19 Comments | Add
Rate & Share:
Related Links:
Info:
LAIR OF THE BEASTS: On the Trail of American Werewolves
Creatures of the Night in Fact and in Fiction By Nick Redfern
September 06, 2008
Nick Redfern’s new book, There’s Something in the Woods: A Transatlantic Hunt for Monsters and the Mysterious.
© Anomalist Books
As any and every fan of horror movies will be acutely aware, Hollywood has had a long-standing fascination with those shape-shifting creatures of the night known as werewolves. In 1941, Universal Pictures released its classic movie The Wolf Man starring Lon Cheney, Jr. Two decades later, Hammer Films made their own version of the lycanthropic legend: Curse of the Werewolf.
And, of course, who can forget the early-1980’s productions An American Werewolf in London, Wolfen and The Howling; and latter-day movies such as Dog-Soldiers, Underworld and Van Helsing?
Of course, there was the 1985 production, Howling 2, which, as a result of its less-than-impressive special-effects and its wooden acting, was instantly forgettable; aside, that is, from Sybil Danning’s startling assets.
But, like most people, you probably think that the werewolf is just a creature of fiction, fantasy and late-night campfire-tales, right? How very wrong you are, my friends!
As someone who, with flashlight and camera in hand, has trekked through the spooky woods of Washington State, taken on the harsh rain-forests of Puerto Rico, and scoured the windswept wilds of Scotland in search of such beasts, I can tell you that Man-Wolf is no joke.
Indeed, it might just be your worst nightmare.
Yep: as startling and as gonzo as it may sound, there exists a large and varied body of witness testimony, legends, tales and folklore suggesting that those hairy, snarling beasts borne of a full-moon just might be all too horrifically real.
That’s right; you’ve got it: it’s time to order a plentiful supply of silver bullets.
Perhaps no-one knows this better than Wisconsin-based author Linda Godfrey, who has written two non-fiction books on werewolf encounters in the United States: The Beast of Bray Road and Hunting the American Werewolf.
And Godfrey is no wide-eyed, gullible fool. An award-winning journalist, she has put her life on the line time and again, and, by the light of a full moon, headed off into darkened forests in hot pursuit of these glowing-eyed man-wolves. And what could be cooler than that? Hell, not much, methinks!
Similarly, Timothy Green Beckley’s new book, The Big Book of Werewolves in Reality, in Folklore, in Cinema and in Lust is packed with witness testimony relating to encounters with real-life wolf-men whose mere appearance will freeze the blood in your bones.
Are these creatures really genuine werewolves that are likely to tear your head off as easily as look at you? Are they paranormal entities? Or could they be examples of a flesh-and-blood animal that, like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, science has yet to firmly identify?
The jury, unsurprisingly, is still debating these hair-raising questions and more; however, that hasn’t stopped people such as Linda Godfrey from devoting years of their lives to tracking down their infernal quarry. And it hasn’t stopped the beasts of the moon from surfacing from their darkened lairs and scaring the proverbial you-know-what out of god-fearing citizens of this fine land, either.
Consider, for example, the following.
Just recently, a report surfaced from an employee of one of the biggest satellite-TV providers in the United States, who had a truly startling late-night close encounter with a werewolf-type creature while driving through the dark and atmospheric woods near the equally dark and atmospheric Caddo Lake, Texas.
According to Kenneth, it was around 10.20 p.m. on the night of July 28 that as he rounded a bend in the road in question, his headlights illuminated a strange creature sitting in the middle of the road.
At first glance, Kenneth thought that it was simply a big bear: large and hunched over, it appeared to be looking at something in the thick trees to the right. Kenneth’s amazement at seeing a bear in the road was quickly replaced by overwhelming, spine-tingling fear, however, when the creature reared up onto its muscular hind legs, and he was able to see that it was most definitely no bear.
Rather, a shaken Kenneth said, it appeared to be “a large black wolf, but upright, and just like in one of the movies.” He added that the creature had a “very long” dog-like snout, large, pointed ears, and a menacing look on its leathery, shiny face.
It wasn’t exactly a local, in other words.
As he slowed down his vehicle, Kenneth added, the creature vanished into the woods in a series of strange, leap-like movements.
Well, what do you do when confronted with a story like that? If, like me, you’re a full-time author of books on monstrous critters, you jump in the car, floor the accelerator, head out to the scene of all the action, and check out the evidence for yourself. And, if you’re really lucky, bag yourself a werewolf in the process.
Indeed, a concerted effort is now underway to try and learn more about Kenneth’s encounter with the unknown and determine if indeed predatory werewolves really do prowl the darker corners of the Lone Star State and elsewhere.
Take heed next time there is a full moon. The old, diabolical legends may be much more than that. And, if so, let’s hope they all look like Sybil Danning.
Nick Redfern is a full-time monster-hunter and the author of four books on the subject: Three Men Seeking Monsters; Memoirs of a Monster Hunter; Man-Monkey; and his new book: There’s something in the Woods. He will be contributing a regular weekly blog to Mania.com on his investigations into unknown animals and mysterious creatures.
LOGIN
REGISTER
RSS
HOME
