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10 Terrifying Supernatural Creatures

Creepy cryptids and brutal beasts - which is the most frightening?

By L.A BanksPublished 7 years ago 10 min read
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As an author, I’m always digging around for fresh inspiration. It’s always good fun to read about the supernatural, but once in a while, I come across a story that breaks me out in goose-bumps. Unsurprisingly, those often provide the best ideas for books.

There are plenty of tales out there about spooky creatures, ranging from the relatively tame to the downright nasty. In no particular order, here are a few of the creepiest paranormal critters. Brace yourself, you’ve been warned…

1. The Cornish Owlman

By Tim Green from Bradford (Mawnan Church) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Who doesn’t love an owl? Majestic and silent, soaring through the night, they’re a wonderful symbol of all things eerie. However, mix that same owl with a man and you’ve got a spectacularly spooky story.

It all began in the 1970s. Don Melling was on holiday in Cornwall with his two daughters, June and Vicky, when he saw something very odd indeed. Passing by the old church at Mawnan, they spotted what looked like a short man, no taller than a dwarf, but covered with feathers and flying above the spire.

Later, two other girls experienced a similar thing. Sally Chapman and Barbara Perry were camping near Mawnan, when they suddenly heard an eerie hissing from outside their tent. Bravely, one of the girls dared to peer out, only to see a creature that “looked like a big owl with pointed ears, as big as a man.” She also added that the eyes were “red and glowing”, and that when it took off into the skies, its “feet were like pincers”.

Turns out, there was a whole lot of other weird stuff happening in the area at around the same time. UFO sightings increased, not to mention sightings of sea serpents. The weather was extreme, with droughts followed by flooding, and for some reason, a flock of birds flew repeatedly against the walls of a house, killing themselves in the process. Strange indeed.

2. The Monkey Man of Delhi

Often, we presume that stories of strange and sinister creatures belong in the past, when people were more superstitious and less scientifically knowledgeable. That’s precisely why the tale of Delhi’s Monkey Man is so bizarre – as it happened in 2001.

People in Delhi were attacked by a creature they described as being around four to five feet tall, with simian features. The creature in question left victims with deep scratches and bite-marks, particularly on their arms and necks. For some reason, it only attacked between the hours of 12am and 4am.

Reports varied. Some eyewitnesses said the beast had metal claws, other said it wore a helmet. The authorities were baffled. Animal experts suggested it wasn’t an ape, as no simian would attack like that without provocation. Others suggested it was a human in disguise, though this was disproved, by examining the bite-marks on the victims.

To this day, no-one knows quite what happened. Some claim it was an elaborate hoax, while others say it was a classic case of mass hysteria. I guess we’ll never know for sure.

3. Spring-heeled Jack

London has many wonderful legends, but none quite as eerie as Spring-Heeled Jack. In 1837, Mary Stevens, a servant, was taking a stroll to Lavender Hill. As she passed through Clapham Common, she was suddenly pounded upon by a sinister creature, who’d leapt out from a neighbouring alley. He began to kiss her, ripping at her clothes and touching her with fingers that were “cold and clammy as a corpse”. She screamed, and her attacker fled.

More sightings followed, all reporting the strangeness of the creature’s appearance, and his ability to leap alarmingly long distances. Some describe him as looking like the devil, with a black cloak and eyes like “red balls of fire”. Others say he breathed fire and had sharp metal claws. Interestingly, at least two people also mentioned that he could speak English.

The papers picked up on the story, and before long, the whole of the country was seeing this bouncy, unsettling figure. However, by 1888, the sightings had fizzled out. Although Spring-Heeled Jack hasn’t been seen in a while, he continues to ignite writer’s inspiration to this day.

4. The Jersey Devil

This is one you’ve probably heard of, but I’ll wager you don’t know all the details. It’s a fascinating legend, and one that’s also deeply creepy.

The Jersey Devil, as you might already know, is said to live in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. Popular belief suggests that the story originated from Mother Leeds, a resident in the area, who gave birth to a creature that had a goat’s head, hooves and wings. The monstrous baby killed the midwife, then fled up the chimney and out into the forest.

Over the years, countless people have claimed to see the creature lurking in the woods, including a few highly-respected figures. Commodore Stephen Decatur spotted a beast in the air above him and fired a cannonball at it, only to see that the deadly weapon had no impact at all. Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother, also said he’d seen the Jersey Devil, while hunting on his estate at Bordentown.

1909 was a particularly bad year as far as hysteria goes. The newspapers were publishing stories of hundreds of encounters, no doubt drumming up paranoia and panic in the process. Schools and businesses were closed for days as a result. The Philadelphia Zoo even posted a reward for the creature’s capture.

Finally, in 1925, a farmer shot an animal as it attacked his chickens, and took a photo of the dead body. He showed it to a number of people, and none could identify what it was. Was this the infamous Jersey Devil? Or is it still out there, living quietly in the forest?

5. The Black Shuck of Dartmoor

I’m lucky enough to live near Dartmoor, and can testify that it’s a wild, eerie place at times. The grounds are treacherous and mists descend without warning, cloaking unwary travellers who are unused to the strangeness of the area.

No surprise then, that these moors should have their own legendary beast – the Black Shuck. Over the years, many have spotted this frightening creature; a huge, black, shaggy dog, with eyes that glow red. In fact, the legend was so creepy that it even inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write The Hound of the Baskervilles.

No-one knows where the Black Shuck came from. Some suggest it was actually Squire Cabell from Buckfastleigh (on the edge of Dartmoor), who was described as a ‘monstrously evil’ man, and who was rumoured to have sold his soul to the Devil. On the day of his burial, eyewitnesses claimed that a pack of ghostly hounds surrounded his grave and howled. Eerie stuff.

6. Chupacabra

By LeCire (Image:Chupacabras.JPG) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Chupacabra. Sounds like a nice enough word, doesn’t it? It reminds me of Chupa Chups – those very tasty lollipops! However, apart from a sucking connection, that’s where the similarities end.

The word literally translates as ‘to suck’ (chupa) and ‘goat’ (cabra’). And yes, the beast is as unpleasant as the name suggests. It all started in 1995, in Puerto Rico. The locals were dismayed to see that their livestock was being attacked by a creature that was described as having a “reptilian body, oval head, bulging red eyes, fanged teeth and long, darting tongue.” The poor animals in question had been entirely drained of blood, with puncture wounds in their necks. Ouch.

As you might imagine, things got a little hysterical in the country after this – to the extent that Mayor Jose Soto even hired people to hunt the Chupacabra, without success.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this was a thoroughly modern urban legend. However, delve into history, and there are other interesting accounts of creatures very similar to Chupacabra, for example, in Mayan mythology. Is this nasty little critter real? Let’s hope not!

7. The Enfield Monster

In April 1973 in Enfield, Illinois, some pretty weird stuff was going down. A local man, Henry McDaniel, heard some scratching at his front door, so went out to investigate, as you do. He saw what he at first thought was a bear, and quickly went back inside to get his gun. Upon returning, he spotted the creature again, this time lurking in the rosebushes. What he saw was definitely like no animal he’d ever seen before.

He described it as having three legs, two short arms, and eyes that were pink and “big as flashlights”. Panicked, he shot at it, which made the creature hiss like a wildcat before running away. The police later arrived, and discovered strange footprints next to the house, which were dog-like, but with six toe-marks. McDaniel later added that it almost looked human… but not quite.

One person imagining things? Not so in this case. Greg Garrett, a boy who lived nearby, also had a close encounter with the creature, who stepped on his feet and ripped his shoes badly. Poor Henry McDaniel also saw the creature a second time, a fortnight later, pacing along the railway line near his house. Search parties were sent out, and they reported seeing an “apelike” creature near McDaniel’s house, which ran away from them.

Unsurprisingly, the story made the papers. People suggested that it was an escaped kangaroo, a claim that McDaniel passionately refuted. Whatever it was, its true nature remains a mystery.

8. The Manananggal

By Gian Bernal (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Few supernatural creatures are quite as repulsive as the manananggal. Hailing from the Philippines, this beast appears in the form of a woman, with a taste for preying on pregnant ladies. That is monstrous enough, but what puts this thing in a league of its own is its ability to sever itself in half.

The torso sprouts wings and becomes airborne, swooping on its victims, and using its long tongue to suck out foetuses (I did warn you it was bad). The lower half merely remains standing patiently until the upper part of the manananggal has done its thing.

According to legend, the only way you can get rid of this creature is to sprinkle salt on its severed lower half.

9. The Mothman

By Mostlymade (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

I remember going to see The Mothman Prophesies at the cinema, and it scared the hell out of me. However, this is a classic case of fact being even scarier than fiction.

The story goes that the Mothman was first seen in 1966, in a cemetery in Clendenin, West Virginia. Gravediggers watched in horror as a winged man soared silently overhead, before disappearing into the distance. Only a few days later, two couples spotted the exact same thing, describing the flying man as having “ten-foot wings”.

Over the course of the next few days, more sightings occurred. Two firemen saw it, describing it as looking like a “large bird with red eyes”. Another person dared to flash a torch in its face, which apparently mad its eyes glow like reflectors.

Soon, the area was buzzing with panic, which increased further after the collapse of the Silver bridge, which killed 46 people. Many citizens attributed the accident to the Mothman, claiming that it was a portent of evil.

There are, of course, rational explanations. George Johnson, Mason County Sheriff, suspected it might be a large heron, and Robert L Smith, a wildlife biologist, suggested it sounded more like a sandhill crane. Whatever it was, it’s long gone now… thank goodness.

10. Ngoubou

Don’t you wish dinosaurs were still alive? Well, the non-meat eating ones, anyway? Well, according to some people in Cameroon, they might well be. The legendary Ngoubou, a creature described as looking much like a Styracosaurus, was seen roaming the Congo rainforest in 1919.

Lepage, the man who spotted it, was working on the construction of a railroad at the time, and told of seeing an “extraordinary monster” who charged at him. According to the man, the creature was around 24 feet long, with horn-like tusks, much like the iconic dinosaur himself. The only difference was that the front feet were more horse-like, and the hind ones were cloven, like a goat.

Most believe that this was an elaborate hoax, or simply the imaginings of an overworked mind. But maybe, just maybe, there’s a dino, lurking around in the rainforest somewhere. You never know your luck.

extraterrestrialfact or fictionfantasylist
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About the Creator

L.A Banks

Hello! I'm an experienced copywriter, published author (The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost) and all-round film buff and music obsessive. If it's weird, you can guarantee I'll like it. Website: www.lucy-banks.co.uk

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