The Gralien Report

Arguably, this year has been significant so far as developments in the ever-growing Mothman mythos. Of course, it was earlier this year that marked the passage of John Keel, author of The Mothman Prophecies, from this dimensional plane. Also (on a slightly more personal note), just prior to completing the manuscript for my upcoming book, I received a unique report from a friend in Atlanta detailing a strange sighting of what she called “Mothman.” Although I tend to view all this so-called Mothman-related activity as being more anecdotal than anything, today I was nonetheless interested to note some parallels in an article posted at Jon Downes’ website Still on the Track to popular descriptions of the winged-one. The following story, as related by one of his readers, details a variety of interesting Mothman-like points of interest:

‘We were in Pacifica MO, tonight around 11:30 and we noticed a massive flying creature, not once but three times. My son even noticed it on his own the third time. We were near a large cliff/mountain with some type of cave openings. We don’t live in the area, I can say for sure we turned onto a road called viaduct road, went past a fire station and continued on for about 1 mile before we first noticed it. It was brownish/grey and the body portion was at least the size of a large adult human. This creature was tracking us – in a circle pattern. We were driving an escalade with the blue color headlights, this may have cause interest in us. The third time around us we viewed it in front of the vehicle, around driver side and around towards the rear of the vehicle, the factory tinted windows did help it vanish into the sky from out point of view.

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Nick Redfern is in the news again… this time, being interviewed for a confirmation article issued recently which states that the famous Cannock Chase, a protected wilderness area in Britain, is indeed spooky. “Yes, having investigated sightings of big-cats, werewolves, Bigfoot-type beasts, over-sized snakes, wallabies, wild boar, and much more in the woods of the area, I know that the Cannock Chase is spooky!” Nick proclaims, referencing the article, which appeared in the English based Stafford Post. “Just a few days ago, I was contacted by Annette Belcher, one of the writers… who asked for a comment-or-two from me about this latest development; and which, of course, I was pleased to provide.”

Annette’s article reads as follows:

It’s official – the Chase has been hailed one of the spookiest places in the country. The beauty spot, which stretches through Stafford, is renowned for its werewolf sightings, according to a latest paranormal study. It is all revealed in the work of paranormal researcher Lionel Fanthorpe, 74, from Cardiff. The study looks into paranormal events in the UK during the past 25 years. The study provides a breakdown of Britain’s spookiest places and focuses upon unexplained incidents reported to the police and leading paranormal organisations since the 1980s. There have been 21 reported cases of werewolf sightings, with the Cannock Chase werewolf being the most renowned.

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Tonight during the final hour of the radio program Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, paranormal investigator extraordinaire Joshua P. Warren will be discussing a recent list of the five “scariest cryptids” I featured here at the Gralien Report:

Coast to Coast AM: Tonight’s Show

You won’t want to miss this intriguing (and at times scary) interview with this good pal of mine and master-of-the-strange. For more information, visit Joshua’s website:

The Official Home of Joshua P. Warren

Recently, my old partner in crime and long time accomplice Joshua P. Warren and I had a chance to catch up at a late-night get together (above ground for a change, as opposed to in our usual radio bunker miles beneath the Earth’s crust). While we were discussing various things, among them his recent addition as a correspondent to the popular late night radio program Coast to Coast AM, Joshua mentioned a recent article I put up regarding “the Top Ten Scariest Monsters” in Forteana. Of course, many of these creatures are indeed horrific–nothing, to me, is more frightening than letting my imagination go wandering as to what the heck Bloop might be. However, I often tend to be a little humorous with my interpretation of the news (ah, what would life be without Comedians?).

“So why don’t you create a real list for me of the top five scariest cryptids?” Josh asked. Indeed, it seemed we differed a bit on what we called “scary”. Josh clarified that the scariest cryptid monsters should be creatures that could “come and get you,” which is why he wouldn’t have included things like the presumably Chtuhoid “Bloop” in such a roundup; even a giant demi-god isn’t dangerous if it never leaves the ocean to destroy mankind, right?

THERFORE… for your viewing enjoyment, I have now compiled a list of the top five (really) scary cryptids. These are cryptozoological or even alien oddities that might curdle the flesh of even the most experienced monster hunters. Reader beware; due to the nature of some of the alleged attacks these creatures have been associated with, some graphic content may not be suitable for the squeamish. Reader caution is advised.

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Professional monster-hunter Nick Redfern dishes on chupacabras:

Coolest guy ever.

Reports stemming from Panama are describing the discovery of a strange new creature, said to have been witnessed by a group of teenagers near the Blue Hill Water Spurt. After being linked to Coast to Coast AM’s website early this morning, the initial site hosting the images is down. However, a second site exists; below is a general translation of the information posted at the alternative site, Canal 13:

Discovery of a strange “Blue Hill Creature” has stirred up controversy among the population, because while some are certain that it is a being of another planet, others simply suggest that it is an animal.

Four adolescents between 14 and 16 years old were playing together in the Blue Hill Spurt this past Saturday.

According to their story, one of them suddenly saw that the creature as it left a cave located behind the water spurt. When it noticed the teenagers, the creature began to climb on stones towards one of them. Badly frightened, he began to throw stones and at it. After killing the animal, they left it by the water and fled the area.

The circumstances surrounding the story are classics of abduction lore; children allegedly see a strange creature emerge from a cave, and as it approaches them, they kill it, and flee the scene with a few photographs that carelessly (or purposely) capture only the parts of the anatomy that give the unsettling, “otherworldly” appearance: in this case, the upper extremities. I’ll tell you this: I’m not convinced this is any alien, and I’m even less convinced it’s anything we aren’t already aware of. Have a look at this series of photographs and you’ll see what I mean:

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Herpetologists the world over are no doubt astounded, intrigued and alarmed at the discovery of a snake in China that apparently had grown a single, reptilian leg from its belly.

The British Telegraph reported that sixty-six-year-old Dean (or Duan… the name varies in written reports) Qiongxiu of Suining, Southwest China, discovered the reptile clinging to the wall of her bedroom–using the talons of its single claw–in the middle of the night. “I woke up and heard a strange scratching sound. I turned on the light and saw this monster working its way along the wall using his claw.”

Although I’ve heard a variety of reports of “spontaneous evolution” and the like recently, this story is particularly interesting… although in all likelihood the appearance of the critter’s “claw” was probably the result of a mutation or strange birth defect. Strange appearances of vestigial tails, pharyngeal slits and other things do sometimes occur, since in early embryonic stages all vertebrates possess these characteristics. According to some, this lends a little weight to the theory of “common ancestry” between various species, and hence evolution in general. However, usually these tails and gills aren’t functional body parts; if indeed this snake had utilized its single claw in the act of climbing along walls, etc, it would certainly be considered a remarkable instance of mutation among the species.

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All too often, I see these infamous “Top Ten” lists being compiled, detailing the “top ten most horrific cryptozoological monstrosities” and the like on various websites around the net. Granted, many (if not most) of them are great, and I love to read them when they appear (usually coinciding with Halloween). For instance, recently Haunted America Tours compiled what I would call one of the most visually-appealing monster round ups that I’ve seen to-date, with a few images included in their listing of top-ten monsters that were so unique that I ended up digging around for the artists who procured them (I’m a classical art nut… to this, I raise my glass to HAT’s classy selection).

Along these same lines, about a year ago my friend and mentor Brad Steiger sent an email requesting a round-up of favorite monsters (Brad often sends questionnaires to his friends and associates for purposes of outsourcing opinions on such matters, resulting in a lot of great compilations that appear in his books). At the time, although I won’t dispute Bigfoot being a personal all-time favorite, I couldn’t help but feel that the Pacific Northwest’s hairiest humanoid giant (with the prolific nature of sightings he and his cousins garner around the globe) seems to dominate lists of “top ten favorites”. Similarly, although she’s relatively concentrated in her specific locale, Scotland’s Lady of the Loch “Nessie” also ranks high among those mysterious monopolizing monsters, with her constituents in various lakes and oceans around the world also garnering a lot of attention. Finally, I have to give credit to those rascally little soft-organ-suckers from the Southern extremities, the Chupacabras, who have spent the last two decades making a name for themselves among the top-ranking cryptids (as well as, strangely, morphing from green-scaled alien monkeys into hairless reptile-dogs with exaggerated canines… no further comment).

However, I feel like there are weirder monsters… scarier monsters… that are often forgotten on such lists. If you’ve listened to interviews with me in the past, you’ve probably heard of a few of these. However, since they are too often forgotten, I figured I would post for you here at The Gralien Report my own “Top Ten Scariest Monsters” list, bearing in mind that all of these are supposed or theorized to actually exist in various capacities… when such things call your belief system and reality into question, what do you choose to believe? Although I question virtually everything presented here (not taking a completely skeptical stance against the possibility, by any means), there is a wide margin of collected evidence which suggests the baddies presented here are worthy of further speculation. You be the judge… but above all, enjoy!

The Official GRALIEN REPORT “Top Ten SCARIEST MONSTERS”

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I found this interesting bit of synchronicity today: reports coming out of Texas are describing what is being dubbed a “Chupacabra”, now in the possession of a San Antonio area Taxidermist named Jerry Ayers. “It got into his cousin’s barn and they thought maybe it was a rodent tearing stuff up, and they no idea since they’ve never seen it,” said Ayers. “He got out some poison and this is what they got the next day.” Kold News 13 reported on the story earlier today (September 1st)…

…which marks the anniversary of another Chupacabra discovery in nearby Cuerto, Texas, dating back to 2007. Fox News reported on the find in an article titled “Texas Woman Claims to Have Found Mythical ‘Chupacabra’ ” on the same date two years ago. Although both critters are likely coyotes or foxes suffering from mange, it is strange synchronicity nonetheless that the two reports would both appear at the same time of year, right down to the exact date. Does this indicate any sort of trend about weather, habitat, feeding habits, etc that might indicate what causes these creatures to appear at specific times? Or, in the likely case that it is a known animal suffering from effects of a skin condition, does this provide insight into a cause for the ailment?

The synchronicity between dates was startling enough, at least in terms of the obvious coincidences… but the sudden appearance of Chupacabras and “mystery canines” around this time of year seems to be further enforced by the fact that today’s San Antonio discovery wasn’t the only reported “Chupacabra” discovered today. As it turns out, NewsOn6.com out of Oklahoma also had a similar story posted today, along with photos of the mystery beast:

Woman Says Chupacabra Found Near Stilwell

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News of a strange “muck monster” has residents of West Palm Beach, Florida, buzzing… but true to Fortean factoid fame, there is a unique bit of synchronicity going on here also, involving a strange Bigfoot-like creature witnessed decades ago in a different locale bearing the same name.

At the website LagoonKeepers.org, several videos have been posted that depict what is being dubbed a “Muck Monster” (click here to visit the site and view the videos). “This appears to be one animal moving in this direction,” said Thomas Reinert, a Marine Biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “Nothing’s breaking the surface. Typically dolphins break the surface, sea turtles, manatee, a large school of fish… if it were a shark at that level you would see a fin.” Is the “Muck Monster” indeed a bizarre cryptozoological mystery, or is it more likely to be something a bit less glamorous?

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