Flatwoods, West Virginia: The Monster That Wouldn't Die

For 60 years the town of Flatwoods tried to ignore its visitation by a horrifying monster. A new generation of local, open-minded monster fans is trying to change that.

At dusk on September 12, 1952, a ten-foot-tall creature with glowing eyes, a green body, and a cowl surrounding its round, red face, terrified a group of townspeople in Flatwoods, West Virginia (They were searching for a crashed flying saucer). The hideous space-demon was never seen again, but the Flatwoods Monster was so unique and horrifying that it became one of the world's most popular bogeymen -- everywhere but in Flatwoods, West Virginia, which for decades wanted to forget the whole thing. Attitudes, however, gradually changed, and visitors can now see a small museum devoted to the monster as well as various photo-ops around town. Monster lamps (you place a lit candle inside to make its eyes glow) are popular local souvenirs. The Flatwoods Monster itself, however, has never returned.