Mothman
For about two years now, I have been totally fascinated with the story of the Mothman (which Word strangely corrects to "Motorman" 
).
I got into it when I saw the hilarious commercial for the movie "Mothman Prophecies" where John (Richard Gere) is having a conversation on the phone with the mysterious Indrid Cold, when he asks him what was in his hand - Indrid responded with, "Chapstick... *sudden build of suspenseful music*...." I thought nothing of it until I actually researched into the whole Mothman story. What I found had me baffled:
http://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html - do a search in Google for "Mothman"...see what pops up.
I have no idea why, but this whole thing gave me the creeps and also had me enthralled with interest in it. A couple of weeks later, I saw the movie (trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/columb...cies/high.html - Make sure to listen for the frightening chapstick scene
which still makes me laugh, BTW ). Although some may claim that this movie sucked, I really thought it was good (not only the story, but the whole style really was great ). I again did more research and bought the book by John Keel ( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...390145-2854422 ). Now, the book is no written masterpiece as far as Mr. Keel's writing style goes, but the stories and theories in it are very, very interesting.
For the most part, the movie and the book do a good job of keeping up with each other. Some of the stories in the movie, however, changed just a little bit. Every person in that movie is based on a person in Keel's book (and, since this is all a true story, real people). The bridge scene in the movie, was all true as well. So, as I mentioned before, the book and the movie closely keep each others facts straight.
Looking for a good movie? See it. Looking for an interesting book? Read it. (although, as I mentioned before, the book is no written masterpiece).
I still am not one of those paranormal idiots that believes some whacko things about aliens and such, but I do believe that, paranormal creature or not, some crazy things went on in Point Pleasant, w.VA in the 60's.
-Bio
). I got into it when I saw the hilarious commercial for the movie "Mothman Prophecies" where John (Richard Gere) is having a conversation on the phone with the mysterious Indrid Cold, when he asks him what was in his hand - Indrid responded with, "Chapstick... *sudden build of suspenseful music*...." I thought nothing of it until I actually researched into the whole Mothman story. What I found had me baffled:
http://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html - do a search in Google for "Mothman"...see what pops up.
I have no idea why, but this whole thing gave me the creeps and also had me enthralled with interest in it. A couple of weeks later, I saw the movie (trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/columb...cies/high.html - Make sure to listen for the frightening chapstick scene
which still makes me laugh, BTW ). Although some may claim that this movie sucked, I really thought it was good (not only the story, but the whole style really was great ). I again did more research and bought the book by John Keel ( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...390145-2854422 ). Now, the book is no written masterpiece as far as Mr. Keel's writing style goes, but the stories and theories in it are very, very interesting. For the most part, the movie and the book do a good job of keeping up with each other. Some of the stories in the movie, however, changed just a little bit. Every person in that movie is based on a person in Keel's book (and, since this is all a true story, real people). The bridge scene in the movie, was all true as well. So, as I mentioned before, the book and the movie closely keep each others facts straight.
Looking for a good movie? See it. Looking for an interesting book? Read it. (although, as I mentioned before, the book is no written masterpiece).
I still am not one of those paranormal idiots that believes some whacko things about aliens and such, but I do believe that, paranormal creature or not, some crazy things went on in Point Pleasant, w.VA in the 60's.
-Bio
Comments
14. Giant Birds Seen and the Return of Mothman
On September 25, 2001, eyewitness Mike Felice saw a giant bird flying over South Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Later researchers Stan Gordon and Craig Heinselman noted other local Thunderbird sightings had occurred in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Then at dawn on November 5th, a local resident out walking his dog, saw a giant birdlike creature, the size of an ultra light plane, flapping away, over a community center in Bristol, Connecticut.
At about this time, cryptozoologists and journalists began rediscovering and debating the place in cryptozoology of Mothman, a giant birdlike creature seen around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in 1966-1967. Media interest, a new documentary, and mini-expeditions to Point Pleasant, had people talking about Mothman, which is the subject of a January 2002 Screen Gems movie, The Mothman Prophecies. The psychological thriller, starring Richard Gere, takes John Keel's nonfiction book, and transports the events into a contemporary setting. New books, action figures, a computer game, a music CD, all coming out at the end of 2001, had some cryptozoologists (who had earlier ignored the Mothman sightings as mere legend) taking notice and engaged in new reexaminations of the underlying authentic cryptid and avian elements of the thirty-five year old mystery. Looking ahead to 2002, Mothman appears to be the most likely cryptid set for general public rediscovery.
From: http://www.anomalist.com/features/topcz2001.html
Then at dawn on November 5th, a local resident out walking his dog, saw a giant birdlike creature, the size of an ultra light plane, flapping away, over a community center in Bristol, Connecticut.
Big birds like that don't flap too often. They have such big wings, they glide a lot more than smaller birds, and can easily stay in the air like that for quite along time without flapping.
Anyway, the idea of that thing coming on to your front porch and staring in is spooky as hell. I'm designing a warehouse on the edge of this giant 4,000 acre naval weapons storage sight about 30 minutes from the shore and at the edge of the Pine Barrens. There are no maps or surveys available for most of the area, certainly not the military site. It sounds a lot like the area in WV, but with the Jersey Devil (or the White Stag, but that's a good thing) as protagonist.
Originally posted by BuonRotto
Somewhat off-topic, but I saw one man's supposed footage of a thunderbird on TV some time ago on one of those conspiracy/mystery shows, and it had the same problem the description in that article gives:
Big birds like that don't flap too often. They have such big wings, they glide a lot more than smaller birds, and can easily stay in the air like that for quite along time without flapping.
Anyway, the idea of that thing coming on to your front porch and staring in is spooky as hell. I'm designing a warehouse on the edge of this giant 4,000 acre naval weapons storage sight about 30 minutes from the shore and at the edge of the Pine Barrens. There are no maps or surveys available for most of the area, certainly not the military site. It sounds a lot like the area in WV, but with the Jersey Devil (or the White Stag, but that's a good thing) as protagonist.
Very interesting... I'd like to see that video.
Originally posted by iBrowse
Two of my friends use to work at a theater, they were working there when that movie came out. The theater they worked at shared a building with an old FunScape (like Chucky Cheese kinda place) that had been shut down, but to turn off the main outside lights they had to walk through the abandoned FunScape side and take an elevator up to some control panel thing. A few nights after it had opened it was the middle of the week and quite slow so half of the people working just sat in a theater and watched it, and when it was over they were closing. When they were all done closing they had to turn off the lights upstairs, so my two friends and a manager went over through the abandoned part, scared as hell from the movie, and couldn't get the elevator to work. They decided to take the stairs instead, got up there, turned off the outside lights, and just as they were walking away the elevator opened. When it opened it dinged and then shut and went back down again. The three of them went screaming back to everybody else yelling like complete idiots, where they were made fun of for the next 4 or 5 months, when they quit.
lol... that reminds me: I have confession to make.
In the laundry room, late at night in my house, I peered at the door while sharpening my pencil expecting the mothman to come through the door (yes, yes, laugh - I sure as hell do). THEN! The handle turned! I reacted! I pushed the door shut with a struggle. Then, I went yelling to my brothers that someone was trying to break into my house! We all went to look... and I found out it was my mom *embarrassed*. She fell down the stairs (about 3 steps) and was quite mad at me for my reaction.
Ah, that was a good laugh.
EDIT: This occurred during the first couple of days after I learned about the Mothman... so, as you might imagine, I was a little scared by my imagination playing tricks on my with the doorknob *ACTUALLY* turning. I still can't believe I did that...
EDIT #2: The movie was a lot more intense in the theaters. Watching it at home on DVD doesn't quite have the same effect. I remember certain scenes where girls a couple of rows ahead of me screamed.
Originally posted by 709
O, man, that is so cool. I want one.
that one rules.
Originally posted by alcimedes
that one rules.
Man! He looks too friendly.
Originally posted by Bioflavonoid
Just for your information: this is a concept sketch of the Mothman that many eyewitnesses claim to be accurate.
Look like somebody took a bloody dump on the page.
Originally posted by Bioflavonoid
Just for your information: this is a concept sketch of the Mothman that many eyewitnesses claim to be accurate.
an owl?
Originally posted by billybobsky
an owl?
Well, an 8 ft tall one...
I've decided what my custom name will be when I get up to 1000 posts: Mothman.
And I had to take the garbage out at night, up the driveway past the big barn, and next to our garages... no doors, just black gaping pits. Did I mention the hedges and grape vines next to the garbage cans?
I became very adept at sprinting my guts out carrying two full garbage bags.
It's the Sandhill Crane you're thinking of, and the glowing is from iridescence in the feathers. It's a dark bird, but the red feathers catch any ambient light (even starlight or moonlight) and look 'brighter'. The reason it doesn't have a head is because the head is on a long neck, dipped down in front. If you've ever seen a crane, egret or such, you know they'll sit like that. From head-on, the head is below the shoulders.
They normally don't get 8', but it could be a mutant strain or some such, or maybe just freaked out people exaggerating.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Oh hell yeah. Mothman freaked the crap outta me as a kid in the late 70's. We lived out in the country, with this single massively bright streetlight over our driveway, surrounded by orchards and old barns. So basically you couldn't see *squat* outside the range of the light... which ended right at our garbage cans.
And I had to take the garbage out at night, up the driveway past the big barn, and next to our garages... no doors, just black gaping pits. Did I mention the hedges and grape vines next to the garbage cans?
I became very adept at sprinting my guts out carrying two full garbage bags.
It's the Sandhill Crane you're thinking of, and the glowing is from iridescence in the feathers. It's a dark bird, but the red feathers catch any ambient light (even starlight or moonlight) and look 'brighter'. The reason it doesn't have a head is because the head is on a long neck, dipped down in front. If you've ever seen a crane, egret or such, you know they'll sit like that. From head-on, the head is below the shoulders.
They normally don't get 8', but it could be a mutant strain or some such, or maybe just freaked out people exaggerating.
Ah, ya, that's what it was. Thanks.