THE RAILROADS CUT THROUGH FORESTS
AND BRIDGED ACROSS VALLEYS
TO REACH COAL COUNTRY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY.
IN JEFFERSON COUNTY,
WHERE THE POPE LICK CREEK RUNS THROUGH A NARROW GORGE,
THE RAILROADS BUILT A MASSIVE SPAN.
[ TRAIL HORN BLOWING ]
TRAINS STILL CROSS THE TRESTLE,
AND OVER THE YEARS,
DARK RUMORS HAVE GATHERED HERE --
RUMORS OF SOMETHING EVIL AND BLOODTHIRSTY.
THE LEGENDS GO BACK TO THE 1940s, THE 1950s,
SEVERAL GENERATIONS OF IT.
Trimble: WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT IT,
IT WAS, LIKE, A CREATURE CALLED THE GOATMAN.
HE KILLS PEOPLE, DRAGS THEM BACK INTO THE WOODS,
AND PEOPLE ARE NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN.
Fox: I CAN REMEMBER GOING TO SLUMBER PARTIES
WITH MY GIRLFRIENDS WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER
AND TALKING ABOUT THE STORY OF THE POPE LICK MONSTER.
AND IT WAS TERRIFYING.
[ TRAIN BELL RINGING ]
Bahm Rice: THE STORY LURED MORE PEOPLE OUT HERE,
AND THE MORE TEENAGERS AND YOUNG ADULTS THAT VENTURED OUT,
THE LONGER THE STORY GOT.
Hill: THIS RUMOR JUST PERSISTED,
AND KIDS HAD TO GO OUT AND SEE IT FOR THEMSELVES.
Fox: AS YOU DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD,
THERE'S THIS SORT OF ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE.
YOU HAVE TREES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ROAD.
THE CLOSER YOU GET, THE MORE SCARED YOU ARE,
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT'S THERE IN FRONT OF YOU,
THIS TOWERING AND TERRIFYING TRESTLE ABOVE YOU.
AND THEN YOU HAVE TO DECIDE
WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE GONNA CLIMB IT AND BE BRAVE.
Narrator: THE POPE LICK TRESTLE IS SCARY,
BUT FOR GENERATIONS, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
HAVE CLAIMED TO SEE SOMETHING EVEN SCARIER.
THIS HALF MAN, HALF GOAT THAT LIVED OUT THERE ON THE POPE LICK
HAD A RUSTY AX WITH HIM ALL THE TIME.
HE HAD HYPNOTIC EYES.
HE'D LURE KIDS UP ON TOP OF THE TRACK
AND THEN TRY AND KILL THEM.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
Larue: WHEN IT COMES TO THE IDEA
OF THESE LEGENDS OR MONSTERS IN THE WOODS,
IT JUST WASN'T REAL ENOUGH TO ME
TO BE ABLE TO PASS THOSE KINDS OF LEGENDS ON
TO MY CHILDREN AS REALITIES.
Narrator: MONSTERS THAT CREEP IN THE NIGHT
WERE THE LAST THINGS ON THE MIND OF SUE LARUE.
SHE HAD FOUR CHILDREN TO RAISE.
BY 1988, 17-YEAR-OLD J.C. AND HIS 15-YEAR-OLD SISTER, LEIGH,
WERE STILL AT HOME.
Bahm Rice: J.C. WAS A GREAT BIG BROTHER.
HE DEFENDED ME.
J.C.: HEY, LEIGH. WE PLAYED TOGETHER.
I WAS TWO YEARS YOUNGER THAN HE WAS,
SO, YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T LIKE HIM.
HE SMELLED, HE WAS A BOY, AND, YOU KNOW,
HE DIDN'T LIKE TO WEAR DRESSES OR PLAY WITH DOLLS.
SO, I LEARNED HOW TO PLAY A LOT IN THE YARD.
NOT BAD FOR A GIRL.
J.C. AND I HAD QUITE A LOT OF FUN.
Keisker: J.C. WAS A GREAT GUY.
HE WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR ANYBODY.
WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER,
ESPECIALLY THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL.
Narrator: ON A CHILLY EVENING IN FEBRUARY 1988,
J.C. AND CHRIS WERE HEADING OUT FOR A NIGHT WITH FRIENDS.
COME ON, GUYS.
Bahm Rice: THE LAST THING I REMEMBER,
J.C. AND CHRIS WERE HEADED OUT THE DOOR,
AND I ASKED J.C.
FOR THE $20 I HAD LOANED HIM A COUPLE OF WEEKS EARLIER.
AND HE KIND OF SHRUGGED ME OFF
AND SAID, "I'LL SEND IT TO YOU WHEN I GET TO PENSACOLA."
SO I, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GROWLED AT HIM
AS THEY WENT OUT THE DOOR.
THE LAST THING I REMEMBER SAYING TO J.C. WAS, "BYE, HONEY."
YOU KIDS HAVE A GOOD TIME.
"BUT BE CAREFUL."
[ OWL HOOTS ]
Narrator: IN RECENT WEEKS,
SUE HAD GROWN WORRIED FOR HER SON.
Larue: I DID HAVE A PREMONITION.
I HAVEN'T SHARED IT WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I THINK 'CAUSE IT SEEMED SO EERIE.
WHERE I WORK, THERE WAS A CHAPEL ON THE SECOND FLOOR.
AND I GOT ON MY KNEES, AND I PRAYED,
"GOD, PLEASE KEEP J.C. SAFE."
[ BELL TOLLS ]
Narrator: FOR J.C., HIS PROSPECTS LOOK BRIGHT.
HE HAD NO IDEA THE FUTURE WOULD INCLUDE
AN ENCOUNTER WITH A MONSTER.
I THINK WE WERE JUST DRIVING AROUND TOWN,
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO.
AND THEY WERE GOING OUT TO POPE LICK PARK.
I'VE LEARNED THAT THAT'S KIND OF A PARTY PLACE FOR TEENAGERS.
AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD
WAS POPE LICK WHERE THE TRESTLE WAS.
THE POPE LICK TRESTLE WAS BUILT IN THE 1880s.
IT'S 90 FEET TALL, 772 FEET LONG.
IT'S JUST TRACK AND TRESTLE, AND THAT'S IT.
THERE'S NOWHERE TO GO.
Narrator: THE PERFECT TRAP TO TERRORIZE THOSE
WITH THE MISFORTUNE OF ENTERING THE DOMAIN OF THE GOATMAN.
Hill: AS THE KIDS GO OUT THERE, MAYBE THEY DID SEE SOMETHING.
WHAT WOULD GET THEM UP THERE? WHAT WAS THE REASON?
[ TRAIN HORN BLOWING ]
Narrator: IN WESTERN KENTUCKY,
THERE'S AN OLD TRAIN TRESTLE OVER THE POPE LICK CREEK
THAT MANY BELIEVE IS GUARDED BY A MONSTER --
A GOATMAN THAT LURES TEENAGERS TO TRY CROSSING THE SPAN.
THE GIANT, HORNED GOAT -- HALF MAN, HALF BEAST --
IS AN ANCIENT IMAGE OF THE DEVIL ITSELF.
THE ORIGINS OF THE POPE LICK MONSTER
ARE MORE MURKY.
Hill: ONE STORY IS THAT THERE WAS
A CIRCUS TRAIN GOING THROUGH, AND LIGHTNING HIT IT.
[ THUNDER CRASHES ]
AND THE GOATMAN EMERGED OUT OF THAT.
ANOTHER WAS THAT THERE WAS
A FARMER WAY TOO FAMILIAR WITH HIS GOATS,
AND THEY BRED [CHUCKLES] THEY BRED A GOAT TOGETHER.
ANOTHER ONE MORE INTERESTING, ACTUALLY, IS,
A FARMER WAS MISTREATING HIS GOATS,
AND THEY CAME BACK AS A MAN
FOR REVENGE ON THE PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT THERE.
Narrator: THERE'S LITTLE DOUBT, HOWEVER,
ABOUT THE LEGEND'S HOLD ON TEENAGERS.
ON A FEBRUARY NIGHT IN 1988,
17-YEAR-OLD J.C. BAHM AND TWO FRIENDS
WERE ON THE POPE LICK ROAD...
NEAR THE RAILROAD TRESTLE.
J.C., KNOWING MORE ABOUT THE GOATMAN
THAN CHRIS AND THEIR FRIEND,
REALLY WANTED TO COME OUT HERE AND INVESTIGATE.
Keisker: AS WE WERE SITTING IN THE CAR,
YOU COULD SEE OUT THE WINDSHIELD THESE -- THESE TRESTLES.
Narrator: THEY WERE NOW IN EARSHOT OF THE MONSTER'S CALL.
A CREATURE RUMORED TO IMITATE VOICES,
HYPNOTIZE THE UNSUSPECTING,
AND ENTICE THEM TO CLIMB THE TRACKS.
HEY, THERE ARE THE TRAIN TRACKS.
WANT TO GO? COME ON, LET'S GO.
Keisker: AND HE GOT OUT OF THE CAR,
AND HE STARTED SAYING, "LET'S GO," AND...
LET'S GO.
Bahm Rice: THEY WERE DRAWN OUT HERE TO FIND IT
AND TO KNOW THE GOATMAN,
TO BE THE FIRST ONE IN TOWN TO HAVE SEEN THE GOATMAN.
Narrator: BY RISKING A CLIMB TO THE TRESTLE,
MANY BELIEVE THEY MUST'VE BEEN POSSESSED
IN A TRANCE BY THE MONSTER,
UNABLE TO NOTICE THE ONCOMING TRAIN CHARGING THEIR WAY.
[ WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY ]
J.C. WANTED TO WALK ACROSS THEM,
CLIMB UP ON ONE SIDE AND WALK TO THE OTHER SIDE.
AS WE WALKED OUT,
THE TIES GOT FURTHER AND FURTHER APART THE FURTHER OUT YOU GOT.
AS WE GOT FURTHER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TIES, YOU KNOW,
WAS INSTEAD OF 6 INCHES, IT WAS A FOOT, THEN IT WAS 2 FOOT,
AND YOU HAD TO STEP PRETTY FAR.
Hill: IT'S TERRIFYING TO GO UP THERE.
YOU'RE, LIKE, HALFWAY INTO THE CLOUDS.
JUST AHEAD OF YOU IS THIS NARROW TRACK AND NOTHING ELSE.
THERE'S A LARGE BEND THAT COMES AROUND THE CORNER UP THERE.
YOU COULD ALL OF A SUDDEN SEE THE TREES LIGHT UP...
[ TRAIN HORN BLOWING ]
...AS THE HEADLIGHT OF THE TRAIN STARTED TO COME,
AND YOU COULD SEE THE LIGHT.
AND AT THAT POINT, IT'S PROBABLY 3/4 OF A MILE AWAY.
YOU GUYS HEAR SOMETHING?
AND SOMEBODY SAID, "OH [BLEEP] THERE'S A TRAIN."
TRAIN!
ONCE WE SAW THE TRAIN, IT HAPPENED SO QUICKLY.
IT WAS THERE SO FAST.
[ TRAIN HORN BLOWS ]
YOU DIDN'T REALLY HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT
ANYTHING OTHER THAN GETTING OUT OF THE WAY.
YOU DIDN'T MAKE IT VERY FAR
BEFORE YOU DECIDED TO GO OVER THE EDGE.
[ TRAIN HORN BLOWING ]
[ SCREAMS ]
Narrator: MIRACULOUSLY,
CHRIS AND THE OTHER TEENAGER SURVIVED.
AS FOR J.C., HE LOST OUT TO THE MONSTER AND THE TRAIN.
HIS BROKEN BODY WAS FOUND FURTHER UP THE TRACKS.
Bahm Rice: J.C. WALKED OUT LOOKING FOR THE GOATMAN HIMSELF,
AND THE TRAIN CAME AROUND THE CORNER.
IT WAS A FARCE. IT WAS A TRICK.
AND THE SPIRIT OF THE GOATMAN GOT HIM.
[ CICADAS CHIRPING ]
THE DOORBELL RANG, AND I JUMPED UP OUT OF BED,
AND THE FIRST THING THAT WENT THROUGH MY MIND WAS,
"DARN IT, J.C.'s FORGOTTEN HIS KEY AGAIN."
I GOT UP AND WENT OUT TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR HIM.
THE POLICE CHAPLAIN WAS STANDING THERE.
HE SAID, "I'M SORRY."
[ CRYING ]
YOU CAN'T...
YOU ONLY IMAGINE THAT MOMENT.
THERE'S JUST NOTHING WORSE.
THERE'S BEEN AT LEAST THREE DEATHS ON THE POPE LICK TRESTLE,
TWO OF THEM IN THE 1980s,
ANOTHER ONE IN MORE MODERN TIMES IN 2000.
Narrator: FOR GENERATIONS,
THE MONSTER'S LEGEND HAS WORKED LIKE BAIT.
AND TRAGICALLY, YOUNG PEOPLE RESPOND.
I MADE IT MY CALLING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE GOATMAN WAS
AND WHERE HE WAS AND WHAT IT WAS THAT J.C. HAD SAW.
I WANTED TO PUT THE PUZZLE PIECES TOGETHER.
Narrator: WITHOUT TELLING HER MOM,
LEIGH CLIMBED THE HILL AT POPE LICK,
GAMBLING THAT SHE COULD TAKE ON
THE MONSTER THAT KILLED HER BROTHER.
Bahm Rice: AS I WALKED OUT ON THE TRESTLE, I FELT FEAR,
YET MY CURIOSITY CONTINUED TO PUSH ME.
I WANTED TO SEE WHAT J.C. SAW.
I WANTED TO FIND THE GOATMAN FOR HIM.
Narrator: IN WESTERN KENTUCKY,
THE TRAIN TRESTLE OVER POPE LICK CREEK
IS SAID TO BE THE LAIR OF A GOATMAN MONSTER.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN'T EXPLAIN
WHY 17-YEAR-OLD J.C. BAHM WAS SO DETERMINED TO CROSS THE SPAN.
[ TRAIN HORN BLOWING ]
[ SCREAMS ]
IN THE WAKE OF HIS DEATH,
HIS SISTER LEIGH DECIDED TO SEE IF SHE COULD FIND THE MONSTER.
Bahm Rice: I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE GOATMAN,
AND I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT J.C. WAS LOOKING FOR.
I DID CLIMB THE HILL.
I CLIMBED ABOUT 1/4 WAY OUT ON THE TRACKS.
I WAS FROZEN.
I FELT FEAR, BUT MY CURIOSITY CONTINUED TO LEAD ME OUT.
Narrator: LEIGH SURVIVED THE ORDEAL,
AND IT BROUGHT HER CLOSER TO THE TRUTH ABOUT THE MONSTER.
YET EVEN TODAY, SHE RELIVES THE FEAR ANYTIME SHE'S CLOSE.
OH, WOW. EXCUSE ME A MINUTE. I...
OH, GOD, THAT'S IT, THAT'S IT, THAT'S IT.
THAT'S A TRAIN.
YOU FEEL IT.
I'VE BEEN OUT HERE NUMEROUS TIMES.
I'VE YET TO SEE THE GOATMAN, BUT I DON'T GIVE UP HOPE
THAT MAYBE SOMEWHERE SOMEHOW
HE LIVES UNDER THE BRIDGE OUT HERE.
Larue: I THINK IT'S CERTAINLY A POSSIBILITY THAT
SOMETHING LIVES UP THERE
THAT LURES THE TEENAGERS, THAT ENCOURAGES THEM.
IS IT A GOATMAN?
I DON'T KNOW.
BUT SOMETHING ATTRACTS THE TEENAGERS,
AND I DIDN'T SEE THAT BACK THEN.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
Narrator: THE FORESTS OF THE OZARKS HOLD MANY SECRETS.
BUT NOT ALL OF THEM ARE LURKING IN DARKNESS.
IN ONE PLACE,
THE DARKNESS IS OVERCOME BY AN UNEXPLAINABLE LIGHT,
AN INCANDESCENCE THAT SEEMS BORN OF MAGIC.
NEAR MISSOURI'S BORDER WITH OKLAHOMA,
THERE'S A LONELY COUNTRY ROAD THAT'S BEEN THE SCENE
OF AN OZARK MYSTERY GOING BACK TO THE 1860s.
A PLACE WHERE A GLOWING ORB CALLED THE SPOOKLIGHT
SUDDENLY APPEARS FROM NOWHERE.
Bates: PEOPLE HAVE SEEN IT IN HOT SUMMER NIGHTS.
PEOPLE HAVE SEEN IT IN, YOU KNOW,
IN THE MIDDLE OF A, YOU KNOW, TORNADO.
BUT ON A GOOD NIGHT,
YOU MAY SEE IT TWO OR THREE TIMES
IN A FOUR- OR FIVE-HOUR PERIOD.
Woman: WAS OVER -- YEAH.
IT HAS A TENDENCY TO DISAPPEAR.
ONE MINUTE, YOU'RE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD,
AND IT'S IN FRONT OF YOU, AND YOU PEAK THIS ONE SMALL HILL,
AND YOU TURN AROUND, AND IT'S BEHIND YOU NOW.
WE WERE ACTUALLY LOOKING TOWARDS THE WEST,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,
SOMEBODY SAYS, "HEY, IT'S RIGHT BEHIND US."
SO, IT KIND OF SNUCK AROUND
AND CAME UP BEHIND US, HENCE THE SPOOKLIGHT.
Miller: HOW CAN A BALL OF LIGHT BE AT ONE PLACE
AND THEN WITHIN A FRACTION OF TWO SECONDS BE BEHIND YOU?
BAM.
Carver: AND WE WATCHED IT TURN COLORS AND MOVE.
AND THE WHOLE TIME, YOU'RE THINKING,
"HOW DOES -- HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?"
Narrator: THERE'S NO DOUBT WITNESSES ARE SEEING SOMETHING.
EXPLAINING IT IS HARDER.
THROUGH THE YEARS,
THEORIES ABOUT THE SPOOKLIGHT HAVE COME AND GONE.
Bates: IN THE '60s, POPULAR MECHANICS DID AN INVESTIGATION
AROUND THE LIGHTS FROM ROUTE 66
BOUNCING OFF THE CLOUDS, BASICALLY, AND BACK DOWN
ONTO THIS ROAD THAT KIND OF SITS PARALLEL WITH IT.
Narrator: RESEARCHERS HAVE TRIED
TRACKING CAR HEADLIGHTS FROM VARIOUS ROADWAYS
WITHOUT MUCH LUCK.
AND AS RESIDENTS POINT OUT,
THE SPOOKLIGHT WAS SEEN HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO
BEFORE THERE WERE CARS.
SPECULATION HAS RUN THE GAMUT FROM THE DEVIL TO UFOs.
Miller: ONE OF THE LEGENDS WAS THAT IT HAD TO DO WITH
TWO NATIVE AMERICANS THAT WERE FROM DIFFERENT TRIBES
THAT WEREN'T ALLOWED TO GET MARRIED.
Bates: AND THE CHIEF KILLS THE OTHER ONE,
AND THE LIGHT IS BASICALLY HIS SOUL
THAT'S GOING AROUND, LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, HIS FAMILY.
Carver: THE LEGENDS GET PASSED ON.
IT'S JUST -- IT'S JUST WHAT FAMILIES DO.
YOU TELL YOUR CHILDREN, AND YOUR CHILDREN TELL THEIR CHILDREN,
AND IT JUST KEEPS IT ALIVE.
THE OZARKS ARE RICH WITH THIS HISTORY
BECAUSE THE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME.
Narrator: JULIE CROCKETT CARVER KNOWS MORE THAN A FEW THINGS
ABOUT LEGEND AND LORE.
I AM A DESCENDENT OF DAVY CROCKETT.
I BELIEVE THAT THE DAVY CROCKETT STRENGTH AND SPIRIT
IS VERY STRONG IN OUR FAMILY.
Narrator: JULIE FOUND AN UNUSUAL WAY
TO TAP INTO THAT STRENGTH AND SPIRIT.
TEAMING UP WITH AN OLD FRIEND
UNEXPECTEDLY PUT THEM BOTH ON A PATH
TO ENCOUNTERING THE MAGIC OF THE SPOOKLIGHT.
BUT THAT ONE ON THE EDGE RIGHT HERE...
Miller: I REALLY WANTED TO SEE IT
BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT THIS PHENOMENON,
THIS LIGHT, BALL OF LIGHT THAT DANCES ACROSS,
AND I REALLY WANTED TO SEE THAT SO BAD.
Narrator: FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN THE OZARKS...
PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED
A MYSTERIOUS BUT UNEXPLAINABLE BALL OF LIGHT IN THE SKY.
IN MAY OF 2009,
DEBBIE MILLER PERSUADED HER FRIEND JULIE CARVER
TO SEARCH FOR THE SPOOKLIGHT.
THE ADVENTURE WAS JUST WHAT JULIE NEEDED.
I WAS BEDRIDDEN FOR A LONG TIME AND DIDN'T GET OUT.
DEBBIE WAS ALWAYS CALLING,
AND SHE WAS A BIG PART OF, "LET'S GO DO THIS."
Miller: HI.
"YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE UP SOME TIME HERE."
Narrator: ON A WARM SPRING DAY,
DEBBIE, JULIE, AND JULIE'S DAUGHTER
SET OUT INTO THE OZARK COUNTRYSIDE.
IT WAS KIND OF CONFUSING HOW TO GET THERE
'CAUSE IT'S A LOT OF BACK ROADS AND WINDING ROADS,
AND WE HAD GOTTEN LOST.
AND WE WERE ON ONE OF THE BACK ROADS.
[ DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE ]
Carver: AND AS IT GOT DARKER,
THE WOODS KIND OF TOOK ON A LIFE OF THEIR OWN.
[ DOG BARKING ]
Miller: AND THERE WAS A PACK OF DOGS.
THERE HAD TO HAVE BEEN AT LEAST SIX, SEVEN, MAYBE MORE DOGS,
AND WE THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY WEIRD.
[ DOGS BARKING ]
WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
[ DOG WHIMPERS ]
GOSH! Carver: THEY'RE ALL OVER!
[ BARKING CONTINUES ]
WELL, LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE GONE.
I AM NOT GOING OUT THERE.
Carver: WE WERE SITTING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD,
AND WE WERE GETTING HOT.
AND I WAS ACTUALLY A LITTLE LEERY OF ROLLING MY WINDOW DOWN
JUST BECAUSE I HAD THIS FEELING
SOMETHING WOULD CREEP UP AND GET ME.
I AM NOT GETTING OUT.
AT FIRST, WE WERE KIND OF APPREHENSIVE.
COME ON. I DON'T WANT TO GO.
YOU KNOW, THREE WOMEN ALONE ON A DESERTED ROAD.
IT'S DARK.
THERE'S NO STREETLIGHTS.
AND IT'S JUST --
IT SENDS THE HAIRS ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK STANDING UP.
[ ANIMAL HOWLING IN DISTANCE ]
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, ALL THE ANIMALS IN THE FOREST
JUST STARTED GETTING REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOUD --
I MEAN, SUPER LOUD.
OH, MY GOD.
AND IT JUST KEPT GETTING LOUDER AND LOUDER,
AND WE WERE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER LIKE,
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
Narrator: JUST WHEN THE SOUNDS THAT NIGHT WERE GETTING STRANGE,
WHAT APPEARED BEFORE THEIR EYES WAS EVEN STRANGER.
THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF FIREFLIES FLYING ALL AROUND.
[ CICADAS CHIRPING ]
Carver: IT WAS THE MOST UNUSUAL THING.
IT LOOKED LIKE A CURTAIN OF LIGHTNING BUGS.
I SAID, "LOOK AT ALL THESE FIREFLIES.
I'VE NEVER SEEN SO MANY."
THEY WERE LINED DOWN THE ROAD.
Narrator: THEY'D COME ALL THIS WAY,
BUT WOULD THE SPOOKLIGHT MAKE AN APPEARANCE?
Miller: WELL, WE WAITED FOR HOURS
AND HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS.
AND THEN AS WE LOOKED DOWN THE ROAD,
THAT WAS WHEN THE SPOOKLIGHT APPEARED TO US IN A BALL.
OH, MY GOSH, THERE'S THE SPOOKLIGHT!
DEBBIE'S LIKE, "THAT'S IT!"
Miller: OH, MY GOSH!
OH!
TO SEE THIS BALL OF LIGHT...
AND WATCH IT DANCE, IT'S EXCITING.
IT'S EXHILARATING.
YOUR HEART IS PUMPING REALLY FAST.
AND YOU NEVER CAN GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE SPOOKLIGHT
TO REALLY SEE WHAT IT REALLY IS.
Narrator: RECENTLY, JULIE AND DEBBIE CAME OUT AGAIN
TO TRY TO GET CLOSE TO THE SPOOKLIGHT.
LOOKS LIKE IT'S PULSATING OUT.
TILL YOU ARE STANDING THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT ROAD
AND IT GETS DARK...
...AND YOU'RE FEELING VULNERABLE,
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,
YOU SEE THIS LIGHT THAT YOU CANNOT EXPLAIN,
IT MAKES YOU FEEL SO SMALL IN THE BIG SCHEME OF THINGS.
IT'S AN AMAZING FEELING.
I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW
THAT THE SPOOKLIGHT IS NOT A SPOOF.
IT'S REAL.
YOU REALLY HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT.
THE ENTIRE CULTURE IN THE OZARKS IS ALL ABOUT STORIES.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ] SOMETHING'S GOING ON.
SOMETHING'S UNEXPLAINED --
SOME TYPE OF PARANORMAL GHOST MONSTER,
WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.
Holmes: THERE ARE THINGS OUT THERE THAT EXIST
THAT WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE.
EVERY TIME YOU HAVE AN ENCOUNTER
WITH SOMETHING THAT YOU DID NOT THINK WAS REAL
REALLY MAKES YOU WONDER ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE BEEN TOLD
ABOUT THE REALITY OF LIVING HERE ON THIS WORLD.