Glowing red eyes centered in the chest of a headless, feathery, seven-foot tall winged creature.
That’s “Mothman.”
Sounds like something from a movie, right? Well, it is. But for USM adjunct professor Loren Coleman, it is also a passion.
While most professors specialize in the arts, English, history or mathematics, Coleman is an expert in cryptozoology, “the study of hidden and as yet undiscovered animals.”
Because of his well-known studies of Mothman and other mythological creatures, Coleman became a consultant for “The Mothman Prophecies,” a major motion picture playing in some cities across the nation, London and Spain.
Coleman explained that some of the more commonly known creatures are: Bigfoot, a hairy giant humanoid upwards of 6 1/2 to 8 feet tall; Loch Ness Monster, a lake monster resembling a sea serpent that’s 20 to 40 feet long; and Yeti, an abominable snowman from the Himalayas similar to Bigfoot but more ape-like, standing 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet tall.
There are about 200 active searches for different undiscovered species around the world.
“The mistake that people make is that they think these are singular mythical animals, but what we’re talking about is a breeding population of undiscovered animals,” Coleman said.
Mothman is one of these species.
Mothman is a giant bird-like creature discovered during the mid 1960s in rural West Virginia. At first locals called it “Birdman” and “Big Bird,” then an Ohio newspaper copy editor labeled it Mothman.
Coleman has followed the Mothman encounters since 1966 and has written 13 books about Mothman and other creatures. His most recent book, “Mothman and other curious encounters,” talks about Mothman, the recent movie, factual basis of Mothman as well as the different theories disputing the reality of Mothman. It puts Mothman in context with other creatures such as giant owls, Thunderbirds, Lizardmen and various other winged “weirdies.”
Coleman’s recount of the Mothman story begins on Nov. 15, 1966, in Point Pleasant, W.Va. Two married couples were in a car driving down an area known as “lovers lane” on the outskirts of town. The area circled an old dynamite/ammunition storage site from World War II that was overgrown with wildlife, flowers and shrubs. The couples were searching for other folks they knew who might have been in the area, and came to a stop to turn around when they saw no one. At the edge of the storage site the headlights reflected off a pair of glowing red eyes centered in the chest of a huge headless creature. It had wings sprouting from the top of its body that touched the ground. They sat in awe until the creature began to “shuffle” around. The women began screaming and they turned around to leave.
As they drove away one of the women looked up out the rear window and saw Mothman flying above the car. She screamed again and the driver sped up, reaching a speed of almost 100 miles an hour and the creature kept pace. When they reached the city limits Mothman flew away.
The next day a woman visiting her friend in a bungalow on the outskirts of town saw Mothman flying over her friend’s house. Then sightings increased. Over the next 13 months there were over 100 eyewitnesses to Mothman.
“At first the few terrified people who saw the creature were made fun of. But what happened is that one person after another saw it. By then, with only 5,000 people in the community, there wasn’t someone you knew who hadn’t seen it,” Coleman said.
At the end of 13 months, the Silver Bridge, a structure in Point Pleasant, collapsed and 46 people died, “and that’s the Mothman prophecies,” Coleman said.
Mothman was automatically linked to the bridge disaster, Coleman said.
“People thought that everything that happened was linked and something sinister was going on. We don’t know why Mothman was there. We don’t know the motives. We don’t know why,” Coleman said. “My book is about leaving questions open if we don’t have answers.”
Coleman’s approach to the Mothman sightings, his books and study of cryptozoology is why Sony approached him with the spokesperson position.
Last summer Screen Gems called him and wanted to talk about Mothman. They continued to call him, more and more frequently into the fall.
“I became a prominent person to give them the factual basis. I am zoologically and psychologically experienced,” Coleman said.
“One problem Sony was having with selling the movie was that people had a hard time believing this was real. So I was asked to do interviews for the film,” Coleman said.
In November he was asked to do a press conference for Sony in Hollywood. Several magazine and Web site editors based in science fiction and unexplained phenomena were there. Then came radio interviews.
He was on over 100 radio shows and has been interviewed by several newspapers. He is now considered a Mothman expert.
“My book is now one of the best sellers in the field,” Coleman said.
Coleman is also involved with the national release of the movie. He has done interviews with media in London, South Africa, Australia, Spain and Ireland.
The documentary film class Coleman teaches at USM is the only class in the nation that is taught from the audience’s point of view. The critical thinking class examines the “reality” of documentary films and broadcast news. “The Mothman Prophecies,” Coleman’s book and documentary film on Mothman are examples used to compare and contrast fictional and real events.
One fictional Mothman event that Coleman talks about in his class is Sony’s fabrication of Mothman sightings before other disasters that occurred elsewhere in the world.
“The relation with Mothman sightings in other parts of the world is purely fictional, a literary device for the movie used for effect,” Coleman said.
Mothman sightings in Point Pleasant are still reported today, and Coleman continues to study the creature.
“As I always say, I don’t believe in any of this because belief is the providence of religion. I think like a scientist. I base my opinions on facts and evidence. Right now I sense that a pattern of reality exists around the eyewitness reports of Mothman. Something extraordinary happened to these ordinary people. In my mind the jury is still out about what that was,” Coleman said.
The documentary film, “Search for the Mothman,” and Sony’s motion picture will be available on video in the fall. Coleman’s book is in bookstores now.
News Editor Sherry Whittemore can be contacted at: [email protected]