00:00In the heart of a thick foggy forest, you can see two flaming red eyes. Suddenly, a strange clicker rings the silence. It's not just in your head.
00:10Spreading over 3,200 kilometers, from Newfoundland to the center of Alabama, the Appalachian chain would house formidable creatures such as the Bigfoot and the mysterious Wampus Cat.
00:21If you think it's just a legend, know that a disturbing explanation is hidden behind these stories.
00:28Let's start with the Bigfoot. A true icon of horror stories, this creature takes its origin from a very real fact that occurred in the heart of the Appalachians, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
00:40In 1966, two young couples were riding on an isolated road when they suddenly noticed a humanoid silhouette about two meters high, resembling a gigantic night butterfly with incandescent red eyes.
00:52Panicked, they immediately accelerated, but the strange entity flew away in pursuit, emitting a shrieking cry, before disappearing into the darkness.
01:01When they reported their misadventures to the police, they described a massive creature, with large white wings and an imposing carcass.
01:09However, his face remained invisible to them, as if hidden by the overwhelming intensity of his gaze.
01:16The Bigfoot has since become a captivating urban legend. Witnesses claim to have seen creatures similar elsewhere in the United States, including in Chicago and Gallipoli, in Ohio.
01:27The explanations vary. Some speak of a balloon with a flashlight, others of aliens. But it could also be that the origin of this horror is only a bird, in this case a stag beetle.
01:38This confusion is understandable, because this nocturnal bird has a piercing look, and emits disturbing clicks that can appear supernatural in the dark.
01:47However, the stag beetle remains of modest size, which questions the fact that it could have been taken for such a terrifying creature. So, what really happened?
01:59Then, these strange creatures, known under the name of Jean in the eyes of the moon, would have once populated the entire Appalachians.
02:06Described as bearded, with a flat face, light skin and large blue eyes, they remain an enigma.
02:13Why would they have populated? Because no tangible proof of their existence has ever been found.
02:20Their legend belongs to Cherokee folklore, which makes the reliability of the stories concerning them uncertain.
02:26Despite everything, their stories froze the blood of the inhabitants and travelers crossing the Appalachians.
02:32It was said that these mysterious beings approached houses at nightfall, whispering in the darkness.
02:38But it was formally forbidden to go out or even to observe them.
02:42At dawn, the occupants discovered their corn carefully harvested, as if an unknown hand had come to their aid.
02:50Others, on the other hand, found their fields devastated, as if an entire troop had taken hold of them before taking everything away.
02:58One of the most famous stories about them concerns an enigmatic stone wall located in Fort Mountain State Park.
03:05Going back to a period between 500 and 1500 AD, its origin remains unknown.
03:11Some say that it was built by the people in the eyes of the moon, the ruins thus constituting a proof of their past existence.
03:18This hypothesis may not be completely unfounded.
03:21A theory suggests that these beings were nothing more than Gauls, established in the Appalachians to exploit the mountains.
03:28The Cherokee would have given them this nickname because of their past existence in the mines and their remarkable night vision.
03:36Hey Minou, Minou, come and see over there. Oh wait, what is it?
03:42According to the legend, the Wampus 4 would be a hybrid creature, half cat, half dog.
03:47Who haunts the Appalachians after nightfall or shortly before dawn.
03:51Its particularity? It can run on its two hind legs like a human.
03:56So, if you see it running on you, it is better not to drag and above all avoid crossing its gaze.
04:02The rumor claims that its yellow eyes pierce the soul and heart of those who have the misfortune to cross it, inexorably driving them to madness.
04:11It is undoubtedly a myth, but the real creature at the origin of these legends is no longer coming.
04:17Described as an aquatic panther, the Wampus 4 would evoke a puma in the eyes of some specialists.
04:23These felines have excellent swimming skills and are able to cross a large lake without difficulty.
04:30Let's imagine that you are driving at night through the Appalachians. Suddenly, a silhouette appears on the road.
04:37You slow down to observe it more closely. It looks like a deer, but something is wrong.
04:43Its eyes are abnormally close, its head seems deformed, its neck seems too long, and its limbs move in a disturbing, almost mechanical way, as if the animal was manipulated by invisible felines.
04:55And even by clacking, it does not dare to move. It is obvious that it does not fear you.
05:02It is called the Not Deer. If some claim to have seen it up to Texas, even in Norway, this phenomenon remains anchored in Appalachian folklore.
05:11A young woman told that during a hike, she had crossed a beech. The animal would then have fixed it straight in the eyes.
05:18It was then that she noticed a frightening detail. Its knees were inverted.
05:24Whatever the normal direction of a deer's joints, this one was leaning in the opposite direction.
05:29An aberration. However, testimonies about the Not Deer are abundant on the Internet.
05:36The descriptions of its strange behavior abound, but no image or video corroborates its existence.
05:42So, what could this creature be?
05:47A rational explanation questions animals suffering from a debilitating chronic disease.
05:52MDC, a disorder that affects several species of deer, including Wapiti, Elan and Rennes, leads to progressive brain degeneration.
06:02Infected individuals suffer from a loss of motor functions and adopt erratic behaviors.
06:09Given the similarity between these symptoms and the descriptions of the Not Deer, this disease could well be at the origin of these disturbing encounters.
06:16The last creature on our list is none other than the Bigfoot.
06:20You know, this massive and velvety being, with a vaguely human look, which moves standing up and haunts the vast forests of the United States.
06:30In the Appalachians, testimonies have been made of its appearance since the Mons Adirondacks, from New York State to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia.
06:38This enigmatic silhouette has haunted the collective imagination for decades.
06:43But some scientists believe that it was actually just a simple black bear victim of contempt.
06:50It turns out that the American black bear lives in the areas where many Bigfoot observations have been reported.
06:56Studies also reveal an intriguing correlation.
06:59Each increase of 1,000 individuals in the population of black bears corresponds to an increase of 4% of Bigfoot reports.
07:07Two factors would explain why this animal could well be the perfect imposter.
07:12First of all, its imposing size.
07:15An adult male can reach 300 kilograms and measure up to 1.80 meters long.
07:21Then, although we tend to consider them as quadrupeds, these bears are quite capable of standing on their hind legs.
07:29In reality, not only are they capable of it, but they do it frequently.
07:33They stand up to better observe their environment, catch a smell in the air, or to appear more threatening in the event of danger.
07:42In these moments, their silhouette indelibly recalls that of a man.
07:46For people who are not used to these animals, the confusion is easy.
07:50And it is not surprising that some see a supernatural creature there.
07:54You may be wondering why so many strange phenomena and mysterious beings seem to be linked to the Appalachians.
08:01The explanation could date back to the ancient times of this region.
08:04The geological process that gave birth to these mountains spread over more than 480 million years.
08:11Which makes them, for example, older than Saturn's rings.
08:15Throughout this long evolution, the territory has undergone major upheavals in its composition,
08:21giving birth to a great diversity of ecological niches,
08:24varying in altitude, slope, exposure, temperature, and precipitation.
08:30According to specialists, the attraction of this region for myths and legends does not only reside in its ancientness,
08:36but also in the fact that it still bears the marks.
08:40A large portion of the Appalachians remains preserved of the human footprint,
08:44thus sheltering an ancestral biodiversity that still seems mysterious to us.
08:49The landscape, made of deep forests, valleys, drowned in the mist, and sinuous rivers,
08:55evokes a forgotten world, conducive to enigmas.
08:59Over the centuries, the natural isolation of these mountains has only fed and maintained these fascinating tales.
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