Narrator: GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATIONS SPARKED BY A NEW THEORY
ABOUT BIGFOOT --
ARE THEY FROM SPACE?
MAYBE THE AIR FORCE FOUND THINGS
THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT US TO KNOW.
[ CREATURE ROARS ]
Narrator: A "MONSTERS AND MYSTERIES" EXCLUSIVE.
BROADCAST FOR THE FIRST TIME,
A DIVER TRAPPED UNDERWATER
BY AMERICA'S OWN LOCH NESS MONSTER.
Breault: IT THREW ME AROUND. I WAS ENGULFED.
THIS THING WAS POWERFUL.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
Narrator: IN THE LOUISIANA SWAMPS,
ATTACKED BY A MAN-WOLF MONSTER.
[ GROWLS ]
WHEN THIS THING STARTED EMERGING FROM THE GRASS,
MY HEART JUST STOPPED BEATING, AND THEN I JUST FROZE.
[ GROWLS ]
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator: IN PENNSYLVANIA, PRESQUE ISLE STATE PARK
IS A SEVEN-MILE LONG SPUR JUTTING INTO LAKE ERIE.
IN THE 1960s, AN ENCOUNTER AT THIS REMOTE RECREATION SETTING
REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING
IN THE ANNALS OF AMERICAN MONSTERS.
AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
OF INVESTIGATING HUNDREDS OF BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS,
WHY, BY NOW, DON'T WE HAVE MORE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE,
OR, IN FACT, A BODY?
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator: FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY ACROSS NORTH AMERICA,
PEOPLE HAVE INSISTED THEY'VE SEEN THE GIANT, HAIRY BIPED
KNOWN AS BIGFOOT.
MANY BELIEVE THIS CREATURE IS CRYPTID --
A BIOLOGICAL MANIMAL THAT'S EVADED POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION.
THERE'S RARELY EVER ANY PROOF.
I MEAN, NO MATTER HOW RARE AN ANIMAL IS,
WE HAVE SKELETAL REMAINS.
BUT WITH BIGFOOT, IT JUST HASN'T HAPPENED.
Narrator: IN THE EARLY 1970s,
A CLUSTER OF UNUSUAL SIGHTINGS
PAINTED A MUCH DIFFERENT PICTURE.
A NEW IDEA ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF BIGFOOT EMERGED.
PEOPLE WERE REPORTING UFO SIGHTINGS AND BIGFOOT CREATURES
AT THE SAME TIME AND PLACE.
Narrator: STRANGE BEAMS OF LIGHT IN THE SKY,
HULKING, HAIRY BEASTS ON THE GROUND.
Gordon: SOME OF THOSE CASES BEGAN TO SUGGEST
THAT THERE MAY BE MORE TO THE BIGFOOT PHENOMENA
THAN A FLESH-AND-BLOOD EXPLANATION.
Narrator: THE NEW EVIDENCE MIGHT SHED LIGHT
ON BIGFOOT'S FREQUENT DISAPPEARING ACT.
PEOPLE HAVE SHOT AT THEM WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF WEAPONS,
AND IN NO CASE DID ANYBODY BRING ONE DOWN,
AND IT DISAPPEARS IN A FLASH OF LIGHT.
Narrator: EVENTS AT PRESQUE ISLE, PENNSYLVANIA,
WOULD ENTIRELY CHANGE THE NOTION OF BIGFOOT.
Kinney: I WAS JUST A KID WHEN ALL THE UFO-BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS
FROM PRESQUE ISLE WERE IN THE NEWS.
EVERYBODY IN TOWN WAS TALKING ABOUT IT,
IT WAS ON THE TELEVISION, RADIO NEWS, IN THE NEWSPAPER.
IT WAS EVERYWHERE.
Narrator: DURING THE 1960s,
THE SPACE RACE WAS CAPTIVATING THE ATTENTION
OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
IN THE SUMMER OF 1966,
THE ASTRONAUTS OF GEMINI X SPLASHED DOWN SUCCESSFULLY
OFF OF CAPE CANAVERAL.
AROUND THIS SAME TIME, ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ERIE,
FOUR FRIENDS WERE ABOUT TO ENCOUNTER
AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BREED OF SPACE TRAVELER.
ON JULY 30, 1966,
GERALD LABELLE AND THREE FRIENDS -- BETTY, ANITA, AND DOUG --
HEADED OUT TO PRESQUE ISLE STATE PARK
TO ESCAPE THE SUMMER HEAT.
Labelle: WE DECIDED TO GET THE GIRLS
AND GO UP THERE AND HAVE A PICNIC AT PRESQUE ISLE.
WE WENT SWIMMING FOR AN HOUR OR TWO.
Narrator: AS THE SUN WAS SETTING,
THEY DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO HEAD HOME.
ONE, TWO, THREE --
All: GOOD DAY! [ LAUGHTER ]
OH, WE'RE SPINNING, WE'RE SPINNING. COME ON.
DOUG TRIED TO START THE CAR AND PULL OFF THE SAND.
WHEN HE WENT TO TAKE OFF, THE WHEELS JUST SPUN
AND THE CAR JUST DROPPED RIGHT STRAIGHT DOWN ONTO THE SAND.
YOU KIDDING ME?
ALL RIGHT, COME ON. YOU GUYS READY?
DOUG, YOU READY? THREE, TWO, ONE --
PUSH!
OKAY. WE'RE STUCK.
Labelle: SO, HAVING NO WAY OUT,
I HITCHED A RIDE INTO ERIE TO FIND A TOW TRUCK.
BACK AS SOON AS I CAN.
OKAY. HURRY!
THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE COMING DOWN TO PRESQUE ISLE FOR A PICNIC
THAT DAY HAD NO IDEA THAT THEIR LIVES WERE ABOUT TO CHANGE
AS THEY ENTERED INTO AN AREA OF SOME VERY STRANGE PHENOMENA.
HE'S NOT COMING BACK.
Narrator: WITH GERALD OFF TO GET HELP,
BETTY, ANITA, AND DOUG WERE LEFT TO WAIT.
AS DARKNESS FELL, THE NIGHT SKY SEEMED REMARKABLY CLEAR.
MY DAD'S GONNA KILL ME.
Swope: WHILE THEY WERE SITTING WAITING FOR THE TOW TRUCK TO COME...
[ WHIRRING ]
HEY, WHAT'S THAT?
...THEY NOTICED A FALLING STAR OVER THE LAKE.
AND IT WAS GETTING BRIGHTER AND BRIGHTER.
THEY NOTICED THAT IT WAS AN OCTAGONAL SHAPE
THAT WAS GLOWING PURPLE AND BLUE WITH A HOLLOW CENTER.
AND THEN THEY SAW, AS IT CAME CLOSER,
IT WAS MORE OF A MUSHROOM SHAPE.
IT LANDED BEHIND THE TREE LINE WITHOUT A THUD,
BUT THERE WAS SOME SORT OF VIBRATION THAT EMITTED.
WHOA! OH, GOD!
WHAT IS GOING ON? WAS THAT YOU?
WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR CAR?
WASN'T ME.
OH, MY... OH, MY...
Narrator: IN THE MOMENTS IT TOOK THE GROUP TO FATHOM WHAT THEY SAW,
A PARK OFFICER ARRIVED.
STAY IN THE CAR, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
Labelle: POLICEMAN COME DOWN,
BECAUSE EVIDENTLY THEY HAD SEEN SOMETHING OR HEARD SOMETHING.
DOUG, HE TOLD HIM WHAT HE HAD SEEN.
DOUG AND THE OFFICER WENT DOWN THE BEACH AREA,
TOWARDS WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS THE FLYING SAUCER.
Narrator: NOW THE YOUNG WOMEN WERE BY THEMSELVES,
WONDERING WHAT WAS HAPPENING DOWN AT THE BEACH.
[ BRANCHES SNAPPING ]
A TREE BRANCH BREAKING GOT THEIR ATTENTION.
THEN THEY SAW LIGHT.
Swope: SPOTLIGHTS CAME OUT FROM THE TREES,
SEARCHING THE AREA.
Narrator: AND WHAT THEY SAW NEXT WAS UNBELIEVABLE.
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
[ GASPS ]
THEY SAW SOMETHING COMING FROM THE WOODS --
A LARGE, DARK HUMANOID, SEVEN FOOT TALL.
AS IT GOT CLOSER,
IT LOOKED TO BE LIKE A BIGFOOT-TYPE CREATURE.
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
CASES WHERE UFO SIGHTING OCCURS IN ONE AREA,
SHORT TIME LATER, BIGFOOT SHOWS UP --
THIS TYPE OF PHENOMENA HAS BEEN REPORTED,
BUT IT'S NOT THAT WELL-KNOWN.
THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS AND WHAT HIS INTENTIONS WERE.
THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO EXCEPT SCREAM.
[ GIRLS SCREAMING ]
[ HORN BLARES ]
Labelle: BETTY WAS HONKING THE HORN
TO GET SOMEBODY'S ATTENTION --
TO COME BACK TO THE CAR, YOU KNOW?
[ SCREAMING CONTINUES ]
THEN HE CAME DOWN TO THE CAR.
HE HIT THE CAR ROOF AND PUT A COUPLE DENTS IN IT.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
[ POUNDING ]
[ HORN BLARING ]
OH, GOD...
Doug: BETTY!
Swope: BY THE TIME THAT THE POLICE OFFICERS
AND THEIR FRIEND CAME BACK,
THERE WAS NOTHING THERE EXCEPT THE EVIDENCE --
LARGE SCRATCHES ON THE CAR.
Narrator: THE CREATURE AND THE CRAFT
WERE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.
GERALD LABELLE HAD LEFT HIS FRIENDS HOURS EARLIER
TO FIND A TOW TRUCK IN TOWN.
Labelle: WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE PARK,
IT WAS ABOUT MIDNIGHT,
AND THERE WAS ALL THESE POLICE CARS AROUND THERE.
THEY DID HAVE SHOTGUNS AND RIFLES AND AUTOMATIC WEAPONS,
SO WHEN I SEEN ALL THE WEAPONS THERE, I THOUGHT,
"MY GOD, WHAT IS IT, A WAR GOING ON HERE?"
Swope: IN THE SAME EVENING,
THERE WAS EIGHT OTHER INDIVIDUALS
WHO SAW THE UFO COMING.
THEY ALL SAW A GIANT, SILVERY, GLOWING OBJECT
THAT TRAVELED FROM THE NORTHWEST,
ACROSS THE CITY OF ERIE, AND OVER TO THE PENINSULA,
FINALLY TILL LANDING AT BEACH 6.
Narrator: GERALD AND HIS FRIENDS
WERE QUESTIONED OVERNIGHT AT THE RANGER STATION
AND SENT HOME EARLY THE NEXT MORNING.
THEY WOULDN'T LET US GO DOWN TO THE BEACH.
THEY BROUGHT THE CAR UP TO THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING.
THAT'S WHERE WE TOOK OFF FROM.
Narrator: WHILE THE GROUP HEADED HOME TO SLEEP,
THE INVESTIGATION AT THE BEACH WAS JUST BEGINNING.
THE SCENE ON THE BEACH THE NEXT MORNING WAS CHAOTIC.
Gordon: YOU HAD THE AIR FORCE OFFICIALLY INVESTIGATING THE CASE,
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT,
THE NATIONAL INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE ON AERIAL PHENOMENA.
THEY PHOTOGRAPHED THE AREA
TO DOCUMENT ANY TYPE OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.
THEY USED RADIATION METERS TO TRY TO CHECK AND SEE
IF THERE WAS ANY UNUSUAL RADIATION LEVELS.
THEY DID A VERY, VERY DETAILED STUDY.
Narrator: LOCALS QUICKLY GOT WIND
OF SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENING AT THE SHORE.
Kinney: MY MOTHER WAS TALKING ABOUT IT
THE MORNING AFTER THE INCIDENT HAPPENED.
ONE OF THE NEIGHBORS HAD TOLD HER.
WE TOOK A DRIVE OUT THERE
TO JUST SEE IF WE COULD SEE ANYTHING.
STRANGEST THING I SAW WAS A FOOTPRINT --
ONE, SINGLE, SOLITARY FOOTPRINT.
IT LOOKED SIMILAR TO A BEAR OR HUMAN FOOTPRINT.
I'VE NEVER SEEN A FOOTPRINT LIKE THAT BEFORE.
YOU HAVE WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SOLID CREATURE
SEEN AT CLOSE RANGE.
THERE'S PHYSICAL FOOTPRINTS IN THE AREA,
AND THEY JUST SUDDENLY STOP AND DISAPPEAR
WHERE THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE FOOTPRINTS.
JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
Narrator: THE HAIRY APE-MAN CALLED BIGFOOT
IS RUMORED TO LURK IN FORESTS ACROSS AMERICA.
THOUSANDS OF SIGHTINGS, ZERO HARD EVIDENCE.
SOME SAY THE CREATURE IS A HUMAN HYBRID.
OTHERS BELIEVE IT'S A RELIC APE.
NOW AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THEORY HAS EMERGED.
Gordon: THERE'S MORE TO THE BIGFOOT PHENOMENA THAN WE UNDERSTAND.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A NON-PHYSICAL ASPECT
TO SOME OF THESE PHENOMENA WE'RE DEALING WITH.
Narrator: COULD BIGFOOT'S ORIGINS
BE EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN NATURE?
CLUES IN THE HISTORICAL RECORD MAY POINT TO THE POSSIBILITY.
NATIVE-AMERICAN STORIES
RECORD THE ARRIVAL OF THE CRAZY BEARS --
HUGE, HAIRY MANIMALS
WHO SUPPOSEDLY DESCENDED TO EARTH INSIDE A SMALL MOON,
WHICH DEPOSITED THEM AND THEN ROSE BACK INTO THE SKY.
BY THE LATE 1960s,
THE OUTER-SPACE ORIGINS OF BIGFOOT
WAS STARTING TO RECEIVE SERIOUS DISCUSSION,
SPURRED IN PART BY AN INCIDENT IN 1966
AT PRESQUE ISLE, PENNSYLVANIA.
THAT ENCOUNTER BECAME PART OF A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION --
PROJECT BLUE BOOK, KEPT UNDER WRAPS FOR MANY YEARS.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
Gordon: PROJECT BLUE BOOK, THE OFFICIAL UFO INVESTIGATION,
WAS TAKING A SERIOUS LOOK, DURING THAT TIME,
OF THE UFO PHENOMENA,
AND THEY DID SOME VERY, VERY DETAILED INVESTIGATION
OF SOME OF THESE CASES.
Kinney: FOR THE AIR FORCE TO BE INVOLVED THE WAY THEY WERE,
IT'S OBVIOUS THEY TOOK THE WHOLE CASE VERY SERIOUSLY.
Narrator: DECLASSIFIED OVER 40 YEARS AGO,
THE AIR FORCE'S UFO INVESTIGATION,
PROJECT BLUE BOOK,
NOW PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO THE MYSTERIOUS MONSTER.
Gordon: PROJECT BLUE BOOK LOOKED INTO 12,618 UFO INCIDENTS,
OF WHICH 701 REMAIN UNEXPLAINED,
AND THE PRESQUE ISLE CASE
IS ONE OF THOSE IN THE "UNEXPLAINED" CATEGORY.
THEY'D GO OUT, INTERVIEW WITNESSES,
GATHER INFORMATION,
THEN FORWARD ALL THAT INFORMATION ON SIGHTINGS
TO WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE,
WHICH WAS WHERE PROJECT BLUE BOOK WAS HEADQUARTERED.
THEY RULE OUT SATELLITES, BALLOONS,
YOU KNOW, LIGHTS ON AIRCRAFTS, METEORS.
THEY ELIMINATE ALL THE NORMAL POSSIBILITIES.
AND THEN, WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO IT,
THE DATA INDICATES THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE
THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION FOR.
WHAT THAT UNKNOWN CATEGORY IS
STILL REMAINS OPEN FOR A LOT OF SPECULATION.
Narrator: AFTER THE INITIAL MILITARY RESPONSE,
SHROUDED WITH SO MUCH SECRECY,
GERALD LABELLE WENT BACK TO THE BEACH
TO INVESTIGATE FOR HIMSELF.
Labelle: MONTHS LATER,
I WENT BACK TO LOOK AT THE BEACH
AND FOUND THAT THE TREE INVOLVED IN THE SIGHTING WAS GONE.
IT WASN'T BROKEN. IT WASN'T LAYING ON THE GROUND.
IT WASN'T ROTTED OUT. IT WAS GONE.
THE WHOLE THING WAS GONE, ROOTS AND ALL --
THE WHOLE TREE.
BROKEN PART AND THE STUMP.
MAYBE THE AIR FORCE FOUND THINGS
THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT US TO KNOW.
Narrator: GERALD AND HIS FRIENDS
MAY NEVER FIND AN EXPLANATION FOR THEIR STRANGE ENCOUNTER.
Labelle: GOING INTO THAT EVENING,
WE JUST THOUGHT WE WAS GONNA HAVE FUN.
WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WE WAS GOING TO GET INTO.
BETTY, SHE DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
DOUG PASSED AWAY ABOUT THREE YEARS AFTER THIS HAPPENED.
AND THEN ANITA -- SHE JUST DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT.
REALLY, IT IS SOMETHING THAT I AIN'T GONNA FORGET.
Narrator: A UFO IN THE SKY AND A BIGFOOT ON THE GROUND.
COULD IT HAVE BEEN JUST A COINCIDENCE?
A FEW YEARS AFTER THE ENCOUNTER ON PRESQUE ISLE,
A LARGE, HAIRY BEAST WITH ALLEGED UFO ORIGINS
MADE ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS APPEARANCE
IN THE KEYSTONE STATE.
200 MILES SOUTH OF PRESQUE ISLE,
THE TINY COMMUNITY OF OHIOPYLE, PENNSYLVANIA,
SITS IN THE MOUNTAINS, SURROUNDED BY WILDERNESS.
SOME BELIEVE THERE ARE CERTAIN GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS
THAT PROVIDE A GATEWAY FOR THESE ENTITIES
TO ENTER AND DEPART FROM OUR PHYSICAL WORLD.
Lewis: LIKE OTHER PARANORMAL HOTSPOTS AROUND THE WORLD,
YOU JUST GET A FEELING THAT THERE'S SOMETHING HERE --
SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.
Narrator: ON FEBRUARY 6, 1974,
A RESIDENT, MRS. HAMM, WAS ENJOYING A PEACEFUL EVENING.
ACCUSTOMED TO LIVING OUT IN NATURE,
SHE WAS PREPARED TO FEND OFF WILD CREATURES.
SHE NEVER EXPECTED SHE WOULD COME FACE-TO-FACE
WITH SOMETHING EXTRATERRESTRIAL.
MRS. HAMM LIVES DEEP IN THE WOODS
UP IN FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
AND IT'S AROUND 10:00 OR SO THAT EVENING,
AND SHE'S SITTING IN HER CABIN HOME
WHEN SHE BEGINS TO HEAR SOME COMMOTION ON HER PORCH.
SO, MRS. HAMM FIGURES
THIS PACK OF WILD DOGS HAD COME BACK TO THE AREA,
SO SHE DECIDES TO LOAD ONE CHAMBER OF HER 16-GAUGE SHOTGUN
TO SCARE THE DOGS AWAY.
[ GROWLS ]
THERE'S NO DOGS THERE WHERE SHE EXPECTED,
BUT JUST A FEW FEET AWAY IN FRONT OF HER,
SHE'S STARTLED BY THIS CREATURE WITH EYES LIKE COALS OF FIRE.
Narrator: MRS. HAMM COULD NOT BELIEVE HER EYES.
IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT SHE WAS DEALING WITH SOMETHING
THAT WAS NOT FROM THIS WORLD.
[ ROARS ]
Narrator: THE ELUSIVE BIGFOOT.
IN THE LATE 1960s, ITS SUDDEN APPEARANCE IN RURAL PENNSYLVANIA
WAS TERRORIZING RESIDENTS.
ADDING TO THE MYSTERY,
THE ENCOUNTERS OCCURRED SIMULTANEOUSLY
WITH UFO SIGHTINGS,
LEADING SOME TO BELIEVE
THAT BIGFOOT IS ACTUALLY AN ALIEN ASTRONAUT.
LATE ONE JULY NIGHT IN 1966,
IN THE REMOTE PENNSYLVANIA WOODS,
A WOMAN IDENTIFIED ONLY AS MRS. HAMM
HEARD STRANGE NOISES COMING FROM HER FRONT PORCH
AND GRABBED HER SHOTGUN TO INVESTIGATE.
[ GROWLS ]
Gordon: WHEN MRS. HAMM SAW THE CREATURE,
HER FIRST THOUGHT WAS,
"THIS THING IS GONNA LUNGE ON ME."
[ ROARS ]
MRS. HAMM FIRED DIRECTLY INTO THE CREATURE.
THERE'S THIS BRIGHT FLASH OF LIGHT,
AND THE CREATURE DISAPPEARS RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER.
Narrator: HEARING THE SHOTS,
HER SON-IN-LAW RAN OUTSIDE TO HELP.
Gordon: HER SON-IN-LAW TOM LIVED NEARBY.
HE GRABBED HIS .22 REVOLVER AND BEGAN TO RUN TOWARDS THE HOUSE.
[ GROWLING ]
Narrator: HE FOUND HIMSELF SURROUNDED
BY SEVERAL MENACING MONSTERS.
HE DROPS HIS FLASHLIGHT, STARTS FIRING RANDOMLY.
HE WANTED TO GET EVIDENCE AND BRING ONE OF THESE THINGS DOWN,
BUT THEY WEREN'T NOWHERE TO BE SEEN AT THAT POINT.
AND AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME,
HE'S NOTICING THIS STRANGE LIGHT HOVERING OVER THE WOODS,
THAT THEY DESCRIBED AS LIKE A BIG CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
WITH DIFFERENT COLORS FLASHING OVER THE AREA.
HE JUST RAN. HE TURNED AROUND AND RAN.
TOM HAD HIS WIFE CALL THE POLICE,
'CAUSE THEY WANTED TO GET SOME HELP UP AT THE SCENE,
AND BY THE TIME THE POLICE GOT THERE,
THE OBJECT HAD DISAPPEARED JUST A SHORT TIME BEFORE.
Narrator: LEAVING AS QUICKLY AS THEY HAD APPEARED,
THE CRAFT AND THE CREATURES WERE GONE.
SIGHTINGS LIKE THESE HAVE RAISED QUESTIONS
ABOUT BIGFOOT'S TRUE ADDRESS --
PLANET EARTH OR THE STARS?
Gordon: WE DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS, AND WE'RE HOPING THAT SOMEDAY
MORE OF BOTH THE BIGFOOT AND UFO COMMUNITY
WILL GET TOGETHER AND LOOK AT THIS DATA
MORE THOROUGHLY AND OPEN-MINDEDLY
AND TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON OUT THERE.
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
Labelle: I DON'T THINK THEY'RE FROM THIS EARTH.
THEY HAVE TO BE FROM OUTER SPACE.
AND THEY SURE ARE SMARTER THAN US,
'CAUSE WE'VE NEVER CAUGHT ONE.
Narrator: 60 MILES DOWNSTREAM FROM ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA,
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WIDENS
INTO A LAKE SOME 40 SQUARE MILES IN SIZE.
IT'S LONG BEEN A SUMMER DESTINATION
AND THE PLACE WHERE THE SPORT OF WATER SKIING WAS INVENTED.
EACH YEAR, TOURISTS MIGRATE TO THE LAKE
FOR THEIR FAMILY-FRIENDLY VACATIONS.
Nielson: LAKE PEPIN IS
ONE OF THE PRETTIEST SPOTS IN NORTH AMERICA.
JUST LAST YEAR,
IT WAS VOTED THE MOST SCENIC DRIVE IN NORTH AMERICA.
I ALWAYS, ONLY HALF-KIDDINGLY, TELL PEOPLE,
THERE'S ONLY TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD --
THOSE THAT LIVE ON LAKE PEPIN, AND THOSE THAT WISH THEY DID.
Narrator: AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE
THAT HAVE SEEN A MEGA MONSTER SUDDENLY EMERGE FROM THE LAKE.
Lewis: MANY PEOPLE WHO CLAIM THAT THEY WANT TO SEE IT,
THAT THEY ACTIVELY GO OUT AND LOOK FOR THESE CREATURES,
WHEN THEY ACTUALLY SEE IT ARE TERRIFIED BY THEIR SIGHTING.
THAT IT'S SPOOKY, IT'S CREEPY,
THAT IT'S NOT A CUTE THING TO SEE A SEA SERPENT.
Narrator: IN THE WINTER,
THE COLD, DARK WATER IN LAKE PEPIN
SPREADS OUT LIKE A SHEET.
ON JUST SUCH A DAY IN 2004,
THE SURFACE WAS SUDDENLY BREACHED.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER WAS ON A BOAT SOME 50 YARDS AWAY.
Lewis: WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THE PHOTOGRAPH
IS MORE OF A HUMPED-TYPE CREATURE WITH THE LONG NECK,
MUCH LIKE YOU'D THINK OF THE PLESIOSAUR
OR A LOCH NESS-MONSTER TYPE.
AND IT SEEMS TO SHOW IT IN THE WATER,
NOTHING ELSE AROUND IT,
A CLEAR PHOTOGRAPH
THAT SEEMS TO POINT TO SOMETHING LURKING OUT THERE
THAT SHOULDN'T BE THERE.
Nielson: PEOPLE ASK ME ALL THE TIME,
WHAT DO I THINK PEPIE IS, OR WHAT IS OUT THERE?
Narrator: LARRY NIELSON IS THE CAPTAIN
OF A VINTAGE PADDLE-WHEEL BOAT WORKING ON LAKE PEPIN.
Nielson: I DON'T LIKE TO CONSIDER MYSELF AN EXPERT,
BUT I DO KNOW THIS --
I'VE SPENT BETTER PART OF THE LAST 40, 50 YEARS ON THE LAKE.
I'VE SEEN A LOT --
SEEN DIFFERENT CREATURES ON THE LAKE,
SO I THINK I PROBABLY KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT LAKE PEPIN
AS ANYBODY ELSE.
Narrator: RECENTLY, HE SAW SOMETHING
THAT EVEN HE CAN'T EXPLAIN.
NIELSON WAS IN HIS TRUCK, HEADED TO THE DOCKS.
Nielson: I WAS DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY 61,
WHICH RUNS ALONGSIDE LAKE PEPIN.
WAVES WERE 6 INCHES TO 12 INCHES HIGH.
JUST A VERY NICE, PRETTY DAY OUT ON THE LAKE.
I SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BIG LOG AT FIRST GLANCE.
IT WAS ABOUT 15 OR 20 FEET LONG,
AND ABOUT HALF OF IT WAS OUT OF THE WATER.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT OCCURRED TO ME
THAT THAT LOG WAS FLOATING UPSTREAM AGAINST THE CURRENT.
WELL, LOGS CAN'T FLOAT UPSTREAM, SO IT MUST BE SOMETHING ELSE.
Narrator: HE'D BEEN HEARING ABOUT IT ALL HIS LIFE.
WAS LARRY FINALLY SEEING THE LAKE PEPIN MONSTER?
Narrator: FOR GENERATIONS,
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONGSIDE LAKE PEPIN
HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE AQUATIC CREATURE
THEY CALL PEPIE.
CUTE NAME, DANGEROUS REPUTATION.
Breault: I'VE HEARD STORIES PASSED DOWN
THAT THEY'VE SEEN HUGE FISH, EYES WIDE APART,
AND GUYS HAVE CAME OUT OF THERE SCARED TO DEATH,
NEVER TO RETURN.
Lewis: THE EARLIEST NEWSPAPER REPORT THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DIG UP
IS FROM 1867,
AND IT TALKS ABOUT SOME RAFTSMEN FROM ST. LOUIS AREA
THAT WERE UP HERE WHEN THEY ENCOUNTERED SOMETHING BIG
THAT THEY COULD NOT IDENTIFY.
AND THEY WERE ALL PRETTY SHAKE UP BY IT,
AND IT MADE ALL THE NEWSPAPERS DOWN IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA.
Narrator: SURPRISE APPEARANCES BY THIS CREATURE
CONTINUE TO THIS DAY.
JUST ASK LOCAL BOAT CAPTAIN LARRY NIELSON.
Nielson: I WAS DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY 61.
I LOOKED OVER AND I SAW
WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BIG LOG AT FIRST GLANCE.
AND IT WAS JUST BREAKING THE SURFACE.
SOMETHING VERY, VERY LARGE WAS MAKING A VERY LARGE WAVE.
Narrator: NIELSON SWUNG HIS TRUCK AROUND
AS SOON AS HE COULD.
HE HAD A CAMERA IN THE TRUCK.
Nielson: WASN'T THERE ANYMORE.
SO, WHATEVER IT WAS THAT I SAW THERE
SLIPPED BELOW THE WAVES AND DISAPPEARED.
IT WAS KIND OF AN INTRIGUING THING
TO SEE SOMETHING THAT LARGE AND NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS.
THERE'S JUST TOO MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE SEEN THINGS.
GOES BACK IN HISTORY,
GOES BACK WITH THE NATIVE AMERICANS.
I'M JUST VERY CURIOUS
AND VERY INTRIGUED ON WHAT'S LIVING IN THE LAKE.
Narrator: WILDLIFE EXPERTS SUGGEST
IT MAY BE A GIANT STURGEON,
OR A NON-NATIVE SPECIES OF EEL.
OTHERS WONDER IF IT'S SOME SORT OF PREHISTORIC PLESIOSAUR
THAT SURVIVED ALL THESE YEARS.
Lewis: ONE OF THE THEORIES IS THAT THERE ARE THESE POCKETS,
THESE DEEP, CAVE-LIKE STRUCTURES IN THE LAKE
THAT MIGHT HAVE THESE CREATURES' LAIR OR HIDING SPOT.
THEY CAN REMAIN UNDETECTED
BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A LARGE AREA THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT --
23 MILES LONG, 2 MILES WIDE, 100 FEET DEEP.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF AREA FOR SOMETHING TO LURK,
AND FOR SOMETHING TO HIDE OVER THE YEARS.
Narrator: WAS THIS THE CREATURE
THAT SHELLY SCHIMBENO SAW IN 1983
WHEN SHE WAS WATER SKIING WITH HER BROTHER ADAM?
ADAM RECALLS HIS SISTER'S CLOSE CALL
WHEN THEY TOOK THE BOAT OUT ONE AFTERNOON ON LAKE PEPIN.
IT WAS A SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
MOST OF THE TOURISTS
HAD GONE HOME FOR THE WEEKEND.
AND SO, MY SISTER AND I HAD DECIDED TO GO OUT
AND ENJOY THE SUMMER AFTERNOON AND GO WATER SKIING.
Narrator: SHELLY WAS A HIGH-SCHOOL ATHLETE
AND AN AVID WATER SKIER.
Schimbeno: WE WERE JUST GOING BACK AND FORTH,
MAKING OUR CIRCLES AROUND THE AREA UP THERE
AND HAVING A GOOD TIME.
AND I REMEMBER THAT SHELLY HAD FALLEN OFF OF HER WATER SKIS.
Narrator: WHEN SHE WENT DOWN IN THE WATER,
ADAM COULD TELL SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
[ SCREAMS ]
Schimbeno: SHE LET OUT A YELL. Shelly: HELP ME!
SHE HAD FEAR IN HER EYES, AND I SAID, "WHAT'S WRONG?
WHAT IS THE MATTER?"
THERE'S SOMETHING IN HERE, GET ME OUT!
SHELLY SAID THAT SHE THOUGHT THE CREATURE
WAS ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 30 FEET IN LENGTH.
I SAW IT.
IT'S LONG, AND IT RUBBED UP AGAINST ME.
AND SHE SAID IT HAD BIG SCALES ON IT.
IT'S GOT TO BE A BIG FISH -- A CARP OR A STURGEON.
NO, IT WAS LONG, LIKE, THE SIZE OF THIS BOAT.
AND SHE WAS ADAMANT THAT IT WAS NOT A FISH.
GET ME OUT OF HERE!
AND HER FEAR WAS REAL.
NOW!
SHE WAS SCARED.
BECAUSE OF HER ENCOUNTER,
SHE HAS NOT BEEN IN THE LAKE SINCE THEN --
SWIMMING, BOATING, ANYTHING.
Narrator: DESPITE DOZENS OF STORIES LIKE THE SCHIMBENOS',
VIDEO EVIDENCE HAS REMAINED SLIM...
UNTIL NOW.
BROADCAST FOR THE FIRST TIME,
NEW VIDEO OF A DIVER'S RECENT ENCOUNTER WITH PEPIE...
GODSPEED, CORY.
...AS IT ALL UNFOLDED.
Breault: WHEN I FIRST GOT INTO THE WATER,
I HAD NO IDEA THAT I WAS GONNA ACTUALLY HAVE
WITHIN-A-FOOT ENCOUNTER OF PEPIE.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
Woman: SOMETHING BIG.
Narrator: LAKE PEPIN, MINNESOTA.
IS THIS THE RESIDENCE OF AMERICA'S LOCH NESS MONSTER?
THEY CALL IT PEPIE, BUT THE FRIENDLY NICKNAME
MASKS A DARK HISTORY OF TERRIFYING ENCOUNTERS.
Lewis: WE DO HAVE A LONG TRADITION
OF PEOPLE SEEING A MONSTER IN LAKE PEPIN,
ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE NATIVE AMERICANS.
ANYTIME ANYONE WENT MISSING FROM THE TRIBE,
THEY BLAMED IT ON THE MONSTER.
Narrator: LOCAL VIDEOGRAPHER HEIDI FREIER
HAD LONG WONDERED ABOUT THE LEGENDS OF PEPIE.
SHE DECIDED TO GO SEARCHING FOR IT
AND ASKED CORY BREAULT, AN EXPERIENCE SCUBA DIVER,
TO COME ALONG WITH THE TEAM.
Freier: HE HAD TO REALLY THINK ABOUT IT.
BECAUSE OF IT BEING THE MISSISSIPPI,
I KNOW HE WAS JUST KIND OF SCARED OF THE MURKY WATER.
BUT HE DID AGREE.
Narrator: NOW, BROADCAST FOR THE FIRST TIME,
VIDEO OF A DRAMATIC, FIRSTHAND ENCOUNTER --
A DIVER'S BRUSH WITH THE BEAST.
WITH VIDEO ROLLING, THE EXPEDITION WAS UNDER WAY.
CLEAR SKIES, CALM WATERS,
NOT A HINT OF ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.
Breault: WE HAD JUST GOT IN THE BOAT.
WE WERE MANEUVERING FROM THE LAUNCH,
GETTING INTO THE MAIN CHANNEL,
AND WE GOT INTO ABOUT 65, 70 FEET OF WATER.
AND WE'RE TALKING, LIKE,
WITHIN LIKE FIVE MINUTES FROM THE TIME WE LEFT THE LANDING,
ME AND MY FRIEND MIKE WITNESSED ON THIS SCREEN
SOMETHING THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE, EVER.
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING THAT BIG ON A GRAPH. THAT'S...
Freier: THE GUYS WERE SEEING SOMETHING
THAT WAS 6 FEET WIDE, UP TO 35 FEET LONG, THEY SAID,
AND IT APPEARED TO BE MOVING ON ITS OWN.
Breault: I'VE FISHED ALL MY LIFE,
AND THIS WAS IN A SIZE OF A BAIT CLUSTER,
BUT IT HAD A MONSTER LOOK TO IT.
I'VE NEVER, IN -- WHAT, 10, 15 YEARS OF USING THIS GRAPH --
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING CLOSE TO THAT.
AND AT THAT POINT, WE WANTED TO SEND CORY DOWN
TO DIVE AND TRY TO GET A LOOK
AT WHATEVER WE HAD SEEN ON THE GRAPH.
GODSPEED, CORY.
Breault: I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
YOU KNOW, THOUGHTS ARE GOING THROUGH MY HEAD
WHETHER I'M GONNA GET ATTACKED, EATEN, YOU KNOW...
THE WORST THOUGHTS A PERSON COULD THINK OF
GOING INTO A DARK WATER WITH A MONSTER.
Narrator: DESPITE HIS FEAR,
CORY DECIDED HE WOULD GO INVESTIGATE.
IT COULD BE A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CHANCE TO SEE A REAL MONSTER
AND TO PROVE THAT PEPIE EXISTED.
Breault: IT TOOK ME PROBABLY THREE, FOUR, FIVE MINUTES
BEFORE I ACTUALLY WENT DOWN INTO SOME DEPTH.
I WAS TRYING TO SEE,
AND, YOU KNOW, I COULDN'T SEE NOTHING.
AND THINGS GOT QUIET.
I HAD THIS REALLY WEIRD FEELING IN MY WHOLE BODY
AND KIND OF A RINGING TO MY EARS.
AND IT WAS LIKE RIGHT AT THAT TIME,
I CAUGHT A BLACK IMAGE LIKE RIGHT NEXT TO ME.
AND AS FAST AS I SEEN THAT...
...IT MADE A QUICK MOVE,
AND I WAS CAUGHT IN A TURBULENCE.
Freier: IT'S EITHER CORY OR PEPIE. SOMETHING BIG.
Breault: I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A HUGE VORTEX OF WATER
FROM THE -- WHOOSH -- SWISH OR SOMETHING OF THAT THING LEAVING.
Narrator: LUCKILY, CORY CAUGHT SIGHT OF DAYLIGHT
AND FOUGHT HIS WAY UP.
VIDEO CAMERAS ON THE BOAT CAUGHT HIS FIRST REACTIONS.
HOLY --
I SEEN IT! IT'S BIG!
IT'S GOT TO BE IT!
GET ME OUT OF THIS WATER! IT'S BIG! I BUMPED INTO IT! AAH!
CORY WAS JUST LITERALLY BEGGING THE GUYS
TO PULL HIM UP OUT OF THE WATER.
[ GRUNTING ]
[ AIR HISSING ]
[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
DID YOU GET THAT? DID YOU GET IT ON CAMERA?
Freier: WE WENT OUT THERE WITH OPEN MINDS
AND A SENSE OF ADVENTURE,
AND WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME UNEXPLAINED THINGS HAPPEN TO US.
Breault: AS FAR AS GOING BACK INTO THE WATER
OF THE MISSISSIPPI TO DO ANY MORE EXPLORATION,
IT'S NOTHING THAT I WOULD EVER WANT TO DO AGAIN.
I WAS ABSOLUTELY HELPLESS IN THAT WATER
HAD THAT CREATURE ATTACKED ME IN ANY KIND OF WAY.
Narrator: 1,200 MILES SOUTH FROM LAKE PEPIN,
THE SOUTHERN LOUISIANA SWAMPS
ARE ALSO FILLED WITH AQUATIC BEASTS.
AGGRESSIVE GATORS AND POISONOUS SNAKES --
JUST TWO OF THE MORE FAMILIAR SWAMP PREDATORS
LIVING AMONG THE MANGROVE AND CYPRESS TREES.
YET LOCALS MAINTAIN THE BAYOU IS FILLED
WITH SUPERNATURAL BEASTS, AS WELL.
THE SWAMPS ARE DEFINITELY A PLACE
WHERE MYSTERIOUS BEINGS COULD HIDE OUT.
Forest: WHEN YOU GO INTO THE SWAMP,
THERE'S A FEELING AROUND YOU.
YOU FEEL, LIKE, EYES UPON YOU.
THE CREATURES SEE YOU.
AND WHEN PEOPLE MISUSE THE SWAMP,
THEY SEE THINGS THAT SCARES THEM.
Narrator: ONE SWAMP ENCOUNTER IS PARTICULARLY FEARED --
CROSSING PATHS WITH A WOLFEN CREATURE THAT'S BEEN CURSED.
[ SNARLS ]
IT'S SAID THAT IF YOU STARE INTO THOSE EYES,
YOU TAKE ON THAT CURSE YOURSELF --
THE VICTIM OF A HALF-LIFE --
HALF WOLF, HALF MAN,
A BEAST THAT IS FEARED BY EVERYBODY.
Narrator: IN TOWNS AND COMMUNITIES
ALONG THE SWAMPS OF LOUISIANA,
GENERATIONS ARE RAISED ON TALES
OF A SHAPE-SHIFTING CANINE CRITTER.
Foret: IT GOES BACK TO FRENCH SETTLERS
WHO IMMIGRATED TO THIS AREA.
WITH THEM CAME STORIES OF A WEREWOLF.
CAJUN WEREWOLF IS, ESSENTIALLY, A PERSON.
IT'S NOT A WOLF. IT'S A PERSON WHO'S BEEN CURSED.
THE BODY OF A MAN OR A PERSON
AND HAS THE HEAD OF A BEAST, WHETHER IT BE A WOLF OR A DOG.
Narrator: UNLIKE LOUISIANA'S LEGENDARY ROUGAROU,
A FLESH-AND-BLOOD BEAST,
THE CAJUN WEREWOLF IS AN INDIVIDUAL
ENDURING THE WICKED PUNISHMENT OF THE SWAMPS.
CURSES TYPICALLY TAKE THE FORM OF A PUNISHMENT
FOR SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE HAD WRONGED IN THE SWAMP.
THESE CURSES ARE VERY REAL.
Narrator: MUCH ABOUT THIS CREATURE IS A MYSTERY,
YET MANY A LOCAL SWEARS THEY'VE HAD A RUN-IN WITH THE BEAST.
I CAN REMEMBER, TO THIS DAY, I WAS 16 YEARS OLD.
AS I WAS PADDLING THROUGH THE SWAMP,
I HAD ONE OF THOSE FEELINGS
WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE BEING WATCHED.
IT JUST CREEPS YOU OUT.
AS I WAS PADDLING,
I KEPT TURNING AROUND AND LOOKING BEHIND ME.
I WAS PADDLING CLOSER AND CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HOME.
I LOOKED OFF TO MY RIGHT.
MAYBE ABOUT 50 TO 60 YARDS AWAY,
I SAW A CREATURE OR A MAN -- I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
[ GROWLS ]
THIS CREATURE WAS STANDING ON ITS HIND LEGS.
[ SNARLING ]
IT CREEPED ME OUT.
YOU HAVE TO FIGURE, 250 SQUARE MILE OF WETLAND,
IF A MAN GOES OUT THERE AND DOESN'T WANT TO BE FOUND,
HE WOULDN'T BE FOUND.
SO IF THERE'S A CREATURE OUT THERE,
IT WOULD BE REAL EASY
FOR HIM TO EVADE BEING CAUGHT ALL THIS TIME.
Narrator: ANOTHER MAN WHO CAME FACE-TO-FACE
WITH THE CAJUN WEREWOLF
BELIEVES THE MONSTER CAME FORTH
AS A WARNING ISSUED BY THE SWAMP.
THAT NIGHT THAT I WAS IN THAT SWAMP,
I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.
[ DOG WHINES ]
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
I WAS IN SHOCK.
MY HEART JUST STOPPED BEATING, AND I JUST FROZE.
[ CREATURE SNARLS ]
Narrator: CHAUVIN, LOUISIANA, IS A SMALL TOWN OF 3,000 SOULS,
SURROUNDED BY WILD SWAMP.
Forest: IT'S NOT A VERY BIG TOWN. IT'S PRETTY SMALL.
THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE ARE PRETTY RESILIENT.
STORMS BEAT US UP A LOT, BUT WE STILL TEND TO COME BACK,
HELP OUT EACH OTHER WHENEVER WE NEED HANDS.
Narrator: RESIDENTS MAINTAIN A LONG-STANDING REGARD
FOR THE MYSTERIES OF THE BAYOU.
DISRESPECT CARRIES RISKS.
IF YOU GO OUT AND ENJOY THE SWAMP
AND DON'T TRY TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE SWAMPS,
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE.
BUT IF YOU GO OUT AND TRY TO TAKE THE SWAMP
FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL GAIN,
THE SWAMP'S GONNA FIGHT BACK.
Narrator: BELDRON FOREST HAS ALWAYS FELT
ESPECIALLY TUNED INTO THE SUPERNATURAL.
I AM ONE OF 13. I AM THE LAST. SO I'M NUMBER 13.
MY DADDY WAS BORN 1913.
MY MAMA, SHE PASSED AWAY ON MARCH 13th.
Narrator: AND AT AGE 13, BELDRON HAD AN ENCOUNTER
THAT CONFIRMED EVERYTHING HE'D HEARD ABOUT THE CAJUN WEREWOLF.
THERE'S TWO DAYS OUT OF THE YEAR --
ALL SOULS' AND ALL SAINTS' DAY --
THAT THE SPIRITS, MY MAMA TOLD ME,
CAN WALK THE EARTH,
AND I WAS YOUNG, AND I JUST BLEW THAT OFF.
Narrator: ON NOVEMBER 1, 1976,
DESPITE HIS MOTHER'S WARNINGS
NEVER TO HUNT ON ALL SAINTS' DAY,
BELDRON SET OUT INTO THE SWAMP WITH HIS SHOTGUN.
Forest: I BLEW IT OFF AS JUST FOLKLORE,
SAID, "WELL, THERE'S NO MONSTERS IN THE SWAMP.
MY MAMA JUST DON'T WANT ME GOING IN THE SWAMP."
IT WAS A FALL DAY.
YOU GET THAT FEELING, WHEN A COLD FRONT STARTS TO BLOW --
YOU GET THAT URGE TO GO HUNTING.
[ DOG SNIFFING ]
YOU'VE GOT AN EXTRA ENERGY IN YOU.
YOU'RE FEELING GOOD, LIKE NOTHING COULD GO WRONG --
"THIS IS A GOOD DAY FOR ME."
BUT THIS DAY, MY DOG SEEMED LIKE
SHE JUST DIDN'T WANT TO BE THERE NO MORE.
[ DOG WHINES ] SHE WOULDN'T GO.
THE WOODS ARE FULL OF SQUIRRELS, FULL OF RABBITS, COONS.
THERE'S ALL KIND OF ANIMALS.
BUT WE DIDN'T SEE NOTHING TO SHOOT.
I PROBABLY WALKED FIVE, SIX MILES THAT DAY
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING.
WELL, I TOLD MY DOG, "LILY, IT'S TIME TO GO BACK HOME.
WE AIN'T GONNA GET NOTHING TODAY."
[ DOG WHINES ]
AND THEN ON THE WAY BACK...
I SEEN A RABBIT.
SO I LIFTED UP MY GUN TO SHOOT IT.
RABBIT JUST SEEMED TO FREEZE,
LIKE IT WAS JUST WAITING FOR ME TO SHOOT IT.
"HUH. THIS IS GONNA BE EASY."
AS I WAS PULLING TO AIM... [ RUSTLING ]
...THE GRASS ON THE SIDE OF THE TRAIL JUST STARTED MOVING.
AND WHEN I LOOKED UP,
THIS CREATURE HAD CAME OUT OF THE GRASS.
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
IT HAD A DOG SHAPE, A DOG BUILD,
BUT IT WAS IN HUMAN FORM.
AND IT FELT LIKE MY HEART HAD JUST STOPPED
AND I WAS IN, LIKE, A FREEZE-FRAME.
THE FACE WAS THAT OF A DOG.
[ SNARLS ]
AND IT GAVE THAT GROWL.
[ GROWLS ]
MY HEART WAS POUNDING SO HARD, AND I TOOK OFF RUNNING.
[ GROWLING ] I WAS PANICKED.
I COULD FEEL THIS THING RIGHT BEHIND ME.
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
ALL I COULD THINK OF IS, "THIS THING'S GONNA CATCH ME."
[ CREATURE SNARLING ]
I COULD FEEL HIS BREATH ON MY NECK.
AND I GOT TO RUN. AND I'M RUNNING AS FAST AS I COULD.
I COULD FEEL THE BRANCHES HITTING ME IN THE FACE.
THERE WAS AN EIGHT-FOOT DITCH.
I CLEARED THE DITCH WITH ONE JUMP.
UNTIL, FINALLY, WHEN I BROKE OUT OF THE TREE LINE
AND I WAS IN THE CLEARING,
THE HEAT OFF OF MY BACK HAD JUST WENT AWAY.
THAT NIGHT THAT I WAS IN THAT SWAMP,
I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.
MY MAMA HAD TOLD ME NOT TO TAKE A LIFE
ON ALL SOULS' OR ALL SAINTS' DAY,
NOT SUPPOSED TO GO HUNTING.
Narrator: BELDRON TRESPASSED, BROKE A SACRED RULE,
AND DEEP WITHIN THE WILDERNESS, A WEREWOLF WAS SUMMONED.
LUCKILY, BELDRON FOREST SURVIVED THE ENCOUNTER.
I DIDN'T TOUCH THAT GUN FOR NINE MONTHS.
I WAS ONLY LIKE 13 YEARS OLD,
AND TODAY I STILL GOT GOOSE BUMPS.
[ CHUCKLES ]
SOMETHING LIVES IN THE SWAMPS OF LOUISIANA,
AND IT IS A CAJUN WEREWOLF.
Forest: IF YOU VENTURE OUT, IF YOU HAVE A DARK SIDE,
IT CAN FEEL YOU.
IT KNOWS WHAT'S INSIDE OF YOU, WHAT'S IN YOUR HEART.
YOU MIGHT NOT SEE IT ALL THE TIME,
BUT IT FOLLOWS YOU, AND IT'LL BE THERE.
AND IF YOU DO SOMETHING WRONG, IT'LL BE AFTER YOU.