Terrifying Tales Of Actual Monster Attacks

When the sun sets and the world goes dark, it's an oft-repeated phrase, "There are no such things as monsters." But there are plenty of people who disagree. Countless men and women throughout history have claimed encounters with all sorts of creepy creatures. Unfortunately, most of these beasts don't want to be friends. Instead, if the stories are to be believed, these malicious monsters would rather turn us into their next meal.

From beasts such as Bigfoot to zombie clowns, here are terrifying tales of actual monster attacks. 

Virginia probably isn't the first place you'd expect to find a pack of killer primates, but according to some witnesses, the state is crawling with murderous monkeys. Locals call these creatures "devil monkeys," as they resemble gigantic baboons, notes Cryptopia, albeit with long, canine snouts. The devil monkeys come equipped with long tails and kangaroo-like back legs, allowing them to jump insane distances. While they're usually about 4-feet tall, they can reach heights of six feet if they stand up on their back legs.

With their red eyes, sharp claws, and ultra-aggressive attitudes, it should come as no surprise that devil monkeys don't get along with their human neighbors. According to a woman named Pauline Boyd, her parents were driving near Saltville, Virginia, when they were suddenly attacked by a powerful creature. The Boyd couple described the monster as having "light, taffy-colored hair," with "a white blaze down its neck and underbelly." The creature was running on its two back legs, and as the Boyds frantically tried to drive away, the devil monkey slashed at the vehicle, leaving three massive scratch marks on the side of the car.

A few days later, the devil monkey returned. Two nurses were driving around the same area near Saltville when the monster pounced on their car and tore off their convertible roof. As you can imagine, the nurses were terrified, but they managed to escape with their lives. Since then, the devil monkeys have been seen multiple times throughout the years, hopping across roads and vanishing into the trees.

While some people regard Bigfoot as a huggable Wookee, others claim this North American ape has one bad attitude. And if you get too close to this surly Sasquatch, it might start throwing stuff in your direction.

In May 2015, a woman in Jones Creek, Texas, was driving down a country road, when she saw something in the street, reports The Facts. At first, she thought maybe it was a fallen tree, but as she got closer, she realized this was no hunk of wood. The mysterious object suddenly stood up, revealing itself as a Bigfoot. And that's when the cryptid reared back and threw a snake at the woman's car. While she didn't get a photo of the creature, the woman did put the snake in her freezer as evidence, not to mention as a twisted kind of souvenir.

Of course, this isn't the only time a Lone Star Sasquatch has decided to practice its pitching skills. In March 2015, a team of Bigfoot hunters set out into the Sam Houston National Forest. And while they didn't see anything, the researchers reported they were attacked by an angry Bigfoot, reports the Houston Chronicle. Evidently, the hidden creature threw a giant log at their heads, but fortunately, a nearby tree took the brunt of the blow.

It gets even stranger when you learn one of these cryptozoologists — Bob Garrett — claims he's encountered angry Bigfeet before. During a 2014 expedition, Garrett claims he and his son were pinned in their truck by a whole family of hairy monsters. The creatures hurled sticks and dirt clods at the pickup before jumping up and down in frustration. When the Bigfoot family got about 30 feet away from the truck, Garrett decided it was time to head back to civilization.

Washington D.C. is a city full of goblins and ghouls. Most of these creatures are called "politicians," but there's one nasty beast prowling around Congress that doesn't care about winning votes. It only wants to scare victims with its glowing eyes and razor-sharp claws. Locals call this creature the Demon Cat, or DC for short.

Sightings of the Demon Cat date back to the 1800s, notes "Weird Virginia." According to one newspaper, the phantom feline once appeared in 1862, terrifying a group of security guards. When the men opened fire, the specter disappeared, leaving the guards shocked and speechless. The demon reappeared in January 1898. As a watchman was patrolling the halls, he spotted a small black cat heading his way. But with each step, the kitten grew larger and larger. Some accounts say it grew as large as a tiger, while others claim it was the size of an elephant. Either way, the cat was massive, and the guard was so petrified that he couldn't move. Just feet away, the Demon Cat opened its fangs, let out a roar, and pounced at its victim. But before it could tear the watchman apart, the creature just ... disappeared.

The cat has reappeared several times over the years, most frequently in the basement underneath the Senate, close to the storage room that holds the Lincoln catafalque. Freakier still, it's said the Demon Cat often appears right before disaster strikes. The monster allegedly popped up before Lincoln was shot, before the stock market crashed in 1929, and before JFK was assassinated. Fortunately, the Demon Cat hasn't shown up in recent years, but people are always on the lookout for this supernatural panther. There's no telling when it — or some national disaster — might strike again.

The Jersey Devil is one of the most famous monsters in American folklore. According to legend, it was born to a human mother in 1735. Thanks to a curse, the baby morphed into a horned, winged beast (via Weird N.J.). After killing its mom, the Devil disappeared into the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Since then, the Devil has been seen multiple times, most notably during 1909. Between January 16 and 23, the monster was spotted by numerous witnesses in both New Jersey and Philadelphia. People were so scared of the beast that schools were shut down, businesses were closed, and trolley lines allegedly hired armed guards.

Witnesses described the Jersey Devil in all sorts of crazy ways. Some said it was 3-feet tall, while others said 6. Some said it had a ram's head, others said it possessed monkey hands, while some claimed it looked like a kangaroo. Everyone agreed it walked on two legs and had leathery wings and a nasty disposition.

On January 21, the Devil attacked a trolley car in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, frightening the passengers inside. Shortly afterward, it appeared in Philadelphia and supposedly began spitting fire at a frightened housewife. Hours later, the Devil landed atop a house in West Collingswood. Firefighters tried to knock it off with a water hose, but that only made the Devil mad. Wanting revenge, the beast spread its wings and dive-bombed people on the streets. After a shower of stones forced it to retreat, the Devil ended up in Camden, where it attacked Mary Sorbinski's dog. Fortunately, Sorbinski saved her poor pet by beating the creature with a broom.

While the Devil didn't claim any human lives in 1909, it left quite an impression, and today, its legend still looms large over the entire state.

Perhaps the strangest story of World War I allegedly occurred on April 30, 1918. According to Unknown Explorers, a British patrol boat off the coast of Ireland spotted a German submarine. Expecting a battle, the Brits attacked, but the U-boat didn't return fire. Weirder still, the Germans willingly surrendered. The British were puzzled by the situation ... until the German commander, Capt. Gunther Krech, explained why he was so willing to give up.

According to the tale, Krech surfaced so the sub could recharge its batteries. But as the Germans floated atop the water, a massive sea monster crawled up the side of the ship. Krech said the creature had gigantic eyes, devilish horns, and an impressive set of knife-like teeth. The "strange beast" then attacked the forward mount gun, latching on with its mouth in an attempt to rip the ship apart. Horrified, the Germans began firing, but the creature was dead-set on having a U-boat for dinner. As it gnawed away, the monster began twisting the submarine upside down. Moments away from sinking beneath the waves, the sailors unloaded their guns, finally forcing the horned beast to retreat into the sea. Unfortunately, the submarine was too damaged to dive, but before the nightmare could return, the British arrived.

Of course, not everyone believes this story. As skeptics have pointed out, the British commander made no mention of a sea monster in his official report. There's also no physical evidence, because the Brits allegedly sent the ship to the bottom of the sea. But believers hope that one day, someone will recover the U-boat and prove that hungry monsters really are lurking in the ocean depths.

Greg Garrett was an average kid from Enfield, Illinois, but on April 25, 1973, he was attacked by a not-so-average monster. Garrett described the creature as having three legs, red eyes, and slimy, gray skin, reports Mysterious Universe. Even worse, it hated his shoes. The monster started stomping at Garrett's feet, tearing up the boy's sneakers with its claws. Garrett took off screaming, seeking refuge inside his home, but the reign of the Enfield Horror was far from over.

About 30 minutes later, Henry McDaniel and his children heard something scratching at their house. Hoping it was just a dog, McDaniel opened his door to find a nearly 5-foot-tall thing with saucer-shaped eyes and arms growing out of its chest. McDaniel freaked, grabbed his pistol, and blasted the creature several times to no effect. It just "hissed like a wildcat" and leapt into the woods. Police officers later found dog-like footprints in McDaniel's yard, but each track had six toe pads. It also looked like this thing was walking around on three feet. The media quickly picked up on the story, and soon monster hunters were reporting beastly encounters. Both a local radio news director and famed cryptozoologist Loren Coleman claimed to have heard its eerie cry.

Then, suddenly, the creature just vanished, and things in Enfield quieted down again. But if you explore the history of the region, you'll find that in the 1940s, a similar creature plagued the nearby town of Mt. Vernon. Was it the same monster? Will it return? And if it does, will it do more than just stomp on shoes?

Aracariguama is a little Brazilian town, but you could hardly call it quiet. Villagers have reported all sorts of strange sightings, including werewolves. But without a doubt, the most troubling incident occurred on March 4, 1946, when Joao Prestes Filho decided to spend the day fishing in the Tiete River. Filho's family had gone to a nearby carnival, so when the fisherman returned home, he was all alone. Or so he thought.

As the UFO Casebook describes, suddenly, a bright beam of light entered through the window. Filho felt like his skin was on fire, and he couldn't move his hands. Thinking fast, he used his teeth to open the door, and he escaped to his sister's house. When he arrived, Filho's body was horribly burned above the waist. Strangely, his clothes and hair were fine, but his hands and feet looked like boiled meat. Adding to the mystery, Filho claimed he'd been attacked by something "otherworldly." Soon, Filho was transported to a nearby hospital where — according to an orderly — the flesh began falling off his bones. Few, if any, can survive that, and it wasn't long before the fisherman was dead.

There's been a lot of speculation about what happened on the day. While skeptics believe Filho was burned in an accidental fire, that doesn't explain why his hair, clothes, and home were untouched. Some claim he was attacked by malicious extraterrestrials, while others surmise he was accidentally burned by the "propulsion system" of an alien ship. Some villagers think he was attacked by fireball-like ghosts that haunt the region, while others believe he was savaged by a Boitata — a sentient orb with a long history of chasing people near Aracariguama.

However, we'll probably never find any evidence as to what actually happened. Filho's family refused to return to the house, so police had torn it down.

On August 21, 1955, Glennie Lankford was planning a nice dinner at her home in Kelly, Kentucky. Along with her children and their respective families, Lankford invited a friend, Billy Ray Taylor. It should've been a pleasant occasion, but then the aliens showed up.

According to Country Living, things started getting crazy when Taylor saw a bright light in the sky. According to some stories, he then spotted a UFO dropping to the ground (via History). Soon after, mysterious creatures appeared. They stood about 3-feet tall and had enormous eyes, strange antennae, and sharp claws. The beings flew from tree to tree, landed on top of the house, and began looking through the windows. While the family only saw two creatures at a time, they estimated there were at least 12 aliens trying to break into the house.

Terrified, the family fought back. As the kids hid underneath the beds, the adults kept the goblins at bay by firing their guns. But according to reports, the bullets were useless against these metallic creatures. Finally, four hours into the fight, a few family members drove to the nearby Hopkinsville police station for help, and they brought back an army of city cops, state troopers, deputy sheriffs, and military police officers. But when the reinforcements arrived, the mysterious creatures had vanished.

While some skeptics believe the alien invaders were actually particularly aggressive owls, the Lankford family certainly didn't think so. Shortly after the encounter, Glennie Lankford and her clan packed their bags and fled their home, never to return.

William Ramsey certainly seemed like your average Londoner. He was married, had a daughter, and worked as a carpenter. But many claim Ramsey had a pretty unusual history with the paranormal. When Ramsey was 9, he was supposedly possessed by a spirit that gave him super strength and insane anger issues. And in 1983, that malevolent spirit decided to come back.

One day in December, Ramsey was suddenly overcome by a pain in his chest, reports Unexplained Mysteries. Worried for his health, he rushed to the nearby Southend Hospital ... and that's when the animal within took over. When Ramsey arrived at the ER, he grabbed a nurse and savagely bit her elbow. Luckily, a police officer and an intern managed to get Ramsey under control, despite his insane strength. Ramsey was then sent to a mental hospital, but doctors couldn't find anything wrong with the carpenter, aside from the biting.

Ed and Lorraine Warren, however, were sure Ramsey had been possessed by a wolf spirit. The Warrens were a well-known exorcist couple (recently made famous by "The Conjuring" movies), and they flew Ramsey out to Connecticut, where they'd summoned a team of spiritual professionals. Along with the Warrens, there was a renowned bishop, a paranormal expert, some reporters, and up to six bodyguards, in case things got hairy. As the bishop tried to drive out the werewolf, Ramsey rose up and nearly tore the holy man to shreds.

Thankfully, the wolf spirit was exorcised just in time. According to the Warrens, Ramsey flew back to England and returned to a normal life.

One year, 9-year-old Oscar Mendoza and his brother were watching a parade in San Felipe, Mexico, when they heard an explosion (via Real Ghost Stories Online). Somehow, a clown car had crashed, and all the clowns were now lying on the sidewalk. At first, Mendoza's brother thought it was a joke, and he laughed at the surreal scene. But as the brothers got closer, they realized it was no stunt, and all the clowns had been killed on impact.

Minutes later, one of the clowns turned its head and creepily winked at Mendoza's brother. That night, Mendoza's brother was still freaked out, majorly regretting his decision to laugh at the clowns. Afraid of being alone, he asked a cousin to escort him into the kitchen so he could get some water. But when they opened the door, there was a bloody clown sitting at the kitchen table — the same clown they'd seen earlier that day.

Terrified, the children slammed the door and tried their best to hold it shut. The wood began to splinter as the clown hurled himself against the door. All the while, the ghost was whispering, "Let me in children. I just want to play. Don't laugh at me." Oscar Mendoza could hear the wood cracking, so he ran to the kitchen and threw his own weight against the door, helping to hold it shut. A fight then ensued between the clown and the family dog. Then, just before Mendoza's granddad arrived with a shotgun, the clown jumped out of a third-story window onto the street below. When Mendoza looked out the window, the clown was gone.

After the police showed up the next morning, they found black slime on the clown's chair. The cops then told Mendoza's grandfather to have a priest bless the house. This clown was no burglar — it was some sort of devil. Needless to say, Mendoza never returned to his grandparents' home. And while few believe his horrifying tale, he continues telling his story to this day.