Monsters and Mysteries in America (2013–…): Season 3, Episode 2 - Tennessee Wildman - Subterranean Reptoids - full transcript
Across America, unidentified creatures have terrorized entire towns. With an appetite for residents, cold-blooded, sewer-dwelling reptoids are said to lurk beneath Los Angeles-and in the forests of Tennessee hunters encounter the legendary Wildman.
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator: BROTHERS
AMBUSHED BY A MANIMAL MONSTER
THEY THOUGHT WAS ONLY A LEGEND.
HE COULD HAVE RIPPED THE DOG
AND ME AND MY BROTHER ALL APART.
[ GROWLS ]
I FELT LIKE I WAS GONNA DIE.
I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST GONNA RUN
OVER THE TOP OF ME AND KILL ME,
AND THAT WOULD BE THE END OF IT.
[ ENGINE TURNS OVER ]
[ GROWLS ]
[ SCREAMS ]
Narrator:
A RACE OF LIZARD CREATURES
LIVING UNDER THE STREETS OF L.A.
THEY'RE COMING UP
OUT OF THIS DRAIN
CIRCLING AROUND LIKE SHARKS.
AND I LOOK
RIGHT IN THE SAME AREA.
I SAW
TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT THINGS
THAT LOOKED LIKE
LITTLE SHADOWS CRAWLING.
Narrator: UP THROUGH THE DRAINS
INTO THE WALLS,
A FAMILY'S OWN HOME INVADED.
I WAS STARING IT IN THE EYES.
IT LOOKED VICIOUS.
IT LOOKED REALLY VICIOUS.
[ SCREAMS ]
[ HISSES ]
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator:
WITHIN THE STATE OF TENNESSEE,
THE MOUNTAINOUS REGION
ALONG ITS EASTERN BORDER
IS LIKE A WORLD UNTO ITSELF.
THIS IS APPALACHIA,
WHERE SMOKY HAZE
OFTEN BLANKETS THESE MOUNTAINS.
IT'S A PLACE
WHERE WILDLIFE STILL ROAMS FREE,
A REGION WHERE SMALL COMMUNITIES
OF HILL PEOPLE
CLING TO LONG-HELD TRADITIONS.
Seeber: THERE ARE SEVERAL AREAS
IN EAST TENNESSEE
WHERE PEOPLE STAY AWAY FROM,
BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID TO GO
INTO A PARTICULAR PLACE.
EITHER THEY'VE HEARD A STORY,
OR THEY'VE ENCOUNTERED
SOMETHING THEMSELVES
THAT THEY SIMPLY CAN'T EXPLAIN.
Narrator:
PROMINENT AMONG THOSE BELIEFS
IS A STEADFAST CONVICTION
ABOUT A MYSTERIOUS CREATURE
SOMEHOW BOTH ANIMAL AND MAN...
A BEAST THAT'S BEEN WHISPERED
ABOUT FOR GENERATIONS.
Bowers: MY DAD ONCE TOLD ME
WHEN I WAS YOUNG
THAT IF YOU HUNT THESE MOUNTAINS
LONG ENOUGH,
THAT YOU WILL SEE
STRANGE THINGS,
AND YOU WILL SEE SOME THINGS
YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T SEE.
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator: ITS REPUTATION
IN THESE HILLS IS PERVASIVE --
COUNTLESS SIGHTINGS,
TERRIFYING ENCOUNTERS.
Seeber: MANY OF THE REPORTS
I'VE GATHERED OVER THE YEARS...
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
...THE PEOPLE
WERE SO FRIGHTENED,
YOU COULD HEAR IT
IN THEIR VOICE.
THEIR VOICE WOULD SHAKE.
THEIR VOICE WOULD TREMBLE.
THEY WOULD LOOK AT YOU
WITH THIS FEAR IN THEIR EYES
LIKE, "TELL ME, WHAT IS THIS?"
Narrator:
WHAT THIS IS HAS BEEN DEBATED
AT LEAST
AS FAR BACK AS THE LATE 1800s.
Bowers:
IN 1878, THERE WAS AN ARTICLE
IN THE KNOXVILLE DAILY TRIBUNE.
THERE WAS A DOCTOR
BY THE NAME OF O.G. BROYLER
THAT HAD, SUPPOSEDLY,
IN HIS POSSESSION
A CAPTURED TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
READY TO SEE THE WILDMAN,
HON?
Narrator:
AN EXHIBITION WAS ARRANGED
WHERE THE ASSEMBLED
VIEWED A CREATURE
THE LIKES
OF WHICH THEY NEVER IMAGINED.
...MY GOOD LADY,
AND WELCOME.
I KNOW YOU'RE FAMILIAR
WITH THE LEGEND
OF THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
AFTER A YEAR OF STUDYING,
RESEARCHING, INVESTIGATING,
TONIGHT IN THIS TENT,
I AM GOING TO PROVE TO YOU
THAT THE LEGEND
IS, IN FACT, TRUE.
GENTLEMEN, MY GOOD LADY...
BEHOLD
THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
[ SNARLING ]
[ GROWLING ]
[ SCREAMS ]
DON'T BE AFRAID!
HE'S CHAINED DOWN!
HE CAN'T HURT YOU!
Narrator:
FOR THE LONGEST TIME,
THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN
HAS EXISTED IN RUMOR AND LEGEND.
BUT FOR TWO BROTHERS,
IT WOULD BECOME
SOMETHING VERY, VERY REAL.
IT WAS THE SCARIEST THING
I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.
I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA DIE.
Narrator: JUST WEST
OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE,
THE SMALL TOWN OF ROCKWOOD
SITS SECLUDED ALONG THE
FOOTHILLS OF THE APPALACHIANS.
DR. FRANK EPPERSON, A PASTOR,
AND MARK EPPERSON, A WELDER,
ARE BROTHERS 10 YEARS APART.
THEIR FAMILY
MOVED FROM THE CITY TO ROCKWOOD
WHEN THE YOUNGER SON, MARK,
ENTERED HIGH SCHOOL.
THAT'S WHEN THEIR MOTHER BEGAN
WARNING THEM ABOUT THE WOODS.
MOM WAS A CHEROKEE INDIAN,
AND SHE USED TO SPEAK OF SUCH
THINGS AS THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
Frank: MY MOTHER HAD WARNED
BOTH MY BROTHER AND MYSELF
TO STAY OUT OF THE WOODS,
BECAUSE THERE WAS A WILDMAN
THAT WAS DANGEROUS --
VERY DANGEROUS.
Narrator:
ONE NIGHT IN DECEMBER 1981,
AFTER A LONG DAY'S WORK,
THE EPPERSON BROTHERS WERE
AT THEIR MOTHER'S MOUNTAIN CABIN
SETTLING IN FOR SUNDAY SUPPER.
HOPE YOU BOYS ARE HUNGRY.
IT LOOKS DELICIOUS, MOM.
IT SMELLS DELICIOUS, MOM.
SO, WHAT ABOUT THOSE DOGS?
Narrator: LATELY, THE HILLS
WERE FILLED WITH TALK
OF A PREDATOR ON THE LOOSE.
Frank: SOMEWHERE IN
THE TIME FRAME OF DECEMBER 1981,
THERE WERE A RASH OF REPORTS
THAT ANIMALS WERE MISSING.
JUST UP AND DISAPPEARED
FROM THE YARD.
WELL, WHATEVER IT WAS,
IT WAS BIG.
IT WAS LOUD.
IT WAS BIG AS A BEAR.
Frank: THINGS MOVING AROUND
IN THE YARD,
TRASH BEING TURNED OVER.
WE DID NOT EXPECT
THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,
THESE THINGS START HAPPENING.
[ CLATTER, DOG BARKING ]
WHAT IS THAT?
I DON'T KNOW.
HE'S BARKING AT SOMETHING.
SOMEWHERE AROUND 7:00, WE HEARD
SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE,
AND IT WAS -- IT WAS A NOISE
LIKE SOMETHING HAD FALLEN OVER.
[ BARKING ]
Mark: THERE WAS A DOG THAT
WE HAD, AND HE BEGAN BARKING.
IT WAS A BARK THAT
I'D NEVER HEARD FROM HIM BEFORE.
HE WANTED TO HIDE,
AND THAT WAS NOT OUR DOG.
HE'S BARKING AT SOMETHING.
I'M GONNA CHECK IT OUT.
WELL, NOW,
I'M COMING WITH YOU.
Frank: WHEN I REALIZED THAT
SOMEONE WAS ON OUR PROPERTY,
I REACHED FOR MY PISTOL,
AND I PUT IT IN MY BELT.
BE CAREFUL.
[ BARKING CONTINUES ]
[ BARKS, WHIMPERS ]
I THOUGHT I WAS GOING
TO CONFRONT A ROBBER, A BURGLAR,
SOMEONE WHO WANTED TO VANDALIZE
OUR STUFF OR STEAL SOMETHING.
Narrator:
IF IT WAS ONLY A BURGLAR,
THE BROTHERS
MIGHT HAVE BEEN LUCKY.
Frank: I WENT RIGHT.
MY BROTHER WENT LEFT.
Mark: I WENT AROUND
THE BACK OF THE HOUSE
AND UP THE SIDE OF THE GARDEN
TO THE WOOD LINE.
I WALKED
TO THE EDGE OF THE WOODS,
AND I BEGAN TO SMELL THIS ODOR.
[ GROWLS ]
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
THIS CREATURE WAS HOLDING
THIS DOG IN HIS HAND,
AND THE DOG WOULD WHIMPER.
AND IN THIS DOG'S EYES...
YOU COULD SEE FEAR.
IT WAS...
IT WAS FEAR.
[ GROWLING ]
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
THE THING TURNED AND RAN.
I THOUGHT OF MY BROTHER.
FRANK.
IT WAS COMING TOWARD HIM.
FRANK! FRANK!
FRANK! FRANK!
FRANK!
FRANK! IT'S OVER HERE!
IT'S COMING TOWARD YOU!
I SAW SOMETHING.
[ SNARLING ]
IT WAS THE SCARIEST THING
I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.
I REALLY DIDN'T THINK WE WERE
GOING TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE.
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator: IN THE MOUNTAINS
OF EASTERN TENNESSEE,
GENERATIONS
HAVE PASSED THE STORY
OF A HALF-MAN, HALF-BEAST
ROAMING THE WOODS.
THEY CALL IT "THE WILDMAN."
[ SNARLS ]
SOME SAY THE BIPEDAL BEAST
IS A RELATIVE OF SASQUATCH,
THOUGH IT DIFFERS IN KEY WAYS.
Seeber: IT'S NOT AS LARGE
AS THE SASQUATCH.
IT IS POSSIBLY EVEN
NOT AS MUCH HAIR,
NOT AS BROAD-SHOULDERED,
A LITTLE BIT SMALLER IN STATURE.
Narrator: SOME BELIEVE
THAT THE WILDMAN AND BIGFOOT
MAY EVEN BE ENEMIES,
BATTLING FOR REMOTE TERRITORY
IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.
Seeber: I BELIEVE THE TENNESSEE
WILDMAN'S VERY TERRITORIAL.
I BELIEVE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT
IN UNDERSTANDING
WHY THEY GET VIOLENT.
THEY THROW ROCKS.
THEY YELL.
THEY SCREAM.
THEY SHAKE TREES.
I BELIEVE IF THEY WANTED TO HURT
SOMEONE, THEY REALLY COULD.
Narrator:
ONE WINTER NIGHT IN 1981,
MARK EPPERSON
AND HIS BROTHER, FRANK,
HAD GONE OUTSIDE
TO INVESTIGATE A PROWLER.
WHEN THE TWO SPLIT UP,
MARK FOUND HIMSELF FACE-TO-FACE
WITH A MAMMOTH HE-MONSTER.
[ GROWLING ]
Mark: IT WAS COVERED WITH HAIR,
IT SMELLED,
AND IT WAS VERY LARGE --
VERY LARGE.
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
FRANK.
FRANK! FRANK!
FRANK!
I YELLED AT FRANK AND TOLD FRANK
THAT I HAD SOMETHING.
IT WAS COMING TOWARD HIM.
I SAW SOMETHING.
Frank:
AND I COULD HEAR SOMETHING HUGE
MOVING IN THE WOODED AREA,
SO I REALIZED THAT I'M GOING
TO MEET THIS THING FACE-TO-FACE,
HEAD ON.
SO I RAISED MY PISTOL,
WAITING FOR THIS GUY
TO COME THROUGH THE WOODS.
AND I WAS READY
TO PULL THE TRIGGER.
THE FIRST THING THAT I SAW
WAS EYES.
THEY LOOKED LIKE LIGHTS.
THEY LOOKED, TO ME, AS
IF THEY HAD THEIR OWN INTENSITY.
[ SNARLING ]
[ GROWLS ]
AND I REALIZED AT THAT POINT
THAT I WAS FACING SOMETHING
THAT I HAD NEVER IMAGINED.
THIS IS A MONSTER.
IT'S HIDEOUS.
IT'S ALMOST WAITING FOR ME.
YOU KNOW,
THE THOUGHT CAME TO ME,
"DOES THIS THING
KNOW THAT I'M ARMED?
"IS IT POSSIBLE
THAT HE KNOWS THAT, YOU KNOW --
THAT HE HAS
AN INTELLIGENCE ABOUT HIM?"
[ SNARLING ]
Narrator: THE CREATURE
GLARES AT THE TWO BROTHERS.
THEN SUDDENLY,
WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A WAR CRY.
[ SCREAMS ]
IT LET OUT A SCREAM
THAT WOULD SCARE ANYONE,
MAKE ANYONE'S HAIR STAND UP.
[ SNARLING ]
Frank: I KNEW THEN
THAT THIS THING WAS COMING.
I-I -- IT WAS IN MY MIND,
"SHOOT OR DON'T SHOOT.
NOW IS THE TIME."
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
HE TOOK A STEP
TO LUNGE TOWARD ME,
AND THAT'S WHEN I SHOT
MY PISTOL TWICE.
[ SCREAMS ]
AND THEN
HE BACKS UP AND SCREAMS.
IT REMINDED ME
OF A SIREN ON AN AMBULANCE.
IT WAS SCREAMING AT ME.
[ SCREAMS ]
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
[ SCREAMING ]
Mark:
IT'S FEAR BEYOND BELIEF.
WE FELT VERY LUCKY AND FORTUNATE
TO BE ALIVE AND UNINJURED.
[ BOTH BREATHING HEAVILY ]
WHAT HAPPENED?
WHEN MARK LOOKED AT ME,
HE TOOK ME BY THE SHOULDERS,
AND HE SAID,
"THIS IS THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN."
AND I PUT IT TOGETHER THEN --
THAT ALL THESE STORIES
WERE TRUE.
FOR ME, THE MOST FRIGHTENING
THING ABOUT A WILDMAN
IS THE UNKNOWN.
WE DON'T KNOW
WHAT THIS THING'S CAPABLE OF.
WE DON'T WHAT ITS MIND-SET IS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVE
IT IS A FRIENDLY CREATURE
THAT LIVES IN THE WOODS,
JUST WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE,
BUT THERE ARE ALSO THOSE
WHO BELIEVE
THIS CREATURE'S VERY DANGEROUS.
WE REALLY DON'T KNOW.
Narrator: OVER THE YEARS,
FRANK AND MARK EPPERSON
AREN'T THE ONLY ONES
TO REPORT A NARROW ESCAPE
FROM THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
Phillips: THE ONLY THING
THAT I KNEW AT THE TIME --
THAT I'M ALONE IN THESE WOODS
AND THERE'S SOMETHING OUT HERE.
[ SNARLING ]
I'M FEELING
THE MOST UNGODLY FEAR.
Narrator: IN THE SOUTHERN
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS,
TALES OF A WILDMAN BEAST
TROUBLING THESE HILLS
HAVE CIRCULATED FOR DECADES.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
Bowers: THE DESCRIPTION
CONCERNING THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN
GENERALLY RANGES FROM 7' TO 9',
A MAMMOTH-SIZE BODY,
VERY STRONG, MUSCULAR BUILD.
THEIR HAIR COLOR
RANGES FROM A CHARCOAL BLACK
TO A REDDISH-ORANGE TINT
WITH BLACK.
THE BIG, LARGE EYES -- SOME
PEOPLE WILL SAY THE FIERY RED.
[ GROWLS ]
IS IT A HYBRID OF SOME SORT?
A BRAND-NEW SPECIES
THAT WE DON'T KNOW?
WHATEVER THIS IS,
IT IS CERTAINLY
SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
Seeber: THEY CAN BE
EITHER A PREHISTORIC MAN
THAT HAS SOMEHOW SURVIVED
THROUGHOUT TIME
WITHOUT BEING DISCOVERED.
WE HAVE THE IDEA
THAT THEY ARE, INDEED,
JUST ANOTHER HIGHER FORM OF APE.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW
WHERE THESE CREATURES COME FROM.
WE DON'T KNOW THEIR ORIGIN.
Narrator: BUT THERE'S EVIDENCE
ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE LIVING NOW
AND HOW THEY REACT WHEN
SOMEONE TREADS ON THEIR TURF.
150 MILES NORTHEAST OF ROCKWOOD,
THE APPALACHIAN TOWN
OF JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE,
BRUSHES UP AGAINST
THE CHEROKEE NATIONAL FOREST.
MILES OF STREAMS TWIST AND TURN
THROUGH THESE SECLUDED HILLS
AND HOLLOWS.
THIS AREA WOULD BE
A PERFECT BREEDING GROUND
FOR CREATURES OR MONSTERS,
IN MY OPINION,
JUST FOR THE FACT
OF THE ISOLATION.
YOU DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT
OF POCKETS OF POPULATION.
YOU HAVE AREAS
AND MILES AND MILES
OF WOODS AND CLIFFS AND CAVES.
AN UNBELIEVABLE
UNDERGROUND-CAVE NETWORK HERE.
Narrator: A PERFECT ENVIRONMENT
FOR A CRYPTIC CREATURE TO HIDE.
Phillips: THE NIGHT
THAT I WENT UP TO THE CLIFFS
AND SEEN THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN,
IT WAS THE SCARIEST NIGHT
OF MY LIFE.
I CAN STILL THINK ABOUT IT TODAY
AND GET CHILL-BUMPS.
Narrator: GROWING UP, COUSINS
ROBB PHILLIPS AND RANDY SPARKS
SPENT A LOT OF TIME OUTDOORS,
ESPECIALLY
AT THE NEARBY WATAUGA CLIFFS.
WE ALWAYS HEARD STORIES
FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE
THAT SAYS THEY EXPERIENCED
THINGS AT THE CLIFFS,
BUT AS MANY TIMES
THAT WE'D BEEN UP THERE,
AT THIS TIME, WE'VE NEVER
EXPERIENCED ANYTHING.
Narrator:
ONE SATURDAY NIGHT IN 1997,
THE COUSINS WERE TRYING TO
DECIDE HOW TO SPEND THE EVENING.
HEY, MAN,
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO TONIGHT?
I DON'T KNOW.
YOU KNOW
WHAT I WAS THINKING?
WE GO UP TO THE CLIFFS, MAN.
THE CLIFFS.
Phillips: WHEN RANDY MENTIONED
GOING UP TO THE CLIFFS,
I WAS KIND OF HESITANT
ABOUT GOING UP THERE,
BECAUSE IT WAS GETTING DARK.
IT HAD BEEN RAINING.
IT WAS WET, KIND OF MUDDY.
AND I WASN'T REAL CRAZY
ABOUT GOING UP THERE.
GIRLS MIGHT BE SKINNY-DIPPING
IN THE RIVER DOWN THERE.
IT'S GONNA BE MUDDY.
OH, COME ON.
YOU'RE SCARED OF THE CLIFFS?
OOH. THE BIG, SCARY CLIFFS.
GIRLS?
YEAH.
GIRLS SKINNY-DIPPING.
LET'S GO.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S GO DO IT.
Narrator:
RANDY MANAGED TO CONVINCE ROBB,
AND SOON,
THE COUSINS WERE ON FOOT,
TREKKING DEEP INTO THE FOREST.
I'M TELLING YOU, MAN,
ALL YOU GOT TO DO
IS GO DOWN THERE TO THE CLIFF,
HAVE A COUPLE BEERS,
AND IT'S GONNA BE
A GOOD TIME.
THE GIRLS ARE DOWN THERE.
Phillips:
OF COURSE, RANDY'S TEASING
ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN UP THERE.
AND HE KEPT ON, YOU KNOW,
AND I KEPT ASKING HIM TO QUIT.
AND HE JUST KEPT ON TEASING
ABOUT IT, TEASING ABOUT IT.
THE TWO B's --
YOU GOT BEERS AND BABES,
MAN.
AS HE WAS JOKING,
WE HEARD THIS...
THIS SCREAM.
IT WAS
A HORRIBLE-SOUNDING SCREAM.
IT WASN'T HUMAN,
AND IT WASN'T AN ANIMAL.
IT WAS
A VERY EAR-PIERCING SCREAM.
[ SCREAMING ]
Phillips:
THE JOKING HAD STOPPED.
WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER IN FEAR.
[ RUSTLING ]
WE STARTED HEARING
SOMETHING HEAVY
WALKING TOWARDS OUR DIRECTION,
LIKE IT WAS COMING AT US.
[ SNARLING ]
[ GROWLS ]
AND WE TAKE OFF RUNNING.
AND WE RAN
FOR A GOOD MINUTE OR SO
BEFORE WE REALIZED
THAT WE'RE NOT WITH EACH OTHER.
Narrator: NOW ON HIS OWN, ROBB
WOULD COME TO KNOW FIRSTHAND
HOW PHYSICALLY AGILE
THE WILDMAN CAN BE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, I STOP HEARING
THIS MOVEMENT ON THE GROUND,
AND NOW I'M HEARING MOVEMENT
IN THE TREES ABOVE ME.
[ RUSTLING ]
AND ABOUT 15, 20 FOOT
IN THE AIR,
THERE IS THIS THING STANDING
ON A BRANCH OF THE TREE,
AND IT'S JUST STANDING THERE
LOOKING TOWARDS ME.
I DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS
GONNA BE ANY ESCAPING THIS.
Narrator: SWIFT ON THE GROUND
AND A THREAT FROM THE TREES.
Phillips: I WAS FREAKING OUT.
I WAS FEARING FOR MY LIFE.
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator: IN TENNESSEE ON
A COOL SEPTEMBER NIGHT IN 1997,
ROBB PHILLIPS AND RANDY SPARKS
WERE HANGING OUT
AT A POPULAR RECREATION SPOT --
THE WATAUGA CLIFFS.
BEERS AND BABES, MAN.
PARTYING TURNED TO TERROR...
[ SCREAMING ]
...WHEN THEY HEARD THE PIERCING
SCREAMS OF ABOMINABLE BEAST.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
I TOOK OFF
LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL.
I TOOK OFF, AND I RAN.
I RAN FOR MY LIFE.
GO, GO! WE GOT TO GO, MAN.
WE GOT TO GO.
Narrator: THE COUSINS HAD GOTTEN
SAFELY BACK TO THEIR CAR,
BUT STILL WEREN'T FREE
OF THE MONSTER.
GO, GO. LET'S GO. LET'S GO.
I AM! I AM!
WE GOT TO GO.
WE GOT TO GO NOW.
I AM. I'M GOING.
COME ON.
WE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE.
WE GOT TO GET
OUT OF HERE.
LET'S GO.
I AM!
COME ON, COME ON,
COME ON, COME ON.
[ ENGINE TURNS OVER ]
[ GROWLS ]
[ SCREAMS ]
WHAT IS THAT?!
AND AT THAT POINT,
I REALIZED
THAT I AM LOOKING DIRECTLY
AT THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
[ SNARLING ]
WHAT IS THAT?!
WHAT IS THAT?!
[ BOTH SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY ]
Sparks: IT WAS AT LEAST
PROBABLY 9 FEET TALL,
BIG, HAIRY HANDS,
AND THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND
THAT HE COULD BREAK
THE WINDOWS OUT OF THAT CAR.
Phillips: AND RANDY'S SCREAMING,
"GO, GO, GO!"
I STOMPED THE GAS, AND WE LEFT.
WE SPLIT, AND WE GOT
THE HECK OUT OF THERE.
IT WAS NO LONGER A STORY.
THIS LEGEND OF
THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN WAS REAL.
Narrator: IT IS HARD
TO FATHOM THE EXISTENCE
OF A HALF-HUMAN, HALF-BEAST.
ONLY THOSE
WHO HAVE LOOKED INTO THE EYES
OF THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN
KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'VE SEEN.
[ GROWLS ]
WHATEVER THIS THING IS,
IT'S MEAN.
I MEAN, IT'S -- IF THERE IS
A DEFINITION FOR A MONSTER,
THIS IS IT.
[ SNARLS ]
Narrator:
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
MOST RESIDENTS
PAY LITTLE ATTENTION
TO THE GROUND UNDERFOOT.
THERE'S THE VAGUE
AND OCCASIONAL TERROR
OF LIFE
IN AN EARTHQUAKE FAULT ZONE.
YET, SOME SAY, A THREAT
OF AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT KIND
LURKS UNDER THESE STREETS...
...SUPERNATURAL...
SINISTER...
SCALY.
FROM CAVES AND SEWERS,
COME THE SLIME PEOPLE...
AAAAH!
...THAT KILL, KILL, KILL!
IT SOUNDS LIKE A MONSTER
DREAMED UP IN HOLLYWOOD.
"THE SLIME PEOPLE."
YET REPORTS OF REAL REPTOIDS
CONTINUE TO ARISE.
ANAHEIM HILLS
IS A PLANNED COMMUNITY
IN THE SUBURBS OF LOS ANGELES.
IT'S A SAFE, QUIET
NEIGHBORHOOD...
THE KIND OF PLACE WHERE PEOPLE
MOVE TO RAISE THEIR KIDS.
YET UNDERNEATH THE MANICURED
LAWNS, BELOW THE STREETS,
SOME CONTEND
A NEFARIOUS NEIGHBOR IS LURKING.
[ HISSING ]
GROWING UP, I HAD NEVER HEARD
OF ANYTHING LIKE A REPTOID.
I HAD NEVER HEARD
OF ANYTHING UNDERGROUND
OR LIVING UNDERGROUND.
I NEVER BELIEVED REPTOIDS
EXISTED UNTIL THAT NIGHT,
AND IT DEFINITELY MADE
A BELIEVER OUT OF ME.
Narrator: ANGELICQUE McQUEEN
LIVES IN ANAHEIM.
THIS BUSY, NO-NONSENSE MOM
WITH TWO KIDS
HAS BUILT AN UNUSUAL CAREER
FOR HERSELF AS A BOXING MANAGER.
McQueen: MY SON LOVES BOXING,
AND BECAUSE IT'S SUCH
A SHADY KIND OF INDUSTRY,
I DECIDED THAT IF HE WAS
GONNA BE INVOLVED IN IT,
THEN I SHOULD KNOW
EVERYTHING I CAN FIND OUT
AND BE THERE FOR HIM
AND ADVISE HIM AND PROTECT HIM.
Narrator: ANGELICQUE NEVER MET A
CHALLENGE SHE COULDN'T OVERCOME.
SHE WASN'T THE TIMID TYPE.
A NIGHT IN NOVEMBER 2008
WOULD CHANGE ALL THAT.
ON NOVEMBER 27th,
JUST LIKE ANY OTHER NIGHT,
I DECIDED TO TAKE MY DOG
FOR A WALK.
IT WAS A LITTLE CHILLY,
AND SO I PUT ON A HEAVIER COAT.
AS I WAS WALKING MY DOG,
I GOT A VERY STRANGE SENSATION
THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT.
IT'S ONE OF THOSE FEELINGS
OF, YOU KNOW, DANGER,
LIKE,
"MAYBE I SHOULDN'T GO THIS WAY.
MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN
A TURN."
Narrator: ONLY, ANGELICQUE KEPT
GOING RIGHT INTO HARM'S WAY.
[ LOW GROWLING ]
[ DOG WHIMPERS ]
[ SNARLS ]
[ BARKS ]
[ RUSTLING ]
[ GROWLING ]
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
McQueen:
I LOOK OVER, DOWN IN THE DRAIN.
I NOTICE SOMETHING.
[ WHIMPERING ]
[ BARKING ]
AND I SEE
TWO RED EYES GLOWING...
STARING AT ME.
[ GROWLING ]
IT HAD A ROUND HEAD,
GLOWING RED EYES,
A PIT-BULL TYPE OF HEAD,
AND I COULDN'T MAKE SENSE
OF WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT.
IT'S SOMETHING
I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
[ HISSING ]
AND BEFORE I COULD EVEN THINK
OF ANYTHING,
IT POUNCED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.
[ HISSING ]
THE FANGS
THAT I SAW ON THIS THING --
IT COULD HAVE
JUST DEVOURED A PERSON.
[ GROWLING ]
IT WAS A [GROWLS]
LIKE VERY EVIL, SINISTER...
SOMETHING THAT JUST --
NOTHING
THAT I'VE EVER, EVER FELT.
Narrator: THIS PREDATOR
HAS ENSNARED ANGELICQUE
IN A TELEPATHIC TRAP.
McQueen: THE WAY IT HAD CONTROL
OVER MY BODY AND MY MIND
WAS VERY, VERY SCARY.
[ Voice breaking ] I WAS AFRAID.
BUT I JUST STOOD THERE FROZEN.
I COULDN'T MOVE.
I DON'T KNOW
HOW MUCH TIME REALLY PASSED.
Narrator: FEELING
SHE'S ABOUT TO MEET HER END,
ANGELICQUE
DOES THE ONLY THING SHE CAN --
RUN AND TRY TO HIDE.
McQueen:
I SEE A PICKUP TRUCK.
I JUMP IN THE BACK OF IT.
Narrator:
SHE'S SAFE FOR THE MOMENT,
BUT TERRIFIED
THE CREATURE MIGHT FIND HER.
[ WHIMPERS, SNARLS ]
ANGELICQUE'S BOYFRIEND,
RAJ JOLLY,
WAS IN THEIR APARTMENT UPSTAIRS.
[ Ringing ]
McQueen:
I'M SHAKING -- TERRIBLY SHAKING.
I'M HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME
CALLING HIM.
[ CELLPHONE VIBRATING ]
I FINALLY GET AHOLD OF HIM.
ANGELICQUE?
RAJ, YOU HAVE TO GET
DOWN HERE. GET DOWN HERE NOW.
I TELL HIM,
"RAJ, RUN DOWN HERE. HURRY."
I COULD TELL
THAT SHE WAS TERRIFIED.
SHE'S REALLY SCARED.
AND SHE SAID, "GET DOWN HERE.
GET DOWN HERE NOW.
GRAB A BASEBALL BAT
OR STICK OR SOMETHING."
I'LL BE RIGHT THERE,
OKAY?
I JUST GRABBED ANYTHING I SAW.
I THOUGHT
SOMEBODY WAS ATTACKING HER.
Narrator:
BACK ON THE STREET,
ANGELICQUE REALIZES
THE CREATURE IS CLOSING IN.
[ SCREAMS ]
[ HISSES ]
AND THERE'S MORE THAN ONE.
[ GROWLING ]
McQueen: I WAS PANICKED.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
[ GROWLING CONTINUES ]
AND I THINK ANY SECOND,
IT'S GONNA REACH OVER
INTO THE TRUCK AND GRAB ME.
IT'S GONNA TAKE ME.
I FELT LIKE I WAS GONNA DIE.
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator:
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA,
RUMORS ABOUT A LOST RACE
OF LIZARD PEOPLE,
KNOWN AS REPTOIDS, LIVING
IN COLONIES BELOW THE STREETS.
UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS,
THEY EMERGE TO HUNT.
Redfern:
ONE THEORY FOR THE REPTOIDS
IS THAT THEY MIGHT BE
A SURVIVING RELIC POPULATION
OF SURVIVORS
FROM THE JURASSIC ERA --
"DINOSAURS," IN OTHER WORDS --
THAT OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS
HAVE SHRUNK IN SIZE,
DEVELOPED INTELLIGENCE,
AND TODAY, WE HAVE
WHAT WE CALL THE REPTOIDS.
WE DO HAVE EVIDENCE OF ANIMALS
BELIEVED TO HAVE BECOME EXTINCT
THAT ACTUALLY
DIDN'T BECOME EXTINCT.
A CLASSIC EXAMPLE
IS THE COELACANTH,
WHICH IS A LARGE FISH,
AN EXAMPLE OF WHICH
WAS CAUGHT OFF THE COAST
OF SOUTH AFRICA IN THE 1930s.
IT WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE BECOME
EXTINCT MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.
WITH THAT IN MIND,
I DON'T THINK IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
THAT OTHER CREATURES
FROM THE JURASSIC ERA
MIGHT HAVE SURVIVED, AS WELL.
Narrator: THEORIES ABOUT
THE REPTOIDS' SURVIVAL
OFTEN TARGET AREAS
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA,
ESPECIALLY LOS ANGELES.
IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA,
ONE NOVEMBER NIGHT IN 2008...
[ WHIMPERS ]
...ANGELICQUE McQUEEN
WAS WALKING HER DOG...
[ LOW GROWLING, DOG BARKS ]
...WHEN SHE FOUND HERSELF
FACE-TO-FACE
WITH LIZARD-LIKE CREATURES
EMERGING FROM THE SEWER DRAIN.
[ DOG BARKS ]
McQueen: THEY'RE COMING UP
OUT OF THIS DRAIN
CIRCLING AROUND LIKE SHARKS.
BEING RIGHT THERE WAS
THE MOST TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE
I'VE EVER HAD IN MY WHOLE LIFE.
[ LOW GROWLING ]
[ HISSES ]
Narrator: JUST AS THE CREATURES
WERE GATHERING FORCE....
Jolly: ANGELICQUE!
...ANGELICQUE'S BOYFRIEND
RAN STRAIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE
OF THE ENCOUNTER.
ARE YOU OKAY?
BE CAREFUL.
BE CAREFUL.
THERE ARE THESE CREATURES.
THEY CAME FROM OVER THERE.
Jolly: SHE WAS TERRIFIED.
SHE WAS STILL SHAKING
AT WHAT SHE HAD SEEN.
OKAY.
YOU STAY RIGHT HERE.
I WAS PRETTY WORRIED
BECAUSE ANGELICQUE'S
A PRETTY STRONG PERSON,
AND NORMALLY,
NOTHING SCARES HER.
Narrator: SOMETHING ABOUT RAJ
STOPPED THE REPTOIDS.
ALMOST INSTANTLY, THEY
DISAPPEARED BACK INTO THE DRAIN.
[ HISSES ]
ARE THESE CREATURES
HIGHLY TUNED TO PHEROMONES --
ATTRACTED TO SOME,
TAKING FLIGHT FROM OTHERS?
I SAW NOT ONE,
BUT TWO OR THREE THINGS
THAT LOOKED LIKE LITTLE SHADOWS
KIND OF CRAWLING.
[ HISSING ]
AND AS IT STOOD UP,
IT'S A PRETTY BIG, SCARY-LOOKING
ANIMAL WITH BIG TEETH.
[ GROWLING ]
WE BOTH HEARD THE [GROWLS]
THE GROWL.
LIKE A WEIRD GROWL.
LIKE A BIG ANIMAL.
[ GROWLING CONTINUES ]
I JUST KNEW THAT I DIDN'T WANT
TO MESS WITH THIS THING ANYMORE.
I KNEW
THAT WE HAD TO GET OUT OF THERE,
THAT IT COULD COME BACK UP
AND IT COULD KILL US.
Narrator:
ONE NIGHT SOON AFTER,
AN AWFUL SOUND OUTSIDE
THE APARTMENT AWAKES ANGELICQUE.
IT WAS
ABOUT 2:30 IN THE MORNING,
AND I'D HEARD A BIG THUD
OCCUR TO THE WALL.
[ GASPS ]
AND I SEE THIS MASSIVE AMOUNT
OF TISSUE AND BLOOD
DRIPPING DOWN THE WALL.
Narrator: WAS THE REMNANTS
OF A REPTOID VICTIM?
ANGELICQUE AND HER FAMILY
WOULD NEVER KNOW.
AFTER THAT NIGHT,
I DECIDED I'M MOVING.
I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE.
THERE WAS SOMETHING
VERY SINISTER, ALMOST SPIRITUAL,
EVIL,
SOMETHING THAT I DID NOT WANT --
I DID NOT WANT TO BE
AROUND ANY LONGER.
Narrator:
80 MILES NORTHEAST OF ANAHEIM,
THE TOWN
OF APPLE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA,
RESTS AT THE FOOTHILLS
OF THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS.
BIG SKIES, CLEAN AIR,
AND LOW CRIME
MAKE IT
A DESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE.
AND YET,
PERHAPS NOT SO SAFE AFTER ALL.
I NEVER BELIEVED
REPTOIDS EXISTED
UNTIL I SAW ONE FOR MYSELF
PLAYING WITH MY DAUGHTER.
Narrator: IN 1994,
LORENA SMITH WAS MOTHER
OF THREE YOUNG CHILDREN.
SO, WHAT ARE YOU
DOING IN YOUR ROOM?
PLAYING.
WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING?
WITH MY TOYS.
HER SMALL CRAFT BUSINESS
ALLOWED HER TO WORK AT HOME
AND LOOK
AFTER HER YOUNGEST CHILD...
A CHILD THAT LORENA THOUGHT
HAD AN OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION.
Lorena: MY DAUGHTER
HAD AN INVISIBLE FRIEND
THAT SHE LIKED TO PLAY WITH
AND BRING FOOD TO.
AND I WOULD ALWAYS MAKE HER
EXTRA FOOD
TO TAKE TO HER FRIEND.
ONE DAY, LORENA'S DAUGHTER
HAD A SPECIAL REQUEST
FOR HER INVISIBLE FRIEND.
WOULD YOU LIKE
ANOTHER SANDWICH?
[ PATTERING ]
Lorena: AND SHE CAME BACK AND
SAID, "MY FRIEND'S STILL HUNGRY.
CAN YOU MAKE A COUPLE MORE?"
HMM. OKAY.
IT'S READY.
AND I MADE HER A COUPLE MORE
AND FOLLOWED HER TO THE ROOM
TO FIND OUT WHERE SHE
WAS PUTTING THESE SANDWICHES,
'CAUSE I KNEW SHE COULDN'T
HAVE EATEN ALL OF THEM.
AND I SAW THROUGH THE SIDE DOOR
THAT SHE HANDED THE SANDWICH
TO HER FRIEND IN THE CLOSET.
HERE YOU GO.
DO YOU WANT
SOME MORE FOOD?
[ PATTERING ]
[ GASPS ]
AND I SAW A LITTLE HAND
REACH OUT WITH LITTLE CLAWS
AND REACH OUT FOR THE SANDWICH.
I WAS IN SHOCK...
WHAT IS THAT?
...'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT IT WAS.
WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?
BUT I KNEW THAT SOMETHING
GRABBED THE SANDWICH.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS SEEING.
OH, MY GOD.
[ HISSING ]
LET'S GO, LET'S GO.
MY BRAIN COULDN'T UNDERSTAND
WHAT WAS GOING ON.
YOU KNOW -- WHAT DID I SEE?
I JUST WANTED TO RUN.
Narrator: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S
SUNNY REPUTATION
MIGHT BE AT ODDS WITH A CERTAIN
RUMBLING UNDER THE STREETS,
BUT THIS IS NO EARTHQUAKE STORY.
RATHER, THERE ARE CLAIMS
OF SUBTERRANEAN REPTOIDS
PROWLING THROUGH
LABYRINTHS UNDERGROUND.
Redfern: RESEARCHERS
OF THE REPTOID PHENOMENON
BELIEVE THAT THERE COULD BE
LITERALLY HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS
OF MILES OF THESE TUNNELS
DEEP UNDER CALIFORNIA
AND SPECIFICALLY UNDER L.A.
TOTALLY INACCESSIBLE TO US.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW
WHAT'S GOING ON UNDER THERE.
Narrator: IN THE 1930s,
A MINING ENGINEER
NAMED W. WARREN SHUFELT
WAS ON THE TRAIL
OF A RACE OF REPTOIDS
HE WAS CERTAIN LIVED BELOW L.A.
SHUFELT EVEN OBTAINED
PERMISSION FROM THE CITY
TO PURSUE THE SEARCH.
HIS CREW DUG A NUMBER
OF 1,000-FOOT SHAFTS
THAT HE HOPED WOULD REACH A
CATACOMB CITY FILLED WITH GOLD.
AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF DIGGING,
THE PROJECT WAS ABANDONED --
NO GOLD...
NO REPTOIDS.
Redfern: THE REPTOID PHENOMENON
ISN'T A NEW ONE.
WE HAVE REPORTS
DATING BACK DECADES
OF THESE CREATURES ATTACKING
CARS, ATTACKING PEOPLE,
AND, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH,
VANISHING INTO THINGS
LIKE CULVERTS, DRAINS,
THINGS LIKE THAT,
SUGGESTING A CONNECTION BETWEEN
OUR WORLD AND THEIR UNDERWORLD.
Narrator: IN APPLE VALLEY,
CALIFORNIA, IN 2004,
LORENA SMITH
THOUGHT SHE WAS INDULGING
HER DAUGHTER'S IMAGINATION
WHEN SHE MADE A SANDWICH
FOR HER MAKE-BELIEVE FRIEND.
SHE'S STUNNED TO FIND HERSELF
CONFRONTING A CREATURE
THAT'S ALL TOO REAL.
Lorena:
I WALKED INTO THE ROOM,
AND MY DAUGHTER WAS JUST
SITTING THERE WATCHING IT EAT.
[ PATTERING ]
I PICKED UP MY DAUGHTER
BECAUSE I WAS SCARED.
WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?
AND I LOOKED TO SEE
WHAT IT WAS GONNA DO
OR WHERE IT WAS GONNA GO,
AND A HOLE IN THE CLOSET
OPENED UP.
OH, MY GOD.
AND IT JUMPED RIGHT IN,
CLOSED UP, AND IT WAS GONE.
LET'S GO, LET'S GO.
I KNOW THAT I WAS SCARED,
NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF,
BUT FOR MY DAUGHTER,
BECAUSE SHE WAS PLAYING
WITH THIS THING, FEEDING IT.
Narrator:
LORENA BARRICADED THE CLOSET
AND MOVED HER DAUGHTERS
TO HER ROOM.
ONE NIGHT,
WHILE THE KIDS WERE ASLEEP,
SHE HEARD SOMETHING
DEEP WITHIN THE WALL.
[ LOW GROWLING ]
[ SLITHERING ]
AAH!
HUH?
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
[ GASPS ]
[ HISSES ]
AAH! AAH!
I FINALLY REALIZED
THAT THEY WERE REPTOIDS.
THEY WERE COMING
IN AND OUT OF MY HOUSE.
Narrator:
LORENA HAD PEST-CONTROL PROBLEMS
BEYOND ALL IMAGINATION.
Lorena: WHO DO I CALL?
AND TELL THEM WHAT?
I FELT HELPLESS, ALONE.
Narrator:
SO SHE KEPT SILENT.
YET THE NEXT MORNING,
SOMEONE HAD ALREADY FOUND HER.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
YES?
GOOD MORNING.
MS. SMITH?
YES.
MAY WE COME IN?
YEAH, SURE.
THERE WAS THREE MILITARY MEN
AT THE DOOR
ASKING ME QUESTIONS
ON WHAT I SAW
AND, "DID I TELL ANYBODY
ABOUT WHAT I SAW?"
AND WHEN I ASKED THEM,
"WHAT IS IT?"
THEY SAID IT WAS SOMETHING
THAT ESCAPED FROM THEIR LAB.
SO, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
THAT YOU DON'T TELL ANYBODY.
WHAT IS IT?
I'M NOT AT LIBERTY TO TELL YOU
AT THIS MOMENT RIGHT NOW.
Narrator: THE VISIT
FROM THESE MILITARY MEN
LEFT LORENA BAFFLED.
WHILE SOME BELIEVE THESE
CREATURES ARE REMNANT DINOSAURS,
ANOTHER THEORY,
FAR MORE SINISTER,
CLAIMS THEY ARE
EXTRATERRESTRIALS
HUNTING FOR BREEDING PARTNERS.
MOST OF THE REPORTS
INVOLVING THE REPTILIANS
ARE GENERALLY REPORTED BY WOMEN,
AND THERE'S VERY OFTEN A SEXUAL
COMPONENT TO THESE STORIES.
THIS HAS GIVEN RISE
TO THE WHOLE IDEA
OF THE CREATION OF HALF-BREED
SPECIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
Narrator:
A FEW NIGHTS LATER,
SOMETHING APPEARED AGAIN
IN LORENA'S HOME.
Lorena: I WAS IN BED,
AND WHEN I WOKE UP --
'CAUSE I FELT SOMETHING.
I FELT THE BLANKETS MOVING.
Narrator:
THIS TIME, THERE WAS NOTHING SHY
ABOUT THIS LARGE,
WRATHFUL REPTILIAN.
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
[ LOW GROWLING ]
[ GASPS ]
IT WAS 7-FOOT, 300 POUNDS,
MAYBE MORE THAN THAT,
AND AROUND ITS SNOUT,
YELLOW, BIG EYES.
I WAS TERRIFIED.
[ SCREAMS ]
I COULDN'T MOVE.
BUT I REMEMBER I WAS SCREAMING
BECAUSE I WAS SCARED.
I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA KILL ME.
[ HISSING ]
[ SCREAMING ]
I COULD FEEL HIS NAILS AS
HE WAS PULLING ME OFF THE BED.
WHEN IT PULLED ME BY THE LEGS,
IT HAD A HORRIBLE LOOK
IN ITS EYES,
AND I KNEW WHAT WAS COMING.
I KNEW WHAT IT WAS GONNA DO.
AND IT SPRAYED ON ME.
AND THAT SPRAY STAYED ON.
I DON'T KNOW
IF IT WAS LIKE A PHEROMONE,
BUT I KNOW IT WAS A STRONG SPRAY
THAT I COULDN'T WASH IT
OUT OF MY HAIR.
I COULDN'T WASH IT
OUT OF MY SKIN.
AND NO MATTER WHAT I USED --
TOMATO JUICE --
BUT I KNOW IT SPRAYED,
AND I KNOW IT TOOK ENJOYMENT
OUT OF WHAT IT WAS DOING.
I KNEW
IT WAS SOME KIND OF REPTILIAN.
Narrator:
THEN, LORENA'S NIGHTMARE
WENT FROM BAD TO WORSE.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
MA'AM, WE'RE HERE
ABOUT SOMETHING
YOU MAY
OR MAY NOT HAVE SEEN.
IT CAME BACK.
Narrator: SHE WAS ABDUCTED TO
SOME SORT OF MILITARY FACILITY.
BY ALL APPEARANCES,
IT'S UNDERGROUND.
Lorena: I JUST REMEMBER
LYING ON A HOSPITAL BED.
THERE WAS A MAN IN A LAB COAT
THAT WAS TAKING SAMPLES.
[ GROANS ]
I FELT EVERYTHING,
BUT I WAS JUST IN A --
ALMOST LIKE A TRANCE STATE, SO
I COULDN'T DO REALLY ANYTHING.
BUT I SAW THEM DRAWING BLOOD,
LOOKING IN MY EYES,
JUST LIKE
I WAS GETTING A FULL PHYSICAL.
THEY WERE DOING ALL THESE THINGS
BECAUSE I CAME
IN CONTACT WITH A REPTOID.
AND THE LAST WORD I HEARD IS ONE
OF THE MILITARY MEN SAYING THAT,
"IT WAS JUST A DREAM, AND
YOU WON'T REMEMBER ANY OF IT."
HOW COULD YOU NOT?
IT MAKES ME FEEL MAD...
...BECAUSE THEY KNEW
WHAT WAS GOING ON
AND THEY DIDN'T HELP.
[ SIGHS ]
THREE MONTHS AFTER THAT,
WE FINALLY HAD ENOUGH.
WE PACKED, AND WE WERE GONE.
Narrator:
LORENA LEFT THE REPTOIDS BEHIND,
BUT THE FEAR REMAINS.
THE SCARIEST PART
OF BEING IN THE PRESENCE
OF ONE OF THOSE CREATURES
WAS NOT KNOWING
WHAT THEY WERE GONNA DO TO YOU
OR WHAT THEIR CAPABILITIES WERE.
THEY ARE REAL.
THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS ABOUT IT,
BUT THEY DO NOTHING.
I THINK
THEY WERE DOING EXPERIMENTS,
OR ONE OF THEIR EXPERIMENTS
GOT AWAY,
AND IT HAPPENED
TO BE AT MY HOUSE.
[ PATTERING ]
AND IT'S STILL
AS IF IT WERE YESTERDAY.
ALWAYS AFRAID
THAT THEY MIGHT COME BACK.
[ HISSES ]
Narrator: BROTHERS
AMBUSHED BY A MANIMAL MONSTER
THEY THOUGHT WAS ONLY A LEGEND.
HE COULD HAVE RIPPED THE DOG
AND ME AND MY BROTHER ALL APART.
[ GROWLS ]
I FELT LIKE I WAS GONNA DIE.
I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST GONNA RUN
OVER THE TOP OF ME AND KILL ME,
AND THAT WOULD BE THE END OF IT.
[ ENGINE TURNS OVER ]
[ GROWLS ]
[ SCREAMS ]
Narrator:
A RACE OF LIZARD CREATURES
LIVING UNDER THE STREETS OF L.A.
THEY'RE COMING UP
OUT OF THIS DRAIN
CIRCLING AROUND LIKE SHARKS.
AND I LOOK
RIGHT IN THE SAME AREA.
I SAW
TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT THINGS
THAT LOOKED LIKE
LITTLE SHADOWS CRAWLING.
Narrator: UP THROUGH THE DRAINS
INTO THE WALLS,
A FAMILY'S OWN HOME INVADED.
I WAS STARING IT IN THE EYES.
IT LOOKED VICIOUS.
IT LOOKED REALLY VICIOUS.
[ SCREAMS ]
[ HISSES ]
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator:
WITHIN THE STATE OF TENNESSEE,
THE MOUNTAINOUS REGION
ALONG ITS EASTERN BORDER
IS LIKE A WORLD UNTO ITSELF.
THIS IS APPALACHIA,
WHERE SMOKY HAZE
OFTEN BLANKETS THESE MOUNTAINS.
IT'S A PLACE
WHERE WILDLIFE STILL ROAMS FREE,
A REGION WHERE SMALL COMMUNITIES
OF HILL PEOPLE
CLING TO LONG-HELD TRADITIONS.
Seeber: THERE ARE SEVERAL AREAS
IN EAST TENNESSEE
WHERE PEOPLE STAY AWAY FROM,
BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID TO GO
INTO A PARTICULAR PLACE.
EITHER THEY'VE HEARD A STORY,
OR THEY'VE ENCOUNTERED
SOMETHING THEMSELVES
THAT THEY SIMPLY CAN'T EXPLAIN.
Narrator:
PROMINENT AMONG THOSE BELIEFS
IS A STEADFAST CONVICTION
ABOUT A MYSTERIOUS CREATURE
SOMEHOW BOTH ANIMAL AND MAN...
A BEAST THAT'S BEEN WHISPERED
ABOUT FOR GENERATIONS.
Bowers: MY DAD ONCE TOLD ME
WHEN I WAS YOUNG
THAT IF YOU HUNT THESE MOUNTAINS
LONG ENOUGH,
THAT YOU WILL SEE
STRANGE THINGS,
AND YOU WILL SEE SOME THINGS
YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T SEE.
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator: ITS REPUTATION
IN THESE HILLS IS PERVASIVE --
COUNTLESS SIGHTINGS,
TERRIFYING ENCOUNTERS.
Seeber: MANY OF THE REPORTS
I'VE GATHERED OVER THE YEARS...
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
...THE PEOPLE
WERE SO FRIGHTENED,
YOU COULD HEAR IT
IN THEIR VOICE.
THEIR VOICE WOULD SHAKE.
THEIR VOICE WOULD TREMBLE.
THEY WOULD LOOK AT YOU
WITH THIS FEAR IN THEIR EYES
LIKE, "TELL ME, WHAT IS THIS?"
Narrator:
WHAT THIS IS HAS BEEN DEBATED
AT LEAST
AS FAR BACK AS THE LATE 1800s.
Bowers:
IN 1878, THERE WAS AN ARTICLE
IN THE KNOXVILLE DAILY TRIBUNE.
THERE WAS A DOCTOR
BY THE NAME OF O.G. BROYLER
THAT HAD, SUPPOSEDLY,
IN HIS POSSESSION
A CAPTURED TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
READY TO SEE THE WILDMAN,
HON?
Narrator:
AN EXHIBITION WAS ARRANGED
WHERE THE ASSEMBLED
VIEWED A CREATURE
THE LIKES
OF WHICH THEY NEVER IMAGINED.
...MY GOOD LADY,
AND WELCOME.
I KNOW YOU'RE FAMILIAR
WITH THE LEGEND
OF THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
AFTER A YEAR OF STUDYING,
RESEARCHING, INVESTIGATING,
TONIGHT IN THIS TENT,
I AM GOING TO PROVE TO YOU
THAT THE LEGEND
IS, IN FACT, TRUE.
GENTLEMEN, MY GOOD LADY...
BEHOLD
THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
[ SNARLING ]
[ GROWLING ]
[ SCREAMS ]
DON'T BE AFRAID!
HE'S CHAINED DOWN!
HE CAN'T HURT YOU!
Narrator:
FOR THE LONGEST TIME,
THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN
HAS EXISTED IN RUMOR AND LEGEND.
BUT FOR TWO BROTHERS,
IT WOULD BECOME
SOMETHING VERY, VERY REAL.
IT WAS THE SCARIEST THING
I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.
I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA DIE.
Narrator: JUST WEST
OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE,
THE SMALL TOWN OF ROCKWOOD
SITS SECLUDED ALONG THE
FOOTHILLS OF THE APPALACHIANS.
DR. FRANK EPPERSON, A PASTOR,
AND MARK EPPERSON, A WELDER,
ARE BROTHERS 10 YEARS APART.
THEIR FAMILY
MOVED FROM THE CITY TO ROCKWOOD
WHEN THE YOUNGER SON, MARK,
ENTERED HIGH SCHOOL.
THAT'S WHEN THEIR MOTHER BEGAN
WARNING THEM ABOUT THE WOODS.
MOM WAS A CHEROKEE INDIAN,
AND SHE USED TO SPEAK OF SUCH
THINGS AS THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
Frank: MY MOTHER HAD WARNED
BOTH MY BROTHER AND MYSELF
TO STAY OUT OF THE WOODS,
BECAUSE THERE WAS A WILDMAN
THAT WAS DANGEROUS --
VERY DANGEROUS.
Narrator:
ONE NIGHT IN DECEMBER 1981,
AFTER A LONG DAY'S WORK,
THE EPPERSON BROTHERS WERE
AT THEIR MOTHER'S MOUNTAIN CABIN
SETTLING IN FOR SUNDAY SUPPER.
HOPE YOU BOYS ARE HUNGRY.
IT LOOKS DELICIOUS, MOM.
IT SMELLS DELICIOUS, MOM.
SO, WHAT ABOUT THOSE DOGS?
Narrator: LATELY, THE HILLS
WERE FILLED WITH TALK
OF A PREDATOR ON THE LOOSE.
Frank: SOMEWHERE IN
THE TIME FRAME OF DECEMBER 1981,
THERE WERE A RASH OF REPORTS
THAT ANIMALS WERE MISSING.
JUST UP AND DISAPPEARED
FROM THE YARD.
WELL, WHATEVER IT WAS,
IT WAS BIG.
IT WAS LOUD.
IT WAS BIG AS A BEAR.
Frank: THINGS MOVING AROUND
IN THE YARD,
TRASH BEING TURNED OVER.
WE DID NOT EXPECT
THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,
THESE THINGS START HAPPENING.
[ CLATTER, DOG BARKING ]
WHAT IS THAT?
I DON'T KNOW.
HE'S BARKING AT SOMETHING.
SOMEWHERE AROUND 7:00, WE HEARD
SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE,
AND IT WAS -- IT WAS A NOISE
LIKE SOMETHING HAD FALLEN OVER.
[ BARKING ]
Mark: THERE WAS A DOG THAT
WE HAD, AND HE BEGAN BARKING.
IT WAS A BARK THAT
I'D NEVER HEARD FROM HIM BEFORE.
HE WANTED TO HIDE,
AND THAT WAS NOT OUR DOG.
HE'S BARKING AT SOMETHING.
I'M GONNA CHECK IT OUT.
WELL, NOW,
I'M COMING WITH YOU.
Frank: WHEN I REALIZED THAT
SOMEONE WAS ON OUR PROPERTY,
I REACHED FOR MY PISTOL,
AND I PUT IT IN MY BELT.
BE CAREFUL.
[ BARKING CONTINUES ]
[ BARKS, WHIMPERS ]
I THOUGHT I WAS GOING
TO CONFRONT A ROBBER, A BURGLAR,
SOMEONE WHO WANTED TO VANDALIZE
OUR STUFF OR STEAL SOMETHING.
Narrator:
IF IT WAS ONLY A BURGLAR,
THE BROTHERS
MIGHT HAVE BEEN LUCKY.
Frank: I WENT RIGHT.
MY BROTHER WENT LEFT.
Mark: I WENT AROUND
THE BACK OF THE HOUSE
AND UP THE SIDE OF THE GARDEN
TO THE WOOD LINE.
I WALKED
TO THE EDGE OF THE WOODS,
AND I BEGAN TO SMELL THIS ODOR.
[ GROWLS ]
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
THIS CREATURE WAS HOLDING
THIS DOG IN HIS HAND,
AND THE DOG WOULD WHIMPER.
AND IN THIS DOG'S EYES...
YOU COULD SEE FEAR.
IT WAS...
IT WAS FEAR.
[ GROWLING ]
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
THE THING TURNED AND RAN.
I THOUGHT OF MY BROTHER.
FRANK.
IT WAS COMING TOWARD HIM.
FRANK! FRANK!
FRANK! FRANK!
FRANK!
FRANK! IT'S OVER HERE!
IT'S COMING TOWARD YOU!
I SAW SOMETHING.
[ SNARLING ]
IT WAS THE SCARIEST THING
I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.
I REALLY DIDN'T THINK WE WERE
GOING TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE.
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator: IN THE MOUNTAINS
OF EASTERN TENNESSEE,
GENERATIONS
HAVE PASSED THE STORY
OF A HALF-MAN, HALF-BEAST
ROAMING THE WOODS.
THEY CALL IT "THE WILDMAN."
[ SNARLS ]
SOME SAY THE BIPEDAL BEAST
IS A RELATIVE OF SASQUATCH,
THOUGH IT DIFFERS IN KEY WAYS.
Seeber: IT'S NOT AS LARGE
AS THE SASQUATCH.
IT IS POSSIBLY EVEN
NOT AS MUCH HAIR,
NOT AS BROAD-SHOULDERED,
A LITTLE BIT SMALLER IN STATURE.
Narrator: SOME BELIEVE
THAT THE WILDMAN AND BIGFOOT
MAY EVEN BE ENEMIES,
BATTLING FOR REMOTE TERRITORY
IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.
Seeber: I BELIEVE THE TENNESSEE
WILDMAN'S VERY TERRITORIAL.
I BELIEVE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT
IN UNDERSTANDING
WHY THEY GET VIOLENT.
THEY THROW ROCKS.
THEY YELL.
THEY SCREAM.
THEY SHAKE TREES.
I BELIEVE IF THEY WANTED TO HURT
SOMEONE, THEY REALLY COULD.
Narrator:
ONE WINTER NIGHT IN 1981,
MARK EPPERSON
AND HIS BROTHER, FRANK,
HAD GONE OUTSIDE
TO INVESTIGATE A PROWLER.
WHEN THE TWO SPLIT UP,
MARK FOUND HIMSELF FACE-TO-FACE
WITH A MAMMOTH HE-MONSTER.
[ GROWLING ]
Mark: IT WAS COVERED WITH HAIR,
IT SMELLED,
AND IT WAS VERY LARGE --
VERY LARGE.
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
FRANK.
FRANK! FRANK!
FRANK!
I YELLED AT FRANK AND TOLD FRANK
THAT I HAD SOMETHING.
IT WAS COMING TOWARD HIM.
I SAW SOMETHING.
Frank:
AND I COULD HEAR SOMETHING HUGE
MOVING IN THE WOODED AREA,
SO I REALIZED THAT I'M GOING
TO MEET THIS THING FACE-TO-FACE,
HEAD ON.
SO I RAISED MY PISTOL,
WAITING FOR THIS GUY
TO COME THROUGH THE WOODS.
AND I WAS READY
TO PULL THE TRIGGER.
THE FIRST THING THAT I SAW
WAS EYES.
THEY LOOKED LIKE LIGHTS.
THEY LOOKED, TO ME, AS
IF THEY HAD THEIR OWN INTENSITY.
[ SNARLING ]
[ GROWLS ]
AND I REALIZED AT THAT POINT
THAT I WAS FACING SOMETHING
THAT I HAD NEVER IMAGINED.
THIS IS A MONSTER.
IT'S HIDEOUS.
IT'S ALMOST WAITING FOR ME.
YOU KNOW,
THE THOUGHT CAME TO ME,
"DOES THIS THING
KNOW THAT I'M ARMED?
"IS IT POSSIBLE
THAT HE KNOWS THAT, YOU KNOW --
THAT HE HAS
AN INTELLIGENCE ABOUT HIM?"
[ SNARLING ]
Narrator: THE CREATURE
GLARES AT THE TWO BROTHERS.
THEN SUDDENLY,
WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A WAR CRY.
[ SCREAMS ]
IT LET OUT A SCREAM
THAT WOULD SCARE ANYONE,
MAKE ANYONE'S HAIR STAND UP.
[ SNARLING ]
Frank: I KNEW THEN
THAT THIS THING WAS COMING.
I-I -- IT WAS IN MY MIND,
"SHOOT OR DON'T SHOOT.
NOW IS THE TIME."
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
HE TOOK A STEP
TO LUNGE TOWARD ME,
AND THAT'S WHEN I SHOT
MY PISTOL TWICE.
[ SCREAMS ]
AND THEN
HE BACKS UP AND SCREAMS.
IT REMINDED ME
OF A SIREN ON AN AMBULANCE.
IT WAS SCREAMING AT ME.
[ SCREAMS ]
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
[ SCREAMING ]
Mark:
IT'S FEAR BEYOND BELIEF.
WE FELT VERY LUCKY AND FORTUNATE
TO BE ALIVE AND UNINJURED.
[ BOTH BREATHING HEAVILY ]
WHAT HAPPENED?
WHEN MARK LOOKED AT ME,
HE TOOK ME BY THE SHOULDERS,
AND HE SAID,
"THIS IS THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN."
AND I PUT IT TOGETHER THEN --
THAT ALL THESE STORIES
WERE TRUE.
FOR ME, THE MOST FRIGHTENING
THING ABOUT A WILDMAN
IS THE UNKNOWN.
WE DON'T KNOW
WHAT THIS THING'S CAPABLE OF.
WE DON'T WHAT ITS MIND-SET IS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVE
IT IS A FRIENDLY CREATURE
THAT LIVES IN THE WOODS,
JUST WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE,
BUT THERE ARE ALSO THOSE
WHO BELIEVE
THIS CREATURE'S VERY DANGEROUS.
WE REALLY DON'T KNOW.
Narrator: OVER THE YEARS,
FRANK AND MARK EPPERSON
AREN'T THE ONLY ONES
TO REPORT A NARROW ESCAPE
FROM THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
Phillips: THE ONLY THING
THAT I KNEW AT THE TIME --
THAT I'M ALONE IN THESE WOODS
AND THERE'S SOMETHING OUT HERE.
[ SNARLING ]
I'M FEELING
THE MOST UNGODLY FEAR.
Narrator: IN THE SOUTHERN
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS,
TALES OF A WILDMAN BEAST
TROUBLING THESE HILLS
HAVE CIRCULATED FOR DECADES.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
Bowers: THE DESCRIPTION
CONCERNING THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN
GENERALLY RANGES FROM 7' TO 9',
A MAMMOTH-SIZE BODY,
VERY STRONG, MUSCULAR BUILD.
THEIR HAIR COLOR
RANGES FROM A CHARCOAL BLACK
TO A REDDISH-ORANGE TINT
WITH BLACK.
THE BIG, LARGE EYES -- SOME
PEOPLE WILL SAY THE FIERY RED.
[ GROWLS ]
IS IT A HYBRID OF SOME SORT?
A BRAND-NEW SPECIES
THAT WE DON'T KNOW?
WHATEVER THIS IS,
IT IS CERTAINLY
SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
Seeber: THEY CAN BE
EITHER A PREHISTORIC MAN
THAT HAS SOMEHOW SURVIVED
THROUGHOUT TIME
WITHOUT BEING DISCOVERED.
WE HAVE THE IDEA
THAT THEY ARE, INDEED,
JUST ANOTHER HIGHER FORM OF APE.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW
WHERE THESE CREATURES COME FROM.
WE DON'T KNOW THEIR ORIGIN.
Narrator: BUT THERE'S EVIDENCE
ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE LIVING NOW
AND HOW THEY REACT WHEN
SOMEONE TREADS ON THEIR TURF.
150 MILES NORTHEAST OF ROCKWOOD,
THE APPALACHIAN TOWN
OF JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE,
BRUSHES UP AGAINST
THE CHEROKEE NATIONAL FOREST.
MILES OF STREAMS TWIST AND TURN
THROUGH THESE SECLUDED HILLS
AND HOLLOWS.
THIS AREA WOULD BE
A PERFECT BREEDING GROUND
FOR CREATURES OR MONSTERS,
IN MY OPINION,
JUST FOR THE FACT
OF THE ISOLATION.
YOU DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT
OF POCKETS OF POPULATION.
YOU HAVE AREAS
AND MILES AND MILES
OF WOODS AND CLIFFS AND CAVES.
AN UNBELIEVABLE
UNDERGROUND-CAVE NETWORK HERE.
Narrator: A PERFECT ENVIRONMENT
FOR A CRYPTIC CREATURE TO HIDE.
Phillips: THE NIGHT
THAT I WENT UP TO THE CLIFFS
AND SEEN THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN,
IT WAS THE SCARIEST NIGHT
OF MY LIFE.
I CAN STILL THINK ABOUT IT TODAY
AND GET CHILL-BUMPS.
Narrator: GROWING UP, COUSINS
ROBB PHILLIPS AND RANDY SPARKS
SPENT A LOT OF TIME OUTDOORS,
ESPECIALLY
AT THE NEARBY WATAUGA CLIFFS.
WE ALWAYS HEARD STORIES
FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE
THAT SAYS THEY EXPERIENCED
THINGS AT THE CLIFFS,
BUT AS MANY TIMES
THAT WE'D BEEN UP THERE,
AT THIS TIME, WE'VE NEVER
EXPERIENCED ANYTHING.
Narrator:
ONE SATURDAY NIGHT IN 1997,
THE COUSINS WERE TRYING TO
DECIDE HOW TO SPEND THE EVENING.
HEY, MAN,
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO TONIGHT?
I DON'T KNOW.
YOU KNOW
WHAT I WAS THINKING?
WE GO UP TO THE CLIFFS, MAN.
THE CLIFFS.
Phillips: WHEN RANDY MENTIONED
GOING UP TO THE CLIFFS,
I WAS KIND OF HESITANT
ABOUT GOING UP THERE,
BECAUSE IT WAS GETTING DARK.
IT HAD BEEN RAINING.
IT WAS WET, KIND OF MUDDY.
AND I WASN'T REAL CRAZY
ABOUT GOING UP THERE.
GIRLS MIGHT BE SKINNY-DIPPING
IN THE RIVER DOWN THERE.
IT'S GONNA BE MUDDY.
OH, COME ON.
YOU'RE SCARED OF THE CLIFFS?
OOH. THE BIG, SCARY CLIFFS.
GIRLS?
YEAH.
GIRLS SKINNY-DIPPING.
LET'S GO.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S GO DO IT.
Narrator:
RANDY MANAGED TO CONVINCE ROBB,
AND SOON,
THE COUSINS WERE ON FOOT,
TREKKING DEEP INTO THE FOREST.
I'M TELLING YOU, MAN,
ALL YOU GOT TO DO
IS GO DOWN THERE TO THE CLIFF,
HAVE A COUPLE BEERS,
AND IT'S GONNA BE
A GOOD TIME.
THE GIRLS ARE DOWN THERE.
Phillips:
OF COURSE, RANDY'S TEASING
ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN UP THERE.
AND HE KEPT ON, YOU KNOW,
AND I KEPT ASKING HIM TO QUIT.
AND HE JUST KEPT ON TEASING
ABOUT IT, TEASING ABOUT IT.
THE TWO B's --
YOU GOT BEERS AND BABES,
MAN.
AS HE WAS JOKING,
WE HEARD THIS...
THIS SCREAM.
IT WAS
A HORRIBLE-SOUNDING SCREAM.
IT WASN'T HUMAN,
AND IT WASN'T AN ANIMAL.
IT WAS
A VERY EAR-PIERCING SCREAM.
[ SCREAMING ]
Phillips:
THE JOKING HAD STOPPED.
WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER IN FEAR.
[ RUSTLING ]
WE STARTED HEARING
SOMETHING HEAVY
WALKING TOWARDS OUR DIRECTION,
LIKE IT WAS COMING AT US.
[ SNARLING ]
[ GROWLS ]
AND WE TAKE OFF RUNNING.
AND WE RAN
FOR A GOOD MINUTE OR SO
BEFORE WE REALIZED
THAT WE'RE NOT WITH EACH OTHER.
Narrator: NOW ON HIS OWN, ROBB
WOULD COME TO KNOW FIRSTHAND
HOW PHYSICALLY AGILE
THE WILDMAN CAN BE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, I STOP HEARING
THIS MOVEMENT ON THE GROUND,
AND NOW I'M HEARING MOVEMENT
IN THE TREES ABOVE ME.
[ RUSTLING ]
AND ABOUT 15, 20 FOOT
IN THE AIR,
THERE IS THIS THING STANDING
ON A BRANCH OF THE TREE,
AND IT'S JUST STANDING THERE
LOOKING TOWARDS ME.
I DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS
GONNA BE ANY ESCAPING THIS.
Narrator: SWIFT ON THE GROUND
AND A THREAT FROM THE TREES.
Phillips: I WAS FREAKING OUT.
I WAS FEARING FOR MY LIFE.
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator: IN TENNESSEE ON
A COOL SEPTEMBER NIGHT IN 1997,
ROBB PHILLIPS AND RANDY SPARKS
WERE HANGING OUT
AT A POPULAR RECREATION SPOT --
THE WATAUGA CLIFFS.
BEERS AND BABES, MAN.
PARTYING TURNED TO TERROR...
[ SCREAMING ]
...WHEN THEY HEARD THE PIERCING
SCREAMS OF ABOMINABLE BEAST.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
I TOOK OFF
LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL.
I TOOK OFF, AND I RAN.
I RAN FOR MY LIFE.
GO, GO! WE GOT TO GO, MAN.
WE GOT TO GO.
Narrator: THE COUSINS HAD GOTTEN
SAFELY BACK TO THEIR CAR,
BUT STILL WEREN'T FREE
OF THE MONSTER.
GO, GO. LET'S GO. LET'S GO.
I AM! I AM!
WE GOT TO GO.
WE GOT TO GO NOW.
I AM. I'M GOING.
COME ON.
WE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE.
WE GOT TO GET
OUT OF HERE.
LET'S GO.
I AM!
COME ON, COME ON,
COME ON, COME ON.
[ ENGINE TURNS OVER ]
[ GROWLS ]
[ SCREAMS ]
WHAT IS THAT?!
AND AT THAT POINT,
I REALIZED
THAT I AM LOOKING DIRECTLY
AT THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN.
[ SNARLING ]
WHAT IS THAT?!
WHAT IS THAT?!
[ BOTH SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY ]
Sparks: IT WAS AT LEAST
PROBABLY 9 FEET TALL,
BIG, HAIRY HANDS,
AND THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND
THAT HE COULD BREAK
THE WINDOWS OUT OF THAT CAR.
Phillips: AND RANDY'S SCREAMING,
"GO, GO, GO!"
I STOMPED THE GAS, AND WE LEFT.
WE SPLIT, AND WE GOT
THE HECK OUT OF THERE.
IT WAS NO LONGER A STORY.
THIS LEGEND OF
THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN WAS REAL.
Narrator: IT IS HARD
TO FATHOM THE EXISTENCE
OF A HALF-HUMAN, HALF-BEAST.
ONLY THOSE
WHO HAVE LOOKED INTO THE EYES
OF THE TENNESSEE WILDMAN
KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'VE SEEN.
[ GROWLS ]
WHATEVER THIS THING IS,
IT'S MEAN.
I MEAN, IT'S -- IF THERE IS
A DEFINITION FOR A MONSTER,
THIS IS IT.
[ SNARLS ]
Narrator:
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
MOST RESIDENTS
PAY LITTLE ATTENTION
TO THE GROUND UNDERFOOT.
THERE'S THE VAGUE
AND OCCASIONAL TERROR
OF LIFE
IN AN EARTHQUAKE FAULT ZONE.
YET, SOME SAY, A THREAT
OF AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT KIND
LURKS UNDER THESE STREETS...
...SUPERNATURAL...
SINISTER...
SCALY.
FROM CAVES AND SEWERS,
COME THE SLIME PEOPLE...
AAAAH!
...THAT KILL, KILL, KILL!
IT SOUNDS LIKE A MONSTER
DREAMED UP IN HOLLYWOOD.
"THE SLIME PEOPLE."
YET REPORTS OF REAL REPTOIDS
CONTINUE TO ARISE.
ANAHEIM HILLS
IS A PLANNED COMMUNITY
IN THE SUBURBS OF LOS ANGELES.
IT'S A SAFE, QUIET
NEIGHBORHOOD...
THE KIND OF PLACE WHERE PEOPLE
MOVE TO RAISE THEIR KIDS.
YET UNDERNEATH THE MANICURED
LAWNS, BELOW THE STREETS,
SOME CONTEND
A NEFARIOUS NEIGHBOR IS LURKING.
[ HISSING ]
GROWING UP, I HAD NEVER HEARD
OF ANYTHING LIKE A REPTOID.
I HAD NEVER HEARD
OF ANYTHING UNDERGROUND
OR LIVING UNDERGROUND.
I NEVER BELIEVED REPTOIDS
EXISTED UNTIL THAT NIGHT,
AND IT DEFINITELY MADE
A BELIEVER OUT OF ME.
Narrator: ANGELICQUE McQUEEN
LIVES IN ANAHEIM.
THIS BUSY, NO-NONSENSE MOM
WITH TWO KIDS
HAS BUILT AN UNUSUAL CAREER
FOR HERSELF AS A BOXING MANAGER.
McQueen: MY SON LOVES BOXING,
AND BECAUSE IT'S SUCH
A SHADY KIND OF INDUSTRY,
I DECIDED THAT IF HE WAS
GONNA BE INVOLVED IN IT,
THEN I SHOULD KNOW
EVERYTHING I CAN FIND OUT
AND BE THERE FOR HIM
AND ADVISE HIM AND PROTECT HIM.
Narrator: ANGELICQUE NEVER MET A
CHALLENGE SHE COULDN'T OVERCOME.
SHE WASN'T THE TIMID TYPE.
A NIGHT IN NOVEMBER 2008
WOULD CHANGE ALL THAT.
ON NOVEMBER 27th,
JUST LIKE ANY OTHER NIGHT,
I DECIDED TO TAKE MY DOG
FOR A WALK.
IT WAS A LITTLE CHILLY,
AND SO I PUT ON A HEAVIER COAT.
AS I WAS WALKING MY DOG,
I GOT A VERY STRANGE SENSATION
THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT.
IT'S ONE OF THOSE FEELINGS
OF, YOU KNOW, DANGER,
LIKE,
"MAYBE I SHOULDN'T GO THIS WAY.
MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN
A TURN."
Narrator: ONLY, ANGELICQUE KEPT
GOING RIGHT INTO HARM'S WAY.
[ LOW GROWLING ]
[ DOG WHIMPERS ]
[ SNARLS ]
[ BARKS ]
[ RUSTLING ]
[ GROWLING ]
[ DOG WHIMPERING ]
McQueen:
I LOOK OVER, DOWN IN THE DRAIN.
I NOTICE SOMETHING.
[ WHIMPERING ]
[ BARKING ]
AND I SEE
TWO RED EYES GLOWING...
STARING AT ME.
[ GROWLING ]
IT HAD A ROUND HEAD,
GLOWING RED EYES,
A PIT-BULL TYPE OF HEAD,
AND I COULDN'T MAKE SENSE
OF WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT.
IT'S SOMETHING
I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
[ HISSING ]
AND BEFORE I COULD EVEN THINK
OF ANYTHING,
IT POUNCED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.
[ HISSING ]
THE FANGS
THAT I SAW ON THIS THING --
IT COULD HAVE
JUST DEVOURED A PERSON.
[ GROWLING ]
IT WAS A [GROWLS]
LIKE VERY EVIL, SINISTER...
SOMETHING THAT JUST --
NOTHING
THAT I'VE EVER, EVER FELT.
Narrator: THIS PREDATOR
HAS ENSNARED ANGELICQUE
IN A TELEPATHIC TRAP.
McQueen: THE WAY IT HAD CONTROL
OVER MY BODY AND MY MIND
WAS VERY, VERY SCARY.
[ Voice breaking ] I WAS AFRAID.
BUT I JUST STOOD THERE FROZEN.
I COULDN'T MOVE.
I DON'T KNOW
HOW MUCH TIME REALLY PASSED.
Narrator: FEELING
SHE'S ABOUT TO MEET HER END,
ANGELICQUE
DOES THE ONLY THING SHE CAN --
RUN AND TRY TO HIDE.
McQueen:
I SEE A PICKUP TRUCK.
I JUMP IN THE BACK OF IT.
Narrator:
SHE'S SAFE FOR THE MOMENT,
BUT TERRIFIED
THE CREATURE MIGHT FIND HER.
[ WHIMPERS, SNARLS ]
ANGELICQUE'S BOYFRIEND,
RAJ JOLLY,
WAS IN THEIR APARTMENT UPSTAIRS.
[ Ringing ]
McQueen:
I'M SHAKING -- TERRIBLY SHAKING.
I'M HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME
CALLING HIM.
[ CELLPHONE VIBRATING ]
I FINALLY GET AHOLD OF HIM.
ANGELICQUE?
RAJ, YOU HAVE TO GET
DOWN HERE. GET DOWN HERE NOW.
I TELL HIM,
"RAJ, RUN DOWN HERE. HURRY."
I COULD TELL
THAT SHE WAS TERRIFIED.
SHE'S REALLY SCARED.
AND SHE SAID, "GET DOWN HERE.
GET DOWN HERE NOW.
GRAB A BASEBALL BAT
OR STICK OR SOMETHING."
I'LL BE RIGHT THERE,
OKAY?
I JUST GRABBED ANYTHING I SAW.
I THOUGHT
SOMEBODY WAS ATTACKING HER.
Narrator:
BACK ON THE STREET,
ANGELICQUE REALIZES
THE CREATURE IS CLOSING IN.
[ SCREAMS ]
[ HISSES ]
AND THERE'S MORE THAN ONE.
[ GROWLING ]
McQueen: I WAS PANICKED.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
[ GROWLING CONTINUES ]
AND I THINK ANY SECOND,
IT'S GONNA REACH OVER
INTO THE TRUCK AND GRAB ME.
IT'S GONNA TAKE ME.
I FELT LIKE I WAS GONNA DIE.
[ GROWLS ]
Narrator:
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA,
RUMORS ABOUT A LOST RACE
OF LIZARD PEOPLE,
KNOWN AS REPTOIDS, LIVING
IN COLONIES BELOW THE STREETS.
UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS,
THEY EMERGE TO HUNT.
Redfern:
ONE THEORY FOR THE REPTOIDS
IS THAT THEY MIGHT BE
A SURVIVING RELIC POPULATION
OF SURVIVORS
FROM THE JURASSIC ERA --
"DINOSAURS," IN OTHER WORDS --
THAT OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS
HAVE SHRUNK IN SIZE,
DEVELOPED INTELLIGENCE,
AND TODAY, WE HAVE
WHAT WE CALL THE REPTOIDS.
WE DO HAVE EVIDENCE OF ANIMALS
BELIEVED TO HAVE BECOME EXTINCT
THAT ACTUALLY
DIDN'T BECOME EXTINCT.
A CLASSIC EXAMPLE
IS THE COELACANTH,
WHICH IS A LARGE FISH,
AN EXAMPLE OF WHICH
WAS CAUGHT OFF THE COAST
OF SOUTH AFRICA IN THE 1930s.
IT WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE BECOME
EXTINCT MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.
WITH THAT IN MIND,
I DON'T THINK IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
THAT OTHER CREATURES
FROM THE JURASSIC ERA
MIGHT HAVE SURVIVED, AS WELL.
Narrator: THEORIES ABOUT
THE REPTOIDS' SURVIVAL
OFTEN TARGET AREAS
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA,
ESPECIALLY LOS ANGELES.
IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA,
ONE NOVEMBER NIGHT IN 2008...
[ WHIMPERS ]
...ANGELICQUE McQUEEN
WAS WALKING HER DOG...
[ LOW GROWLING, DOG BARKS ]
...WHEN SHE FOUND HERSELF
FACE-TO-FACE
WITH LIZARD-LIKE CREATURES
EMERGING FROM THE SEWER DRAIN.
[ DOG BARKS ]
McQueen: THEY'RE COMING UP
OUT OF THIS DRAIN
CIRCLING AROUND LIKE SHARKS.
BEING RIGHT THERE WAS
THE MOST TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE
I'VE EVER HAD IN MY WHOLE LIFE.
[ LOW GROWLING ]
[ HISSES ]
Narrator: JUST AS THE CREATURES
WERE GATHERING FORCE....
Jolly: ANGELICQUE!
...ANGELICQUE'S BOYFRIEND
RAN STRAIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE
OF THE ENCOUNTER.
ARE YOU OKAY?
BE CAREFUL.
BE CAREFUL.
THERE ARE THESE CREATURES.
THEY CAME FROM OVER THERE.
Jolly: SHE WAS TERRIFIED.
SHE WAS STILL SHAKING
AT WHAT SHE HAD SEEN.
OKAY.
YOU STAY RIGHT HERE.
I WAS PRETTY WORRIED
BECAUSE ANGELICQUE'S
A PRETTY STRONG PERSON,
AND NORMALLY,
NOTHING SCARES HER.
Narrator: SOMETHING ABOUT RAJ
STOPPED THE REPTOIDS.
ALMOST INSTANTLY, THEY
DISAPPEARED BACK INTO THE DRAIN.
[ HISSES ]
ARE THESE CREATURES
HIGHLY TUNED TO PHEROMONES --
ATTRACTED TO SOME,
TAKING FLIGHT FROM OTHERS?
I SAW NOT ONE,
BUT TWO OR THREE THINGS
THAT LOOKED LIKE LITTLE SHADOWS
KIND OF CRAWLING.
[ HISSING ]
AND AS IT STOOD UP,
IT'S A PRETTY BIG, SCARY-LOOKING
ANIMAL WITH BIG TEETH.
[ GROWLING ]
WE BOTH HEARD THE [GROWLS]
THE GROWL.
LIKE A WEIRD GROWL.
LIKE A BIG ANIMAL.
[ GROWLING CONTINUES ]
I JUST KNEW THAT I DIDN'T WANT
TO MESS WITH THIS THING ANYMORE.
I KNEW
THAT WE HAD TO GET OUT OF THERE,
THAT IT COULD COME BACK UP
AND IT COULD KILL US.
Narrator:
ONE NIGHT SOON AFTER,
AN AWFUL SOUND OUTSIDE
THE APARTMENT AWAKES ANGELICQUE.
IT WAS
ABOUT 2:30 IN THE MORNING,
AND I'D HEARD A BIG THUD
OCCUR TO THE WALL.
[ GASPS ]
AND I SEE THIS MASSIVE AMOUNT
OF TISSUE AND BLOOD
DRIPPING DOWN THE WALL.
Narrator: WAS THE REMNANTS
OF A REPTOID VICTIM?
ANGELICQUE AND HER FAMILY
WOULD NEVER KNOW.
AFTER THAT NIGHT,
I DECIDED I'M MOVING.
I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE.
THERE WAS SOMETHING
VERY SINISTER, ALMOST SPIRITUAL,
EVIL,
SOMETHING THAT I DID NOT WANT --
I DID NOT WANT TO BE
AROUND ANY LONGER.
Narrator:
80 MILES NORTHEAST OF ANAHEIM,
THE TOWN
OF APPLE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA,
RESTS AT THE FOOTHILLS
OF THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS.
BIG SKIES, CLEAN AIR,
AND LOW CRIME
MAKE IT
A DESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE.
AND YET,
PERHAPS NOT SO SAFE AFTER ALL.
I NEVER BELIEVED
REPTOIDS EXISTED
UNTIL I SAW ONE FOR MYSELF
PLAYING WITH MY DAUGHTER.
Narrator: IN 1994,
LORENA SMITH WAS MOTHER
OF THREE YOUNG CHILDREN.
SO, WHAT ARE YOU
DOING IN YOUR ROOM?
PLAYING.
WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING?
WITH MY TOYS.
HER SMALL CRAFT BUSINESS
ALLOWED HER TO WORK AT HOME
AND LOOK
AFTER HER YOUNGEST CHILD...
A CHILD THAT LORENA THOUGHT
HAD AN OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION.
Lorena: MY DAUGHTER
HAD AN INVISIBLE FRIEND
THAT SHE LIKED TO PLAY WITH
AND BRING FOOD TO.
AND I WOULD ALWAYS MAKE HER
EXTRA FOOD
TO TAKE TO HER FRIEND.
ONE DAY, LORENA'S DAUGHTER
HAD A SPECIAL REQUEST
FOR HER INVISIBLE FRIEND.
WOULD YOU LIKE
ANOTHER SANDWICH?
[ PATTERING ]
Lorena: AND SHE CAME BACK AND
SAID, "MY FRIEND'S STILL HUNGRY.
CAN YOU MAKE A COUPLE MORE?"
HMM. OKAY.
IT'S READY.
AND I MADE HER A COUPLE MORE
AND FOLLOWED HER TO THE ROOM
TO FIND OUT WHERE SHE
WAS PUTTING THESE SANDWICHES,
'CAUSE I KNEW SHE COULDN'T
HAVE EATEN ALL OF THEM.
AND I SAW THROUGH THE SIDE DOOR
THAT SHE HANDED THE SANDWICH
TO HER FRIEND IN THE CLOSET.
HERE YOU GO.
DO YOU WANT
SOME MORE FOOD?
[ PATTERING ]
[ GASPS ]
AND I SAW A LITTLE HAND
REACH OUT WITH LITTLE CLAWS
AND REACH OUT FOR THE SANDWICH.
I WAS IN SHOCK...
WHAT IS THAT?
...'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT IT WAS.
WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?
BUT I KNEW THAT SOMETHING
GRABBED THE SANDWICH.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS SEEING.
OH, MY GOD.
[ HISSING ]
LET'S GO, LET'S GO.
MY BRAIN COULDN'T UNDERSTAND
WHAT WAS GOING ON.
YOU KNOW -- WHAT DID I SEE?
I JUST WANTED TO RUN.
Narrator: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S
SUNNY REPUTATION
MIGHT BE AT ODDS WITH A CERTAIN
RUMBLING UNDER THE STREETS,
BUT THIS IS NO EARTHQUAKE STORY.
RATHER, THERE ARE CLAIMS
OF SUBTERRANEAN REPTOIDS
PROWLING THROUGH
LABYRINTHS UNDERGROUND.
Redfern: RESEARCHERS
OF THE REPTOID PHENOMENON
BELIEVE THAT THERE COULD BE
LITERALLY HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS
OF MILES OF THESE TUNNELS
DEEP UNDER CALIFORNIA
AND SPECIFICALLY UNDER L.A.
TOTALLY INACCESSIBLE TO US.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW
WHAT'S GOING ON UNDER THERE.
Narrator: IN THE 1930s,
A MINING ENGINEER
NAMED W. WARREN SHUFELT
WAS ON THE TRAIL
OF A RACE OF REPTOIDS
HE WAS CERTAIN LIVED BELOW L.A.
SHUFELT EVEN OBTAINED
PERMISSION FROM THE CITY
TO PURSUE THE SEARCH.
HIS CREW DUG A NUMBER
OF 1,000-FOOT SHAFTS
THAT HE HOPED WOULD REACH A
CATACOMB CITY FILLED WITH GOLD.
AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF DIGGING,
THE PROJECT WAS ABANDONED --
NO GOLD...
NO REPTOIDS.
Redfern: THE REPTOID PHENOMENON
ISN'T A NEW ONE.
WE HAVE REPORTS
DATING BACK DECADES
OF THESE CREATURES ATTACKING
CARS, ATTACKING PEOPLE,
AND, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH,
VANISHING INTO THINGS
LIKE CULVERTS, DRAINS,
THINGS LIKE THAT,
SUGGESTING A CONNECTION BETWEEN
OUR WORLD AND THEIR UNDERWORLD.
Narrator: IN APPLE VALLEY,
CALIFORNIA, IN 2004,
LORENA SMITH
THOUGHT SHE WAS INDULGING
HER DAUGHTER'S IMAGINATION
WHEN SHE MADE A SANDWICH
FOR HER MAKE-BELIEVE FRIEND.
SHE'S STUNNED TO FIND HERSELF
CONFRONTING A CREATURE
THAT'S ALL TOO REAL.
Lorena:
I WALKED INTO THE ROOM,
AND MY DAUGHTER WAS JUST
SITTING THERE WATCHING IT EAT.
[ PATTERING ]
I PICKED UP MY DAUGHTER
BECAUSE I WAS SCARED.
WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?
AND I LOOKED TO SEE
WHAT IT WAS GONNA DO
OR WHERE IT WAS GONNA GO,
AND A HOLE IN THE CLOSET
OPENED UP.
OH, MY GOD.
AND IT JUMPED RIGHT IN,
CLOSED UP, AND IT WAS GONE.
LET'S GO, LET'S GO.
I KNOW THAT I WAS SCARED,
NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF,
BUT FOR MY DAUGHTER,
BECAUSE SHE WAS PLAYING
WITH THIS THING, FEEDING IT.
Narrator:
LORENA BARRICADED THE CLOSET
AND MOVED HER DAUGHTERS
TO HER ROOM.
ONE NIGHT,
WHILE THE KIDS WERE ASLEEP,
SHE HEARD SOMETHING
DEEP WITHIN THE WALL.
[ LOW GROWLING ]
[ SLITHERING ]
AAH!
HUH?
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
[ GASPS ]
[ HISSES ]
AAH! AAH!
I FINALLY REALIZED
THAT THEY WERE REPTOIDS.
THEY WERE COMING
IN AND OUT OF MY HOUSE.
Narrator:
LORENA HAD PEST-CONTROL PROBLEMS
BEYOND ALL IMAGINATION.
Lorena: WHO DO I CALL?
AND TELL THEM WHAT?
I FELT HELPLESS, ALONE.
Narrator:
SO SHE KEPT SILENT.
YET THE NEXT MORNING,
SOMEONE HAD ALREADY FOUND HER.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
YES?
GOOD MORNING.
MS. SMITH?
YES.
MAY WE COME IN?
YEAH, SURE.
THERE WAS THREE MILITARY MEN
AT THE DOOR
ASKING ME QUESTIONS
ON WHAT I SAW
AND, "DID I TELL ANYBODY
ABOUT WHAT I SAW?"
AND WHEN I ASKED THEM,
"WHAT IS IT?"
THEY SAID IT WAS SOMETHING
THAT ESCAPED FROM THEIR LAB.
SO, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
THAT YOU DON'T TELL ANYBODY.
WHAT IS IT?
I'M NOT AT LIBERTY TO TELL YOU
AT THIS MOMENT RIGHT NOW.
Narrator: THE VISIT
FROM THESE MILITARY MEN
LEFT LORENA BAFFLED.
WHILE SOME BELIEVE THESE
CREATURES ARE REMNANT DINOSAURS,
ANOTHER THEORY,
FAR MORE SINISTER,
CLAIMS THEY ARE
EXTRATERRESTRIALS
HUNTING FOR BREEDING PARTNERS.
MOST OF THE REPORTS
INVOLVING THE REPTILIANS
ARE GENERALLY REPORTED BY WOMEN,
AND THERE'S VERY OFTEN A SEXUAL
COMPONENT TO THESE STORIES.
THIS HAS GIVEN RISE
TO THE WHOLE IDEA
OF THE CREATION OF HALF-BREED
SPECIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
Narrator:
A FEW NIGHTS LATER,
SOMETHING APPEARED AGAIN
IN LORENA'S HOME.
Lorena: I WAS IN BED,
AND WHEN I WOKE UP --
'CAUSE I FELT SOMETHING.
I FELT THE BLANKETS MOVING.
Narrator:
THIS TIME, THERE WAS NOTHING SHY
ABOUT THIS LARGE,
WRATHFUL REPTILIAN.
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
[ LOW GROWLING ]
[ GASPS ]
IT WAS 7-FOOT, 300 POUNDS,
MAYBE MORE THAN THAT,
AND AROUND ITS SNOUT,
YELLOW, BIG EYES.
I WAS TERRIFIED.
[ SCREAMS ]
I COULDN'T MOVE.
BUT I REMEMBER I WAS SCREAMING
BECAUSE I WAS SCARED.
I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA KILL ME.
[ HISSING ]
[ SCREAMING ]
I COULD FEEL HIS NAILS AS
HE WAS PULLING ME OFF THE BED.
WHEN IT PULLED ME BY THE LEGS,
IT HAD A HORRIBLE LOOK
IN ITS EYES,
AND I KNEW WHAT WAS COMING.
I KNEW WHAT IT WAS GONNA DO.
AND IT SPRAYED ON ME.
AND THAT SPRAY STAYED ON.
I DON'T KNOW
IF IT WAS LIKE A PHEROMONE,
BUT I KNOW IT WAS A STRONG SPRAY
THAT I COULDN'T WASH IT
OUT OF MY HAIR.
I COULDN'T WASH IT
OUT OF MY SKIN.
AND NO MATTER WHAT I USED --
TOMATO JUICE --
BUT I KNOW IT SPRAYED,
AND I KNOW IT TOOK ENJOYMENT
OUT OF WHAT IT WAS DOING.
I KNEW
IT WAS SOME KIND OF REPTILIAN.
Narrator:
THEN, LORENA'S NIGHTMARE
WENT FROM BAD TO WORSE.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
MA'AM, WE'RE HERE
ABOUT SOMETHING
YOU MAY
OR MAY NOT HAVE SEEN.
IT CAME BACK.
Narrator: SHE WAS ABDUCTED TO
SOME SORT OF MILITARY FACILITY.
BY ALL APPEARANCES,
IT'S UNDERGROUND.
Lorena: I JUST REMEMBER
LYING ON A HOSPITAL BED.
THERE WAS A MAN IN A LAB COAT
THAT WAS TAKING SAMPLES.
[ GROANS ]
I FELT EVERYTHING,
BUT I WAS JUST IN A --
ALMOST LIKE A TRANCE STATE, SO
I COULDN'T DO REALLY ANYTHING.
BUT I SAW THEM DRAWING BLOOD,
LOOKING IN MY EYES,
JUST LIKE
I WAS GETTING A FULL PHYSICAL.
THEY WERE DOING ALL THESE THINGS
BECAUSE I CAME
IN CONTACT WITH A REPTOID.
AND THE LAST WORD I HEARD IS ONE
OF THE MILITARY MEN SAYING THAT,
"IT WAS JUST A DREAM, AND
YOU WON'T REMEMBER ANY OF IT."
HOW COULD YOU NOT?
IT MAKES ME FEEL MAD...
...BECAUSE THEY KNEW
WHAT WAS GOING ON
AND THEY DIDN'T HELP.
[ SIGHS ]
THREE MONTHS AFTER THAT,
WE FINALLY HAD ENOUGH.
WE PACKED, AND WE WERE GONE.
Narrator:
LORENA LEFT THE REPTOIDS BEHIND,
BUT THE FEAR REMAINS.
THE SCARIEST PART
OF BEING IN THE PRESENCE
OF ONE OF THOSE CREATURES
WAS NOT KNOWING
WHAT THEY WERE GONNA DO TO YOU
OR WHAT THEIR CAPABILITIES WERE.
THEY ARE REAL.
THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS ABOUT IT,
BUT THEY DO NOTHING.
I THINK
THEY WERE DOING EXPERIMENTS,
OR ONE OF THEIR EXPERIMENTS
GOT AWAY,
AND IT HAPPENED
TO BE AT MY HOUSE.
[ PATTERING ]
AND IT'S STILL
AS IF IT WERE YESTERDAY.
ALWAYS AFRAID
THAT THEY MIGHT COME BACK.
[ HISSES ]