Narrator: POINT PLEASANT, WEST VIRGINIA.
IN 1966, THIS TOWN WAS BESIEGED
BY A 13-MONTH-LONG PARANORMAL ATTACK.
OVER 200 SIGHTINGS OCCURRED.
THE TOWN WAS IN PANIC. PEOPLE WERE SCARED.
Narrator: A MYSTERY THAT STARTED WITH MOTHMAN...
[ CREATURE SHRIEKING ]
IT LOOKED LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A MAN AND AN ALIEN WITH WINGS.
RUN!
Narrator: ...BECAME MORE HORRIFYING
THAN HEADLINES EVER REVEALED.
Sloman: YOU HAD MOTHMAN.
YOU HAD UFOs.
BUT THEN YOU HAD ANIMAL AND CATTLE MUTILATIONS GOING ON.
AND THEN YOU HAD MEN IN BLACK.
Narrator: ONE MAN TRIED TO PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER,
SEARCHING OUT THE EVIL
THAT HAD RESIDENTS FEARING FOR THEIR LIVES.
Keel: MOST OF THEM WERE JUST BEWILDERED.
THERE WERE A FEW WHO WERE VERY AFRAID --
AFRAID TO GO OUT OF THEIR HOUSE AT NIGHT.
Narrator: IT WOULD DELIVER HIM TO THE VERY BRINK OF TERROR.
Keel: I BEGAN TO SEE THEM MYSELF.
IT WAS BEYOND IMAGINATION.
Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE ACTUAL STORY
BEHIND ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ACCOUNTS OF THE TRUE PARANORMAL,
JOHN KEEL'S "THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES,"
KEEL'S PERSONAL INVESTIGATION IN POINT PLEASANT REVEALED.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Bellamy: I SUPPOSE IF THERE WAS A PLACE WHERE THE MONSTER COULD EXIST,
THE TNT AREA WOULD BE A PERFECT PLACE FOR IT.
IT'S A MAZE OF ABANDONED BUILDINGS.
THE TNT AREA BACK IN THAT AGE WAS JUST A PARTY PLACE FOR KIDS.
THEY COULD DO BONFIRES BACK THEN,
AND IT WAS JUST A DARK, DESOLATE AREA AWAY FROM THE CITY.
YOU COLD? YOU WANT A JACKET?
TWO YOUNG COUPLES WERE HANGING OUT AT A LOVERS' LANE OF SORTS.
ONE OF THE FOUR PEOPLE SUDDENLY SAW
WHAT LOOKED LIKE TWO BIG, RED, BULBOUS EYES
THAT HAD A PENETRATING KIND OF QUALITY TO THEM.
AAH! LET'S GO!
IT WAS SOME KIND OF CREATURE --
AN IMMENSE BIRD 7 FEET TALL.
THAT WAS THE FIRST SIGHTING OF WHAT WOULD BE CALLED "MOTHMAN."
Narrator: IN WEST VIRGINIA,
WHERE THE OHIO AND KANAWHA RIVER CROSS,
SITS THE SMALL TOWN OF POINT PLEASANT.
Smith: I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING VERY ODD
ABOUT THIS AREA, ABOUT THIS PLACE.
I ALSO BELIEVE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT COME FROM HERE,
THERE IS A DARK CLOUD OVER THEM NO MATTER WHERE THEY GO.
Harris: I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHY
EVERYTHING IS ATTRACTED TO POINT PLEASANT,
BUT POINT PLEASANT HAS HAD ITS SHARE AT TIMES
OF A LOT OF BAD THINGS HAPPENING.
Narrator: FROM NOVEMBER 1966 UNTIL DECEMBER 1967,
A STRING OF BIZARRE MONSTER ENCOUNTERS
PLUNGED THIS QUIET INDUSTRIAL COMMUNITY
INTO THE GRIP OF TERROR.
STRAIGHT INTO THIS TOWN-WIDE PANIC
STEPPED A MAN WITH A LIFELONG QUEST
TO UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIOUS.
AS A TEENAGER IN THE 1940s,
JOHN KEEL HEARD RADIO REPORTS ABOUT FLYING SAUCERS.
Man: THE QUESTION, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IS, DO THEY EXIST?
IT CAPTURED HIS IMAGINATION.
KEEL WOULD GROW UP TO BE A WRITER,
STILL FASCINATED WITH STORIES OF THE SUPERNATURAL.
KEEL'S DESIRE AND PASSION WAS TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND,
YOU KNOW, THE UNIVERSE AROUND HIM,
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO FRINGE PHENOMENA.
Narrator: IN THE MID-1960s, CONCERN OVER UFOs
AND EXTRATERRESTRIALS HAD GONE MAINSTREAM.
AMERICANS WANTED TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT WAS OUT THERE.
INVESTIGATING UFOs PUT JOHN KEEL ON THE ROAD IN 1966,
HEADING FROM NEW YORK CITY INTO THE RURAL SOUTH.
HE GOT AN ASSIGNMENT FROM PLAYBOY MAGAZINE.
HE WENT UP THERE.
HE STARTED INVESTIGATING IT.
HE WOULD INTERVIEW PEOPLE
WHO HAD CLAIMED EITHER THEY SAW UFOs
OR THEY WERE APPROACHED BY ALIENS,
AND HE DIDN'T DISMISS WHAT THEY SAID OUT OF HAND.
HE WOULD LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAID,
AND SO, IN THAT RESPECT,
I THINK HE WAS THE FIRST REALLY THOROUGH INVESTIGATOR OF UFOs.
Narrator: THE SEARCH LED KEEL TO THE OHIO VALLEY
JUST AS THE STORY BROKE
ABOUT A STRANGE CREATURE SEEN IN POINT PLEASANT.
DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THESE ATTACKS?
YEAH. SAID THESE PEOPLE GOT CHASED DOWN
BY A GIANT BLACK BAT OR SOMETHING.
REALLY? CHASING THEM?
YEAH. OVER BY POINT PLEASANT.
KEEL MADE A BEELINE TO POINT PLEASANT,
ITS GATEWAY THE BRIGHT ALUMINUM VIADUCT
LOCALS CALL "THE SILVER BRIDGE."
POINT PLEASANT WOULD PROVE TO BE JOHN KEEL'S GREATEST CHALLENGE.
HE SAID, "I COME IN FOR 48 HOURS."
AND HE SAID, "I GOT A JOB THAT'S BEEN A DECADE."
AND HE DID.
[ TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING ]
FIVE REPORTS SO FAR.
FIVE? REALLY? YEAH.
Sloman: THE FIRST THING JOHN DOES WHEN HE GETS TO WEST VIRGINIA
IS IMMEDIATELY...
CAN I HELP YOU, FELLOW? ...GO TO THE LOCAL POLICE...
I'M A JOURNALIST IN FROM NEW YORK CITY.
...TO SHOW HIS CREDENTIALS
SO THAT THEY WOULDN'T THINK HE WAS A TOTAL NUT.
MY NAME IS JOHN KEEL.
BECAUSE, AS YOU KNOW,
THE UFO FIELD IS RIDDLED WITH TOTAL NUTS.
I WAS HOPING TO DO SOME WRITING ABOUT THE SIGHTINGS
THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED AROUND HERE.
SO YOU'RE HERE TO MAKE US LOOK LIKE FOOLS?
TAKE IT EASY, JIM.
UM, WHY DON'T I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS GENTLEMAN...
Narrator: KEEL FOUND A COLLABORATOR IN MARY HYRE,
A REPORTER THAT HAD ALREADY
WRITTEN ABOUT THE STRANGE SIGHTINGS.
Harris: I WOULD SAY BECAUSE MARY WAS WELL-KNOWN AND WELL-LIKED
THAT THAT'S WHEN A FEW PEOPLE OPENED UP THEIR EYES
AND PAID ATTENTION TO WHAT WAS GOING ON.
YOU'VE SEEN YESTERDAY'S PAPER?
NOT YET.
I THINK THEY THOUGHT BY MARY REPORTING IT
AND KNOWING A FEW THINGS ABOUT IT MADE IT MORE REAL TO THEM.
SHE KNEW EVERYBODY IN TOWN, AND BY TEAMING UP WITH HER,
I THINK HE WAS ABLE TO BE ACCEPTED MUCH MORE READILY
THAN HE WOULD IF HE WAS AN OUTSIDER.
THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON HERE.
HOW ABOUT YOU AND I, WE FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS?
AND THEY BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE THE PHENOMENON AS A TEAM.
Narrator: OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS,
THE DARK, WINGED CREATURE WAS SEEN AGAIN AND AGAIN.
Bellamy: AND THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF SIGHTINGS
ALL EVEN UP AND DOWN THE OHIO RIVER.
[ LAUGHS ] YOU HAD LONG HAIR WHEN I MET YOU.
Narrator: ANDY COLVIN, BORN AND RAISED IN POINT PLEASANT,
WAS 7 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF THE SIGHTINGS.
Colvin: I WAS GOING WITH MY PARENTS,
AND WE ALWAYS TOOK ONE ROUTE TO THE BOWLING ALLEY.
WE WOULD DRIVE UP THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KANAWHA RIVER.
[ CREATURE ROARS ]
AT THE TIME, I THOUGHT I HAD CONJURED IT UP IN MY MIND.
DAD? MOM AND I ARE TALKING.
I SAW MOTHMAN FLYING BEHIND OUR CAR.
DAD! LOOK BEHIND US!
IT'S A HUGE -- WANT TO BOWL OR NOT?
I'LL TURN US RIGHT AROUND.
IT VEERED OFF...
GEEZ, WHAT WAS THAT?
...AND OVER THE CARBIDE PLANT.
THAT WAS A VERY STRANGE TIME.
THERE WAS A VERY OPPRESSIVE THING GOING ON.
Narrator: WITH THE TOWN AWASH IN RUMOR,
JOHN KEEL AND REPORTER MARY HYRE PUT THE WORD OUT,
ASKING WITNESSES TO COME FORWARD.
WE WERE SHOPPING, AND THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT WENT RIGHT OVER THE TOP...
IT WASN'T JUST ONE OR TWO PEOPLE, AND IT WAS EVERY DEMOGRAPHIC.
IT WAS PARENTS, IT WAS TEENAGERS, IT WAS LITTLE KIDS.
...BLACK SHEEP COME INTO THE HORIZON.
WHEN THE MOTHMAN SIGHTINGS STARTED
AND, ALL OF A SUDDEN, WITHIN THE SPACE OF TWO MONTHS
200 INDIVIDUALS IN TOWN SAY THEY'VE SEEN IT,
YOU'RE GONNA GET A COMMUNITY-WIDE PANIC.
AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
THEY'RE SCARED.
Narrator: THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THESE WITNESSES
THAT COULDN'T EASILY BE DISMISSED.
Keel: EVERYBODY THINKS OF HILLBILLIES
WHEN THEY THINK OF WEST VIRGINIA.
THEY WERE NOT HILLBILLIES.
THEY WERE NOT THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD MAKE THESE THINGS UP.
THERE MUST BE 100 ACCOUNTS HERE.
WE CAN ADD ONE MORE TO THAT.
WHO?
MY NIECE.
[ TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING ]
Narrator: TOGETHER, JOHN KEEL AND MARY HYRE
WENT TO INTERVIEW MARY'S NIECE CHRISTINE ABOUT HER ENCOUNTER.
HOW YOU DOING, SWEETIE?
Waldridge: JOHN KEEL REPORTED THAT
SHE WAS SUFFERING FROM EYE BURN --
VERY SIMILAR TO SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE WOULD SUFFER
IF THEY LOOKED AT A WELDING TORCH WITHOUT GOGGLES.
[ SIGHS ]
CHRISTINE, THIS IS MY FRIEND MR. JOHN KEEL.
Narrator: A WEEK EARLIER,
18-YEAR-OLD CHRISTINE WAS ON HER WAY HOME FROM WORK.
I WAS DRIVING HOME BY THE OLD GOLF COURSE,
AND SOMETHING JUST...
[ TIRES SCREECH ]
...SOMETHING JUST WHOOSHED ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD.
[ CAR DOOR CLOSES ]
[ CREATURE ROARS ]
HER HEART WAS RACING FAST, AND SHE THOUGHT,
"IS THAT THING GONNA COME TOWARDS ME?
AM I GONNA BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF HERE?"
[ ROARING CONTINUES ] AAH!
Narrator: IN 1966 IN POINT PLEASANT, WEST VIRGINIA,
JOURNALIST JOHN KEEL STUMBLED INTO A TOWN IN FULL PANIC,
TERRORIZED BY A SERIES OF MYSTERIOUS ENCOUNTERS
WITH A WINGED MONSTER CALLED MOTHMAN.
WHEN HOLLYWOOD MADE A MOVIE OF KEEL'S ACCOUNT,
THE STORY WAS CHANGED.
THE ACTUAL EVENTS IN POINT PLEASANT
WERE FAR STRANGER.
Coleman: THERE WASN'T ANYBODY THAT DIDN'T KNOW SOMEBODY IN TOWN
THAT HAD SEEN MOTHMAN.
THAT'S A HIGHLY CONCENTRATED
POOL OF SIGHTINGS AND OF EYEWITNESSES.
Narrator: ONE OF THE FIRST TO REPORT A MOTHMAN ENCOUNTER
WAS THE NIECE OF LOCAL REPORTER MARY HYRE.
WHEN KEEL FOUND HER, THE YOUNG WOMAN WAS TRAUMATIZED,
HER EYES SEVERELY BURNED.
I WAS DRIVING HOME BY THE OLD GOLF COURSE.
Shull: SHE WAS WORKING DOWN AT A LITTLE TINY'S RESTAURANT THAT WE HAD,
AND SHE WAS GOING HOME.
AND IN THE OPEN AREA WHERE A GOLF COURSE SITS NOW,
SHE SAID THAT SHE SAW THIS FIGURE.
SOMETHING JUST WHOOSHED ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD.
[ TIRES SCREECH ]
Narrator: STARTLED, SHE TRIED TO REGAIN HER COMPOSURE.
[ CREATURE ROARING ]
Shull: HER HEART WAS RACING FAST, AND SHE THOUGHT,
"IS THAT THING GONNA COME TOWARDS ME?"
Waldridge: SHE DESCRIBED THE EYES AS BEING GLOWING RED,
ALMOST LIKE BICYCLE REFLECTORS.
IT WAS SO OVERPOWERING TO HER.
[ ROARING CONTINUES ]
AAH!
SHE DROVE AWAY AT THAT POINT IN A PRETTY FRANTIC STATE.
JOHN KEEL REPORTED THAT SHE WAS SUFFERING FROM EYE BURN,
SO IT REALLY TRAUMATIZED HER.
Shull: WHATEVER SHE SAW SCARED HER TO THE POINT
THAT SHE IS AN ADULT
WITH CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN,
AND SHE STILL, TO THIS DAY, WILL NOT TALK ABOUT IT.
Narrator: THE ATTACKS WERE CLUSTERED AROUND AN AREA
AT THE EDGE OF POINT PLEASANT --
ABANDONED BUNKERS THAT ONCE HOUSED TNT EXPLOSIVES
PRODUCED DURING WORLD WAR II.
WELL, THE TNT AREA ORIGINALLY WAS A TOP-SECRET FACILITY
FOR MAKING EXPLOSIVES.
YOU COULD NOT GO INTO THAT AREA AT ALL,
BUT THEN THEY LET IT BECOME OVERGROWN,
AND THE BUILDINGS WERE ABANDONED.
Narrator: IF HE WAS EVER GOING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT WAS TORMENTING POINT PLEASANT,
KEEL WOULD HAVE TO CHALLENGE THE CREATURE ON ITS OWN TURF.
[ TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING ]
JOHN KEEL AND MARY HYRE WENT TO THE TNT-BUNKER AREA
WITH A GROUP OF AROUND FIVE PEOPLE.
IT'S JUST AN OLD, RUSTY BUILDING.
YOU GUYS READY?
I DON'T THINK I CAN DO IT. I'M SCARED.
I'M WITH YOU. LET'S GO.
COME ON.
ALL RIGHT.
...OR NOT, HERE WE COME.
Y'ALL BE CAREFUL.
Waldridge: INSIDE OF THE PLANT, JOHN KEEL LOOKED AROUND.
ALL THEY HAD WAS HIS FLASHLIGHT.
IT WAS AROUND 9:00 P.M. AT NIGHT.
WHAT IS THAT?
HE WANTED TO TRY TO EXPERIENCE WHATEVER THIS WAS.
AND JOHN KEEL ACTUALLY CLIMBED THE CATWALKS
AND WALKED AROUND AND SAW NOTHING.
[ CREAKING ]
WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO LEAVE,
SHE TURNED AROUND AND IMMEDIATELY BECAME FRANTIC.
[ WINGS FLUTTERING ]
RUN!
[ FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING ]
[ CREATURE ROARS ]
SHE SAW THE GLOWING RED EYES IN THE BACK OF THE FACTORY.
SHE WAS A WRECK AT THAT POINT.
[ SOBBING ] WHAT HAPPENED?
I'M GOING BACK IN. WHAT?!
THE GROUP WAS AT A PANIC STATE,
AND THEY WERE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE JOHN TO LEAVE.
IF SOMETHING IS IN THERE, I'M GONNA FIND IT.
JOHN!
Waldridge: JOHN WENT BACK IN TO INVESTIGATE BY HIMSELF
JUST TO SEE IF HE COULD SEE ANYTHING
THAT WOULD REFLECT RED FROM HIS FLASHLIGHT.
HE HAS TO SEE THINGS FOR HIMSELF.
AS SOON AS HE HIT THE SPACE AGAIN,
AN IMMEDIATE FEELING OF FEAR OVERCAME HIM.
THAT'S ONE THING HE COULD NOT EXPLAIN.
[ CREATURE HISSING ]
THE PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE HEARD A VERY LOUD METALLIC NOISE.
THEY SAW A HUMANOID FIGURE.
[ PANTING ]
WHAT HAPPENED? I THOUGHT I SAW SOMETHING.
WAS -- WAS THAT YOU?
NO. I'VE BEEN INSIDE THE WHOLE TIME.
WHAT DID YOU SEE?
GUYS, MY EAR IS BLEEDING.
Waldridge: AFTER SHE HAD HEARD THE SOUND,
ONE OF THE LADY'S EARS STARTED TO BLEED.
HE SAID THAT WHAT PROBABLY CAUSED THE EARS BLEEDING
WAS ALMOST LIKE A CHANGE IN PRESSURE,
SO THAT WAS KIND OF MYSTERIOUS TO HIM.
LET'S GO. GO, GO, GO.
Narrator: IN THE DAYS TO FOLLOW,
THAT FIRST TRICKLE OF BLOOD WOULD TURN INTO A STREAM
OF BAFFLING, BLOOD-SPATTERED EVENTS.
Sloman: THERE'D BE LIGHTS IN THE BACKYARD,
THE DOGS IN THE HOUSE WOULD GO OUT TO MEET THE LIGHTS,
BARKING CRAZY.
[ DOG WHINES ]
AND THEN, THE NEXT DAY, THEY MAY FIND THE DOG
WITH A SLIT IN HIS THROAT
AND ALL THE BLOOD DRAINED OUT OF HIM.
YEAH, I THOUGHT I'D SEEN EVERYTHING UNTIL I SAW THIS.
Narrator: IN 1967, WHILE INVESTIGATING UFOs,
PIONEERING PARANORMAL RESEARCHER JOHN KEEL
STUMBLED INTO SOMETHING MUCH STRANGER.
RESIDENTS IN POINT PLEASANT, WEST VIRGINIA, WERE BESIEGED
BY A MYSTERIOUS WINGED CREATURE KNOWN AS MOTHMAN.
THE TERRIFYING ENCOUNTERS TOOK AN EVEN STRANGER TURN
WHEN DEAD DOGS TURNED UP DRAINED OF BLOOD.
WAS MOTHMAN ON A BLOOD HUNT,
OR WAS THE CULPRIT SOMETHING OTHERWORLDLY?
ONE NIGHT NEAR POINT PLEASANT,
TWO RED CROSS WORKERS DRIVING A BLOOD MOBILE
WERE HEADED SOUTH ON ROUTE 2,
THEIR VAN LOADED WITH FRESH BLOOD.
[ TIRES SCREECH ]
A BRIGHT FLYING CRAFT FORCED THEM TO STOP.
OH, MY -- OH, MY GOD! WHAT IS THAT?!
AS IT HOVERED,
MECHANICAL PINCHERS STARTED LOWERING TOWARDS THEM.
[ MECHANICAL WHIRRING ]
[ METAL CRUNCHING ]
WE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE.
THE UFO MIGHT HAVE CARRIED THEM OFF,
BUT WHEN HEADLIGHTS FROM APPROACHING TRAFFIC APPEARED,
THEY WERE SAVED.
AFTER KEEL HEARD ABOUT THE BLOOD-MOBILE INCIDENT,
HE TRIED KNOCKING ON DOORS,
SEARCHING FOR ANY RESIDENT THAT MAY HAVE HAD A UFO EXPERIENCE.
Sloman: HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE
TO LINK WHAT WAS HAPPENING UP IN THE SKIES
WITH WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND.
YEAH, I THOUGHT I'D SEEN EVERYTHING UNTIL I SAW THIS.
SOME CATTLE FARMERS IN THE AREA
FOUND CATTLE THAT HAD BEEN MUTILATED,
BUT "MUTILATED" IS REALLY NOT EVEN A GOOD WORD,
BECAUSE THIS WAS SURGICAL PRECISION.
THE BLOOD WAS DRAINED IN A VERY, VERY SPECIFIC AND STRANGE WAY.
IT'S -- IT'S AWFUL.
IT'S LIKE TOTALLY LAID OPEN.
THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING GOING ON.
YEAH. DISGUSTING.
IT WAS HOVERING RIGHT ABOVE HERE, YOU SAID?
DID YOU ACTUALLY GET A GOOD LOOK AT IT?
YEAH, I DID.
AND IF YOU COME OVER HERE AT NIGHT,
I MEAN, LIGHTS ARE EVERYWHERE.
YOU OUGHT TO COME OUT HERE TONIGHT. SERIOUSLY.
[ TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING ]
Narrator: BY SPRING 1967, KEEL WAS CERTAIN
SOMETHING PHENOMENAL WAS BUILDING IN POINT PLEASANT.
FOR SEVERAL NIGHTS, NEAR THE FARM AT FIVEMILE CREEK,
KEEL AND MARY HYRE STAKED OUT A HILLTOP,
HOPING TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE INTELLIGENCE
BEHIND THE UFO ENCOUNTERS.
JOHN WOULD CARRY WITH HIM A HUGE FLASHLIGHT,
AND HE DECIDED HE WAS GONNA TRY
TO START SIGNALING TO THE CRAFTS UP THERE.
Narrator: ON APRIL 1, 1967...
I SEE IT. YOU SEE THAT?
I DO.
...THEY MADE CONTACT.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
I'M GONNA TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM USING MORSE CODE.
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?
I'M TELLING HIM TO DESCEND.
JOHN DESCRIBED THE UFO ALMOST AS IF IT WAS ALIVE,
ALMOST IF IT WAS SOME TYPE OF CREATURE ITSELF.
IT WAS VERY INTELLIGENT IN ITS BEHAVIOR.
[ GASPS ]
DID YOU SEE THAT? IT RESPONDED.
Keel: IF YOU FLASHED A FLASHLIGHT AT THEM, THEY'D RESPOND.
THEY'D FLASH BACK.
I SAW A LOT OF THESE LIGHTS.
IN FACT, I SAW SO MANY OF THEM, I LOST COUNT.
I MEAN, HAS IT BEEN LIKE THAT...
HAS IT -- IS IT, LIKE, RIGHT THERE? LOOK, LOOK, LOOK.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE -- IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE IT'S RED NOW.
WHAT IS THAT?
Narrator: NIGHT AFTER NIGHT,
RESIDENTS FROM ACROSS THE VALLEY CAME TO THE HILLTOP,
HOPING TO SEE A UFO, AND MANY OF THEM DID.
DO YOU SEE HOW BRIGHT IT IS?
WEIRDEST DAMN THING I EVER SEEN, MAN.
I WAS REAL SKEPTICAL ABOUT UFOs. I DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS REAL.
I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE TILL MY BROTHER SEEN ONE.
HE SAID IT WAS THE BRIGHTEST LIGHT HE EVER SEEN.
Shull: I DID SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH MARY.
SHE WOULD SAY, "LET'S GO AND SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE,"
AND WE WOULD STAY ALL NIGHT.
SHE WAS HOPING THAT WHATEVER THIS WAS,
THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE IT,
WHERE SHE COULD WRITE ABOUT IT IN MORE DETAIL.
HAS IT -- IS IT -- NO. IS IT, LIKE, RIGHT THERE?
LOOK, LOOK, LOOK. IT LOOKS LIKE -- BUT BIGGER.
Narrator: THESE INEXPLICABLE LIGHTS IN THE SKY
ALSO DREW A FEW UNWELCOME VISITORS
TO THE WEST VIRGINIA TOWN.
[ TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING ]
THAT SPRING, POINT PLEASANT LOCALS
BEGAN TO SEEN AN ODD ASSORTMENT OF OUTSIDERS IN TOWN...
DRESSED IN BLACK.
Harris: THEY WOULD STAND UP AGAINST THE WALL ON MAIN STREET
AND JUST STARE.
I SEEN THEM MYSELF.
WE THOUGHT THEY WERE GOVERNMENT.
I THINK MOST OF US DID.
THAT TIME, I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOVERNMENT
AND THEY'RE PUT HERE TO WATCH PEOPLE.
AND I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS THEY WATCHING.
Narrator: SOME SAY THE SO-CALLED "MEN IN BLACK" ARE GOVERNMENT AGENTS.
OTHERS INSIST THEY AREN'T REALLY HUMAN.
Harris: I JUST THOUGHT THEY WERE GONNA PICK SOMEBODY
AND THEN INTERVIEW THEM OR TALK TO THEM, ASK THEM QUESTIONS.
Narrator: ONE THEY SEEM TO HAVE PICKED WAS LOCAL REPORTER MARY HYRE.
MARY HYRE WAS WORKING LATE IN HER OFFICE ONE EVENING.
A MAN CAME IN THAT WAS ACTING VERY STRANGE.
SMALL MAN, VERY ODD-BUILT, WITH GLASSES.
WHAT CAN I HELP YOU WITH? VERY CREEPY-ACTING.
LISTEN, MARY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO
IF SOMEONE TOLD YOU TO STOP WRITING ABOUT THOSE UFOs?
I'D TELL THEM TO GO TO HELL.
STAY AWAY FROM JOHN KEEL. HE'S A FRAUD.
Waldridge: THE MAN TRIED TO DISCREDIT JOHN,
THAT HE WAS A LIAR OR HE WASN'T WHAT HE SEEMED TO BE
OR WHAT HE TOLD HER HE WAS.
GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!
[ CHUCKLES ]
Shull: SHE WAS A LITTLE SCARED TO BE IN THE OFFICE BY HERSELF
AFTER THAT.
SHE KEPT THE OFFICE LOCKED.
THEY INTIMIDATED HER, BUT THEY DIDN'T.
Waldridge: MARY DID NOT STOP REPORTING.
SHE KEPT GOING, FOR THE SIMPLE FACT
THAT SHE KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING ON
AND SHE WAS GONNA GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT.
Narrator: FAILING TO INTIMIDATE MARY, THE MEN IN BLACK
PAID A TERRIFYING VISIT TO HER NIECE CHRISTINE.
YOU HAD THESE M.I.B.s WHO WERE COMING AROUND,
AND, YOU KNOW, RIGHT AWAY, THEY ESCALATED TO,
"THIS IS NOT GONNA BE A KIND OF PLEASANT EXPERIENCE ANYMORE."
I SAID THAT I DIDN'T KNOW -- YOU NEED TO --
LET GO OF ME!
Narrator: POINT PLEASANT, WEST VIRGINIA.
IN 1967, A SERIES OF STRANGE SUPERNATURAL EVENTS UNFOLDED.
IN THAT TOWN, A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE VERY SCARED.
THEY WANTED TO KNOW WHEN THE MOTHMAN WAS GONNA REAPPEAR.
"WAS IT GONNA CHASE MY CAR?"
Narrator: MANY RESIDENTS WERE CERTAIN
EXTRATERRESTRIAL VISITORS WERE WATCHING FROM ABOVE.
THEN AN EVEN MORE SINISTER PRESENCE INVADED ON THE GROUND.
AUTHOR JOHN KEEL AND LOCAL REPORTER MARY HYRE
TEAMED UP TO INVESTIGATE.
BUT, BY THE SPRING OF 1967,
THE INVESTIGATORS WERE GROWING PARANOID...
ESPECIALLY WHEN MYSTERIOUS MEN IN BLACK
TRIED TO KIDNAP MARY HYRE'S NIECE.
Man: MISS. EXCUSE ME, MISS.
Waldridge: A BLACK CADILLAC PULLED UP WITH A MAN INSIDE
THAT WAS DRESSED IN A BLACK SUIT.
AND THE MAN IN THE CAR ASKED FOR DIRECTIONS
TO LURE HER CLOSER TO THE VEHICLE.
I SAID THAT I DIDN'T KNOW -- YOU NEED TO --
LET GO OF ME!
SHE WAS VERY FRANTIC.
IT REALLY TRAUMATIZED HER.
SHE ACTUALLY HID IN HER BEDROOM,
AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW IF THIS MAN HAD FOLLOWED HER OR NOT.
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
THERE WAS A NOTE THAT WAS SLID UNDER THE DOOR.
Narrator: WAS THE NOTE A WARNING
DIRECTED AT JOHN KEEL AND MARY HYRE'S INVESTIGATION?
Waldridge: SHE WAS MARY HYRE'S NIECE.
THAT COULD HAVE BEEN USED AS A WAY
TO PERSUADE MARY NOT TO LOOK INTO THE CASE ANY FURTHER.
Coleman: DURING JOHN'S INVESTIGATIONS, AFTER THE MOTHMAN SIGHTINGS,
THERE WERE SIGHTINGS OF MEN IN BLACK,
THERE WERE DISAPPEARANCES.
HE WAS KIND OF, LIKE, LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER
AND WONDERING IF THAT CAR THAT'S GOING THROUGH TOWN
IS SOMEBODY INVESTIGATING HIM.
HE WAS A LITTLE PARANOID.
Narrator: IN THE SUMMER OF 1967, JOHN KEEL RETURNED TO NEW YORK.
YET THE MYSTERIES OF POINT PLEASANT
CONTINUED TO HAUNT HIM.
Sloman: IT REALLY TOOK A TURN WHEN JOHN BEGAN GETTING MESSAGES
FROM VARIOUS ENTITIES
THAT CLAIMED THAT THEY COULD FORESEE THE FUTURE
AND THEY WANTED TO WARN HIM.
[ TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING ]
[ CREATURE ROARS ]
[ GASPS ]
HE FELT PHYSICALLY IN DANGER BECAUSE THERE WERE TIMES
WHEN THESE MEN IN BLACK WOULD START FOLLOWING HIM.
HAVING A PLEASANT EVENING?
[ RATTLING ]
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
AT THE SAME TIME AS THIS IS HAPPENING...
HELLO?
...THE SITUATION AT JOHN'S HOUSE IS GOING CRAZY.
THE PHONE WILL RING, HE'LL PICK IT UP,
HE'LL HEAR BIZARRE, HIGH-PITCHED NOISES.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
SO JOHN BECAME CONVINCED THAT HIS PHONE WAS BEING TAPPED.
HE ACTUALLY WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE NEW YORK TELEPHONE COMPANY...
WHO IS THIS?
...TO LET HIM GO TO THE MAIN STATION AND TRACE HIS LINE.
DO YOU HEAR ME? STOP IT.
[ Screeching, RECEIVER CLICKS ]
Waldridge: HE WAS A TARGETED INDIVIDUAL FOR HARASSMENT.
IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THEY WERE TRYING TO ROB HIM OF HIS SANITY
OR SLEEP OR SOMETHING
TO DISCREDIT HIM AS AN INVESTIGATOR.
Sloman: HE SEEMED TO THINK
THAT SOMEHOW THIS PHENOMENA WAS KEEPING TABS ON HIM
AND MAY EVEN PUT HIS LIFE IN JEOPARDY,
SO HE REALLY, YOU KNOW --
I DON'T THINK HE WAS BEING PARANOID.
I THINK HE WAS JUST REALLY FRIGHTENED.
Narrator: FOR JOHN KEEL, THE DOTS WERE BECOMING ALIGNED,
ALL THE SIGNS POINTING TO DEADLY TROUBLE AHEAD.
Coleman: MARY AND JOHN GOT A FEELING
SOMETHING AWFUL WAS GONNA HAPPEN.
WAS IT GONNA BE AN ELECTRICAL DISRUPTION?
WAS IT GONNA BE A FACTORY EXPLODING?
WAS IT GONNA BE THE DEATH OF SOMEBODY?
THEY REALLY DIDN'T KNOW.
AND I SUSPECTED THEY KNEW WHAT I KNEW,
THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS THE BRIDGE.
Narrator: IN 1967, JOURNALIST JOHN KEEL HAD SPENT NEARLY A YEAR
TRAVELING TO POINT PLEASANT, WEST VIRGINIA,
AN ENTIRE TOWN WRAPPED UP IN A REAL-LIFE NIGHTMARE --
ANIMAL MUTILATIONS, UFO SIGHTINGS,
MYSTERIOUS MEN IN BLACK, AND, STRANGEST OF ALL,
A MENACING MONSTER KNOWN AS MOTHMAN.
PARANORMAL PANIC OCCURRED WITHIN THE TOWN.
YOU WOULD HAVE PEOPLE SEEING THINGS INSIDE OF THEIR BEDROOMS,
AND THEN THE FIGURE WOULD VANISH.
YOU WOULD HAVE PEOPLE HEARING THINGS.
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THAT IT CONTINUED
TO GET WEIRDER AND WEIRDER AND WEIRDER.
Narrator: AS JOHN KEEL WOULD WRITE, "ALL THE EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY
WAS BOGGLING MY MUCH-BOGGLED MIND."
WORSE STILL, JOHN FELT CERTAIN
IT WAS LEADING TO SOME DIRE CONCLUSION.
[ TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING ]
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
Keel: I WAS PLANNING TO GO BACK DOWN TO WEST VIRGINIA
IN DECEMBER OF THAT YEAR.
[ Screeching ] WHO IS THIS?
AND I HAD REPEATED PHONE CALLS WARNING ME "DON'T GO."
[ Screeching continues ]
STOP CALLING ME! DO YOU HEAR ME? STOP IT!
[ RECEIVER SLAMS ]
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
Narrator: IN WEST VIRGINIA,
KEEL'S INVESTIGATIVE PARTNER MARY HYRE
WAS RECEIVING HER OWN PROPHETIC WARNINGS.
[ MOANING ]
DAD.
[ GASPING ]
Shull: IN THE FALL OF 1967,
SHE WOULD TELL ME ABOUT HAVING DREAMS,
AND THEY WERE FAIRLY FREQUENT, ABOUT A BABY CRYING.
[ BABY CRYING ] [ GASPS ]
AND SHE WOULD WAKE ME UP.
"DID YOU HEAR THAT BABY CRYING? IT WAS AT THE END OF THE BED."
AND I WOULD SAY, "NO."
AND SHE WAS LIKE, "WOW. IT WAS JUST REALLY REAL."
MARY STARTED HAVING NIGHTMARES
ABOUT THIS AWFUL THING HAPPENING.
SHE SAW CHRISTMAS PACKAGES FLOATING IN THE OHIO RIVER.
AND SHE'S THE ONE THAT GOT CLOSEST TO REALLY PREDICTING IT.
[ GASPS ]
Narrator: ON DECEMBER 15, 1967,
JOHN KEEL WAS STILL IN NEW YORK CITY.
...1967 WOULD QUICKLY...
HE BELIEVED THE DANGER HAD SHIFTED
FROM POINT PLEASANT TO WASHINGTON, D.C.
I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS.
NOTHING'S GONNA HAPPEN.
LISTEN... I KNOW HOW THIS LOOKS, JOE.
BUT PLEASE KEEP THE FLASHLIGHTS READY.
Waldridge: JOHN HAD ACTUALLY GOTTEN A TIP FROM A MAN IN BLACK
THAT WHEN THEY WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS TREE WAS LIT,
THAT THERE WOULD BE A BLACKOUT ON THE EAST COAST,
SO HE WAS HOME, AND HE WAS WATCHING FOR THAT.
HERE COMES THE PRESIDENT.
[ CHRISTMAS MUSIC PLAYING ON TELEVISION ]
GOD HELP US.
JOHNSON HITS THE SWITCH, AND NOTHING HAPPENS.
AND JOHN IS, "GREAT. THAT'S FANTASTIC."
[ SIGHS, CHUCKLES ]
OH, MY GOODNESS, JOE.
I TOLD YOU IT WOULD BE FINE.
AND THEN THERE'S A CRAWL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN.
WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM FOR A SPECIAL BULLETIN.
A BRIDGE LADEN WITH RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC
HAS JUST COLLAPSED AT POINT PLEASANT, WEST VIRGINIA.
Narrator: IN POINT PLEASANT, THE NIGHTMARE WAS ONLY GETTING WORSE.
THAT'S SILVER BRIDGE.
MARY!
BY 5:00 P.M. THAT EVENING,
THE SILVER BRIDGE AT POINT PLEASANT
WAS JAMMED WITH RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC.
MANY FAMILIES WERE TAKING CARE OF CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
ACROSS THE RIVER.
WHAT OCCURRED IS, AT ONE END, THE RED LIGHT FROZE.
AT THE OTHER END, THERE WAS ALSO A RED LIGHT.
SO THE BRIDGE STARTED FILLING WITH CARS THAT COULD NOT MOVE.
AND, ALL OF A SUDDEN, I BAR #13 BROKE,
AND THE BRIDGE COLLAPSED.
THERE WAS A HUGE BOOM.
LIGHTS FLICKERED, THE TV WENT OFF.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID THEY THOUGHT
ONE OF THE POWER PLANTS HAD EXPLODED.
Shull: THE BRIDGE FELL.
I JUST REMEMBER ME AND MY MOM CRYING HORRIBLY
BECAUSE WE THOUGHT MY AUNT MARY WAS ON IT.
MY MOTHER WAS RIGHT BESIDE THE BRIDGE THE DAY IT FELL.
AND WHEN SHE RAN OUT THROUGH THE FLOODWALL,
SHE TOLD ME ALL SHE COULD SEE WERE CARS AND CHRISTMAS GIFTS
FLOATING IN THE RIVER.
MARY HAD A DREAM A WEEK BEFORE THIS
OF CHRISTMAS GIFTS BOBBING IN THE WATER.
[ GASPS ]
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
Narrator: 46 PEOPLE PERISHED IN THE ICY WATERS
BENEATH THE RUINS OF THE SILVER BRIDGE,
THE WORST BRIDGE COLLAPSE IN U.S. HISTORY.
Campbell: ONE CAR HAS A MOTHER AND HER TWO CHILDREN IN IT.
ONE 6-YEAR-OLD LITTLE GIRL WAS NEVER FOUND.
THE BODY WAS NEVER RETRIEVED.
IT WAS JUST HARD TO TALK ABOUT IT -- JUST SO SAD.
Narrator: ENGINEERS BLAMED THE BRIDGE COLLAPSE
ON THE FAILURE OF A SINGLE I BAR IN A SUSPENSION CHAIN.
OTHERS SUSPECTED THE CAUSE MAY HAVE BEEN SUPERNATURAL.
Campbell: PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THEY HAD SEEN THE MOTHMAN
GO OVER THE BRIDGE BEFORE IT COLLAPSED.
THIS IS WHAT THE WARNINGS WERE ABOUT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THE MOTHMAN WAS HERE TO WARN US
ABOUT THE BRIDGE.
JOHN FELT JUST HORRIFIED, AND, I THINK, IN SOME RESPECTS,
MAYBE EVEN BLAMED HIMSELF
THAT HE COULDN'T HAVE ANTICIPATED THAT.
Narrator: JOHN KEEL AND MARY HYRE REMAINED FRIENDS
AND CONTINUED TO CORRESPOND
UNTIL HER DEATH IN FEBRUARY 1970.
Coleman: 13 MONTHS TO THE EXACT DAY AFTER THAT INCIDENT,
MARY HYRE DIED OF A MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS.
I THINK THE TIMING IS INTERESTING.
13 MONTHS AFTER THE SIGHTING, I BAR 13 BREAKING,
13 MONTHS LATER, MARY HYRE DEFINITELY DIES.
Campbell: I REALLY, IN MY HEART, BELIEVE
MARY WAS SCARED TO DEATH, FRIGHTENED TO DEATH,
BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T LIVE VERY LONG.
SHE WAS ONLY 56 WHEN SHE DIED.
AND IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS.
Narrator: WHAT JOHN KEEL BEGAN SEARCHING FOR IN POINT PLEASANT,
OTHERS HAVE COME ALONG TO INVESTIGATE.
NOW ONE MAN HAS PROOF MOTHMAN NEVER WENT AWAY.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
IT WAS A BLACK SILHOUETTE, VERY THIN.
IT JUST STARTED COMING RIGHT FOR ME.
Narrator: FOR MANY IN POINT PLEASANT, WEST VIRGINIA,
THE MYSTERY OF MOTHMAN ENDED ABRUPTLY ON DECEMBER 15, 1967,
WHEN THE SILVER BRIDGE COLLAPSED, KILLING 46.
DECADES LATER,
NEW SIGHTINGS AND ENCOUNTERS CONTINUE TO TAKE PLACE.
ONE OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS IS THAT,
AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE BRIDGE,
ALL OF THE MOTHMAN SIGHTINGS STOPPED.
AND THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT TRUE.
THERE'S ONE OR TWO SIGHTINGS EVERY FEW MONTHS.
PEOPLE ARE STILL SEEING SOMETHING THERE.
Narrator: ANDY COLVIN GREW UP IN POINT PLEASANT
HEARING THE LEGEND OF MOTHMAN.
AT THE AGE OF 7,
FROM THE BACK OF THE FAMILY STATION WAGON,
ANDY CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF THE STRANGE WINGED PHANTOM.
HE NEVER FORGOT IT.
Colvin: WHEN I WAS A CHILD, WE DIDN'T CALL IT "MOTHMAN."
WE CALLED IT "THE BIRD."
AND THEN, IN 1993,
I SAW THIS BOOK BY JOHN KEEL -- "MOTHMAN PROPHECIES."
I WAS LIKE, "WHAT IS THIS?"
AND I READ IT, AND I'M LIKE, "WELL, THAT'S THE BIRD.
HE'S WRITING ABOUT THE BIRD."
AND IT JUST BLEW ME AWAY.
AND I REALLY STARTED BECOMING MORE INTERESTED
IN THE TOPIC THEN.
Narrator: RECENTLY, ANDY AND TWO FRIENDS WENT BACK TO POINT PLEASANT
TO INVESTIGATE THE TRUTH.
[ INSECTS CHIRPING ]
Colvin: WE FELT THE PRESSURE CHANGE,
THE CRICKETS STOPPED CHIRPING.
IT FELT VERY COLD. THIS WAS A 90-PLUS-DEGREE NIGHT.
SUDDENLY, WE'RE SHIVERING.
Narrator: OUT OF NOWHERE,
A CURTAIN OF LIGHT BEGAN TO FORM.
THAT'S WHEN WE SAW A SHIMMERING CURTAIN.
AAH!
IT'S COMING TO YOU,
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE BEING DRAWN TO IT BY A VACUUM.
WE SAW SHIMMERING, WISPY BEINGS IN FRONT OF US IN THIS CURTAIN,
THIS SHIMMERING CURTAIN, EXAMINING US FROM EVERY ANGLE.
Narrator: THEN FROM THE LIGHT CAME A MONSTROUS SHAPE.
Colvin: IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS GROWING WINGS.
IT WAS THIS BLACK SILHOUETTE,
THE SAME ONE I HAD SEEN YEARS BEFORE.
AND I GOT THE FEELING THAT THIS WAS MOTHMAN OBSERVING US.
I SUGGESTED THAT WE NOT TRY TO THINK ANYTHING.
"DON'T THINK NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, DON'T BE AFRAID.
TRY NOT TO BE AFRAID. CLEAR YOUR MIND.
MAYBE THIS THING REACTS TO WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.
MAYBE IF YOU DON'T FEAR IT, IT WON'T FEAR YOU,
AND IT MAY NOT HARM YOU."
Narrator: ANDY COLVIN SAW ONLY ONE WAY OUT --
THROUGH THE VEIL.
DON'T GO!
Colvin: I DECIDED I COULD TAKE THAT CHANCE AND WALK INTO IT,
BECAUSE I REALLY FELT LIKE,
"THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY CHANCE I'M GONNA GET IN MY LIFE TO DO THIS."
IN THE BACK OF MY MIND, I'M WONDERING,
"IS THIS HOW PEOPLE DISAPPEAR?"
IT'S THE SCARIEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME.
ABSOLUTE FEAR.
IT'S ALMOST BRINGING TEARS TO MY EYES 'CAUSE IT WAS THAT SCARY.
SOMEHOW, I WAS ABLE TO DO IT AND SURVIVE,
BUT I FEEL VERY LUCKY.
I THINK THE BEST EXPLANATION FOR MOTHMAN,
JUST AS A WORKING PREMISE,
IS THAT HE MAY BE A THUNDERBIRD
IN THE NATIVE AMERICAN TRADITION.
IN THOSE TRADITIONS, PEOPLE THAT SEE THE MOTHMAN,
THEY ARE CONSIDERED TO BE BLESSED.
IT COULD BE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT A FORCE HERE
THAT'S SO CLOSE TO THE SOURCE OF REALITY THAT IT DOESN'T --
THAT THE IDEAS ABOUT GOOD AND EVIL DON'T REALLY FIT IT.
Waldridge: THERE'S MANY THEORIES ABOUT WHAT THE MOTHMAN ACTUALLY WAS.
WAS HE SOME TYPE OF ANCIENT BEING,
SOME TYPE OF CREATURE FROM ANOTHER PLANET,
OR SOMETHING THAT'S ANCIENT THAT WE MAY NOT UNDERSTAND
THAT MAY EXIST IN ANOTHER DIMENSION?
Narrator: FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE, JOHN KEEL STRUGGLED
TO MAKE SENSE OF THE 13 MONTHS HE SPENT IN POINT PLEASANT.
HIS RESEARCH WOULD TURN INTO A BEST-SELLING ACCOUNT
OF THE EVENTS,
ONE OF THE SINGLE MOST POPULAR BOOKS
EVER TO EXPLORE THE UNEXPLAINED.
KEEL DEDICATED THE BOOK TO MARY HYRE
AND THE PEOPLE OF WEST VIRGINIA.
JOHN KEEL'S ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND THE MONSTERS
THAT PLAGUE POINT PLEASANT HAS INSPIRED COUNTLESS OTHERS
TO CONDUCT THEIR OWN SEARCH FOR HIDDEN TRUTHS.
Keel: THE UNKNOWN IS OUT THERE.
THE UNIVERSE DOES NOT EXIST AS WE THINK IT EXISTS.
AND WE DON'T EXIST AS WE THINK WE EXIST.