Ep. 96: Weird Appalachia - The Flatwoods Monster

The American region of Appalachia, much like our native New England, is a land of folklore and high strangeness, and this is perfectly exemplified in the story of the Flatwoods Monster - a maybe-alien, maybe-cryptid that burst onto the scene 70 years ago to completely throw locals for a loop and enchant an entire nation. On September 12th, 1952 in Flatwoods, West Virginia, brothers Eddie and Freddie May were playing with friends when they witnessed a strange object in the sky seemingly land on a nearby farm. Along with their mother and older cousin, the boys went to investigate...and encountered a strange, giant creature (or was it a machine?) that terrified them and would create mythology and questions for decades to come. Was the Flatwoods Monster an alien from another planet? A cryptid, native to the woods of West Virginia? A sibling of the famous Moth Man - or perhaps the Moth Man themself? Or, was this being simply a mistaken owl sitting in a tree? We investigate all the possibilities, and ruminate on the bizarre urban legends of West Virginia and how they become part of the native culture. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices