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Buried alive in total darkness with no
way to escape.
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Invisible forces with demonic intent
that control your mind and body.
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And ordinary objects with supernatural
powers that leave a trail of death
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and destruction.
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Fear to universal emotion, human
emotion.
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It is often essential to our very
survival.
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Our biological drive to stay safe is
designed to help protect us from danger,
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both real and imagined.
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We might be startled or even amused at
times by loud noises, dark places, or
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confined spaces.
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But what happens when the stuff of
nightmares is not a dream, but instead a
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terrifying reality?
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That is what we'll try and find out.
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All over the world, various cultures
practice a period of mourning between
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time of a person's death and when
they're finally laid to rest.
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This is the time to pay respects, to
process one's loss.
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And in some cases, to quell the fear
that the dearly departed might still be
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alive and prematurely placed six feet
under.
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The fear of being buried alive. It was a
fairly common fear up until 20th
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century. Medical practices meant fewer
people were in fact buried alive.
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It was most common in 18th and 19th
century Europe and America.
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Mostly due to the medical practices and
the burial practices at the time. This
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was when medical diagnoses could get
things wrong.
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And people were, in fact, buried alive.
And stories of that became
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sensationalized. And therefore the panic
would spread.
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In the 19th century, the great fear of
being buried alive was partly because
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this was the age of cholera.
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Cholera causes severe diarrhea, which
can deplete all the electrolytes in your
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body, and in extreme cases can induce a
coma.
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So sometimes people appear dead, and
they're actually in this sort of
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state, and they can come out of it. But
if you bury them, then you've buried
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them alive, and that is a terrible
death.
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Historically, the thought of being
trapped in a wooden box beneath
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pounds of dirt with no possibility of
escape was so widespread that this fear
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was actually given a name.
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It's called taphophobia.
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Taphophobia is the idea of simply just
the fear of being buried alive.
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Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote about
premature burial, was...
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terrified of being buried alive.
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Frederick Chopin, the composer, wanted
to be stabbed in the heart and bled out
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to make sure that he was dead when
doctors believed that he was.
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And even George Washington was so afraid
of being buried alive that he had
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written in his will that his body had to
remain in bed for three days after they
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thought he was dead to make sure that he
didn't come back.
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It was estimated by the 1890s that some
2 % of people being
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buried were buried alive.
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Now, this is a gross exaggeration, no
doubt, but it was believed at the time,
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enough so that organizations like the
London Association for the Prevention of
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Premature Burial was founded in 1896.
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Then they lobbied Parliament for greater
diligence on the part of doctors to
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make sure that doctors were verifying
death.
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Despite doctors' best efforts, it was
simply difficult at the time to
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whether a person was alive or dead.
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And so in order to ease people's minds,
authorities in Europe were forced to
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take drastic measures.
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Vienna, Austria.
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Within this storied city lies the Vienna
Central Cemetery, the second largest
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cemetery in the entire world.
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In the heart of the cemetery stands a
small building that today houses a
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But in the 19th century, it was referred
to as a lichen house.
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The lichen house was a kind of mortuary
where corpses were kept for a
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period, typically about three days, and
watched over by attendants to make sure
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that a person was truly dead and
wouldn't be buried alive in a state of
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catalepsy.
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Those who worked at the Leichenhaus, the
undertakers mainly, could ensure that
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people are not being buried alive.
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They had several measures. They could
use, for example, a heart -step knife.
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And there was basically a treatment that
you could order by doctors. And then
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one doctor had the possibility, the
option, and the privilege to step the
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into your heart to make sure that you're
not going to be buried alive.
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In modern times, it may sound a little
disturbing to hear that doctors once
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stabbed their patients in order to
determine whether they were alive or
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But the truth is, the hysteria about
being buried alive was so prevalent that
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entire industry sprang up to help calm
such fears by producing bizarre
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contraptions that were known as safety
coffins.
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If you were afraid of being buried
alive, the solution was the safety
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And this began very simply with a bell
tied to a string that went down under
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earth into the coffin. And if you were
buried alive and you woke up in a
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you could pull that string, the bell
would ring, and hopefully somebody would
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hear it and come dig you out.
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And this tradition is where we get the
expression, saved by the bell.
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If you had more money, safety coffins
could get more elaborate. They could add
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air tubes.
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They could add windows so you would have
some lights inside the coffin.
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And there were even cases of people
buried with a key in their pocket so
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could unlock the casket from the inside
if this happened.
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There were loads of patents taken out
for these safety coffins, and they would
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include devices like little flags that
could be raised.
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Sometimes safety coffins included food
or water. They would have breathing
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tubes. They might even include
periscopes.
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One of the best -known ones really
belonged to a doctor named Timothy Clark
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Vermont. He came up with his own safety
coffin device.
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He had a set of stone stairs installed
next to his grave that could be opened
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by a concrete block that was sitting
beside it. That way, anyone could get
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to rescue him if he needed to be
rescued.
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But the real kicker to the whole thing
was that he had a glass window installed
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directly over his face, set into the
stone.
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However, he died in 1893, and the
doctors did not make a mistake. He
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dead.
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Safety coffins may seem like a quaint
fad from a bygone era that has no
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relevance in our world today.
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But believe it or not, there have been
some recent cases in which people appear
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to have been mistakenly buried alive.
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Being buried alive is very, very rare,
at least in our own time, but it does
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still occasionally happen.
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As recently as 2018, there was a case in
Brazil where a woman woke up in her
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grave and is thought to have survived
for 11 days there.
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Being buried alive doesn't happen nearly
as often as it used to, but if you
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think about it, waking up in a coffin
would be probably one of the most
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terrifying things that could ever happen
to you.
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The very idea that a small mistake due
to negligence or misdiagnosis Could
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one to be buried alive?
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Is a terrifying thought.
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But it's often what we can't see that
instills fear the most.
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Like in the case of an ancient predator
who still lurks beneath the ocean's
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surface with a frightening history of
hunting for human flesh.
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Beach Haven, New Jersey, July 1st, 1960.
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25 -year -old Charles Van Sant is
swimming in the brisk Atlantic waters
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coast of this resort community when he's
suddenly attacked by a massive shark.
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Lifeguards pull Van Sant from the water
and see that his left thigh has been
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stripped of its flesh by a massive set
of razor -sharp jaws.
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The story is that they had to almost
wrestle him away from the shark. They
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pulled him ashore with the shark
following him still.
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His father, who was a doctor, operated
on him or tried to save his life, but he
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died of a flesh wound to a bite on his
thigh, actually, and lots of blood.
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The gory death of Charles Van Zandt was
the first recorded fatal shark attack in
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U .S. history.
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And then, on July 6th, A mere five days
after Van Sant was killed,
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there was another attack along the
Jersey Shore.
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Charles Bruder, who's a 27 -year -old
Swiss native who was in the Army, went
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a swim and 1 ,200 feet out in the middle
of the day was attacked and bitten by
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what appeared to be about an eight or
nine foot great white shark.
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It severed his legs and a part of his
torso.
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By the time the lifeguards got out
there,
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There was hardly anything to lift into
the boat.
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This second deadly attack was widely
reported in newspapers across the
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and set off a nationwide panic.
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Many people believed it was no longer
safe to swim in the ocean off the coast
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New Jersey.
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And several beaches were closed by the
authorities.
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The public reaction was hysterical.
There were calls all the way up to
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Wilson.
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Woodrow Wilson had a cabinet meeting and
talked to the early men who founded the
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Coast Guard about eradicating all the
sharks on the East Coast.
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Bounties were given by towns and cities,
and anybody that could kill any shark
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could get $100.
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You had fishermen going out catching and
killing sharks, and it wasn't just in
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New Jersey. It was all up and down the
eastern seaboard.
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and even infiltrated into the coastal
states, Texas, Louisiana, and
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as far as the Pacific coast of North
America.
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Less than one week after Charles Bruder
was killed, on July 12th, three more
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people were attacked by what many
witnesses claimed was an eight - or nine
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shark.
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Curiously, all five of these incidents
took place along a 50 -mile stretch off
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the coast of New Jersey.
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Because of their proximity and the
similarities between eyewitness
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many began to wonder whether the
horrific attacks could have been the
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single killer shark.
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The New Jersey attacks are so strange
because sharks don't kill people with
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kind of regularity and nobody witnesses
it with any kind of regularity when it
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happens. But the concept of a rogue
shark that kills or injures one person.
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then that gets a taste for human flesh
and goes after another like a serial
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killer. The Jersey Shore may be the best
evidence we have that that's ever
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happened. On July 14, 1916, two weeks
after the first fatal attack, a
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taxidermist named Michael Schlaeser
caught a 7 1⁄2 -foot, 325 -pound great
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shark off the northern end of the Jersey
Shore.
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After cutting open its stomach,
authorities found what appeared to be
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digested human remains.
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There are many who believe that this
great white shark was responsible for
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five attacks that took place, four of
which were fatal.
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Fatal shark attacks on humans are seldom
predatory for feeding.
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So what was going on that would cause a
series of five attacks over a...
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11 -day period, what was behind all of
this?
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People panicked.
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No one wanted to go in the ocean.
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So its effect on individuals, citizens,
was enormous.
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And it was something that, to this day,
still has an effect on us.
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The 1916 Jersey Shore attacks helped to
popularize the notion of sharks as
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deadly man -eaters.
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More than 50 years later, the killings
inspired the 1974 novel Jaws by Peter
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Benchley, which became the basis of the
blockbuster film made by Steven
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Spielberg that terrorized generations of
beachgoers.
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But despite their bad reputation, the
truth is that sharks rarely kill humans.
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According to statistics gathered by the
International Shark Attack File, on
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average,
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There are only five fatal shark attacks
worldwide per year.
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So why does the belief persist that some
sharks are a serious threat to humans?
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Sharks, unsurprisingly, have terrified
people forever because sharks
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live an enormous amount of their life
out of sight, unlike...
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terrestrial species that we can see.
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00:14:24,850 --> 00:14:28,669
Sharks live underwater, and the only
time that we really interact with sharks
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when they come to the surface, and that
tends to be in antagonistic
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circumstances with people.
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Traditional island cultures have had
multiple deities that have shark
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appearance, and that comes from an
inherent fear that we are at risk of
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They have this power of life or death
over us.
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Sharks are apex predators.
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00:14:51,900 --> 00:14:55,980
The idea that sharks can be celebrated
in their culture might seem a bit odd.
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After all, they do kill people.
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00:14:57,500 --> 00:15:01,439
But there's a couple things to consider.
One is that they are recognized as apex
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predators, and this is something that
people often aspire to. Also, the idea
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that these are apex predators, and you'd
better understand them.
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Over the years, sharks, especially white
sharks, have been portrayed as killers.
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Unfortunately, people are killed from
time to time.
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It has been postulated that white sharks
hunting have similarities into the
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tactics utilized by serial killers.
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00:15:28,810 --> 00:15:33,529
Serial killers use what is referred to
as an anchor point, which is where they
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will sit and watch and pick their
victim.
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00:15:38,010 --> 00:15:39,810
White sharks do the same thing.
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White sharks like to hunt stealth, where
the intended victim can't see them.
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A lot of people often look at sharks and
think that there's nothing going on.
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00:15:51,700 --> 00:15:56,839
But great whites are intelligent
animals. We've watched great whites
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00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:01,439
fields. And you'll find the older great
whites will pick out specific
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individuals, usually young ones.
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00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:11,859
It's very methodical. So it is 100 %
possible that some sharks
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like the taste of people.
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00:16:14,670 --> 00:16:20,310
Are there certain sharks that
specifically and methodically hunt
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00:16:20,610 --> 00:16:24,110
Some marine biologists have suggested
it's possible.
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00:16:24,830 --> 00:16:29,849
But if this theory is true, then what's
even more disturbing is that a killer
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00:16:29,850 --> 00:16:34,510
shark may keep stalking people for a
very long, long time.
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Great white can live to be 80 plus years
old. There's some accounts of specimens
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being over 100.
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00:16:42,890 --> 00:16:47,489
They study their subject just like a
serial killer. They learn from their
224
00:16:47,490 --> 00:16:49,410
mistakes just like a serial killer.
225
00:16:50,190 --> 00:16:51,240
That's terrifying.
226
00:16:53,250 --> 00:16:58,289
Coming face to face with a predator like
a great white shark would be terrifying
227
00:16:58,290 --> 00:16:59,340
to say the least.
228
00:17:00,270 --> 00:17:04,769
Just imagining an encounter with a
dangerous creature can trigger our
229
00:17:04,770 --> 00:17:07,950
fear of being overtaken by something
much stronger than us.
230
00:17:08,609 --> 00:17:11,650
Like in the case of a powerful presence.
231
00:17:12,750 --> 00:17:16,490
They can possess the human soul.
232
00:17:20,109 --> 00:17:22,190
Bavaria, West Germany, 1973.
233
00:17:26,230 --> 00:17:31,609
Annalise Michel, a 20 -year -old student
at the University of Würzburg, claims
234
00:17:31,610 --> 00:17:38,349
that she's hearing disembodied voices
and seeing visions of
235
00:17:38,350 --> 00:17:39,400
the devil.
236
00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:45,179
Before long, her family comes to believe
that Annalise suffers from a condition
237
00:17:45,180 --> 00:17:46,580
that defies understanding.
238
00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:50,000
Demonic possession.
239
00:17:52,420 --> 00:17:58,180
Annalise Mikkel was indeed tormented by
a possessing something.
240
00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,520
She spoke in a horrendously growly
voice.
241
00:18:13,110 --> 00:18:15,470
Her eyes seemed to go black.
242
00:18:16,470 --> 00:18:22,129
And she had a great aversion to holy
statues, which are a great many in the
243
00:18:22,130 --> 00:18:25,190
house, because they were very high as
Catholics.
244
00:18:26,790 --> 00:18:32,330
And she was taken to a doctor who said
she might be epileptic.
245
00:18:32,930 --> 00:18:36,830
And she was taken to a psychiatrist.
246
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,590
Nothing changed in her life. In fact,
she was getting worse and worse.
247
00:18:43,300 --> 00:18:46,620
Her family believed from the beginning
she was possessed.
248
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:51,820
The Catholic Church accepted that
framework and engaged in the exorcism.
249
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:58,239
Ultimately, Anneliese McKell died of
starvation and dehydration over the
250
00:18:58,240 --> 00:18:59,440
of numerous exorcisms.
251
00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:04,580
This was a case where that belief
directly led to her death.
252
00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,340
What we cannot say for certain is what
was really...
253
00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:13,440
going on. I can't say that she for sure
was not possessed or for sure was.
254
00:19:14,580 --> 00:19:19,479
The story of Annalise Miquel is perhaps
the best known case of an alleged
255
00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:21,060
demonic possession.
256
00:19:22,420 --> 00:19:24,680
But what happened to her?
257
00:19:25,180 --> 00:19:27,760
Was she actually possessed by demons?
258
00:19:29,060 --> 00:19:33,559
And if so, how does one identify when a
person's mind and body have been taken
259
00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:36,060
over by Satan?
260
00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:41,579
During the course of my career, I've
witnessed a number of cases of
261
00:19:41,580 --> 00:19:47,419
in my life, but I definitely started as
a skeptic. I certainly never thought I
262
00:19:47,420 --> 00:19:53,900
would see anything sort of paranormal or
diabolic.
263
00:19:56,040 --> 00:20:01,599
A priest, who I guess knew I was
Catholic, I don't exactly know how he
264
00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:06,140
name, but he came to my office when I
was at Cornell Medical College.
265
00:20:06,670 --> 00:20:12,789
And he said, Dr. Gallagher, I'd like you
to evaluate someone
266
00:20:12,790 --> 00:20:17,110
for me who I think has a demonic attack.
267
00:20:18,190 --> 00:20:24,489
And I said, well, with all due respect,
Father, you know, I'm an academic
268
00:20:24,490 --> 00:20:28,989
psychiatrist and I'm pretty skeptical of
those sort of things. And I remember
269
00:20:28,990 --> 00:20:32,849
what he said to me. He said, you're the
perfect man for the job because we want
270
00:20:32,850 --> 00:20:34,370
somebody who's skeptical.
271
00:20:35,310 --> 00:20:40,209
Of course, in the years since, you know,
25 plus years, I've seen so much that
272
00:20:40,210 --> 00:20:42,470
I'm not a skeptic anymore.
273
00:20:43,850 --> 00:20:50,409
There are very strict criteria which
clearly have to be present
274
00:20:50,410 --> 00:20:55,390
to distinguish the case from a
psychiatric or a medical disorder.
275
00:20:56,110 --> 00:21:02,829
You have to see something that is
inexplicable in terms of purely
276
00:21:02,830 --> 00:21:03,880
science.
277
00:21:04,140 --> 00:21:11,139
Things that could not possibly manifest
in somebody who doesn't have a diabolic
278
00:21:11,140 --> 00:21:12,190
attack.
279
00:21:12,900 --> 00:21:19,799
The first case sent to me was a woman
who claimed that she would be lying in
280
00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:24,760
bed and she would be pummeled by
invisible forces.
281
00:21:27,300 --> 00:21:29,380
She and her husband were convinced.
282
00:21:30,270 --> 00:21:33,710
that she was attacked by demons.
283
00:21:35,450 --> 00:21:40,309
So we did a number of medical tests on
her because she had bruises all over her
284
00:21:40,310 --> 00:21:41,360
body.
285
00:21:41,470 --> 00:21:47,030
And at the end of my evaluation, since
she was a very sane, lovely woman,
286
00:21:47,210 --> 00:21:53,929
I said to the priest, look, this doesn't
seem like a medical or psychiatric
287
00:21:53,930 --> 00:21:55,790
case. It doesn't seem possible.
288
00:21:56,850 --> 00:21:58,170
Mysterious bruises.
289
00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,120
inflicted by invisible forces.
290
00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:06,519
While that may sound like something out
of a Hollywood horror movie, the truth
291
00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:10,980
is that the counts of possession have
been recorded for thousands of years.
292
00:22:13,380 --> 00:22:17,299
Any scholar can tell you cases of
demonic possession go all the way back
293
00:22:17,300 --> 00:22:24,099
Bible, when Jesus had to cast the demon
out of a man into a herd of swine, who
294
00:22:24,100 --> 00:22:27,650
then ran off of a cliff and into the
water. Very famous story in the Bible.
295
00:22:28,090 --> 00:22:31,880
And stories of demonic possession,
they're not confined to Christianity.
296
00:22:33,490 --> 00:22:37,969
The idea of possession is inherently
tied to the idea of Satan and demons,
297
00:22:37,970 --> 00:22:41,769
it's an attempt by Satan to take over
your personality, to ultimately control
298
00:22:41,770 --> 00:22:42,820
you.
299
00:22:43,210 --> 00:22:46,929
Satan's end game, according to the
Bible, is to draw as many people away
300
00:22:46,930 --> 00:22:52,589
Christ as possible. So his end game is
to get as many people to move from God
301
00:22:52,590 --> 00:22:54,910
him. So his ultimate role is as a
tempter.
302
00:22:57,930 --> 00:23:02,289
The film The Exorcist is believed to
have really brought attention to the
303
00:23:02,290 --> 00:23:06,349
of possession, but it's not that those
ideas started with The Exorcist. Those
304
00:23:06,350 --> 00:23:08,770
ideas spread with The Exorcist.
305
00:23:09,990 --> 00:23:13,050
The Exorcist was actually based on a
real case.
306
00:23:13,950 --> 00:23:17,290
It was a 12 -year -old boy who was
possessed, not a girl.
307
00:23:18,550 --> 00:23:19,830
How did he get possessed?
308
00:23:20,410 --> 00:23:22,270
Using a Ouija board for months.
309
00:23:22,950 --> 00:23:27,150
Start doing something occult. That
creates an inner vulnerability to evil.
310
00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,680
You're using magic that does not come
from the Lord. You might not know this,
311
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:37,830
but you're actually invoking the powers
of Satan, whether you believe it or not.
312
00:23:38,740 --> 00:23:44,779
Most people who are possessed, in a
sense, they've invited it in, wittingly
313
00:23:44,780 --> 00:23:45,830
unwittingly.
314
00:23:46,220 --> 00:23:53,060
Possession is the most dramatic attack
of a demon upon a human being.
315
00:23:53,180 --> 00:23:58,900
And in a way, spiritual warfare should
be a concern of everybody.
316
00:24:00,070 --> 00:24:06,470
that we're all sort of in a battle in
our own souls between goodness and evil.
317
00:24:11,450 --> 00:24:18,090
It's frightening to think that a person
can be controlled by an evil entity.
318
00:24:18,390 --> 00:24:23,009
And while it's difficult to determine if
possession is a spiritual or a
319
00:24:23,010 --> 00:24:26,260
psychological phenomenon, and perhaps
even more terrifying,
320
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:33,700
It's the biological aberration that can
turn the deceased into the walking dead.
321
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:38,920
Lestera, Haiti, 1980.
322
00:24:39,580 --> 00:24:44,939
In this small village, Angelina Narcisse
was going about her day when she was
323
00:24:44,940 --> 00:24:47,350
approached by a man claiming to be her
brother,
324
00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:52,059
Clairvius. It may sound like a
heartwarming tale of reunion, but there
325
00:24:52,060 --> 00:24:53,220
one problem.
326
00:24:54,300 --> 00:24:58,600
Clairvius Narcisse had been dead and
buried for nearly 20 years.
327
00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:03,080
Clairvius was a Haitian man born in
1922.
328
00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:09,000
In the year 1962, he went to a hospital.
329
00:25:09,380 --> 00:25:14,940
His symptoms had been a severe fever,
fatigue, and he'd been coughing up
330
00:25:15,140 --> 00:25:20,940
His heart stopped, and he stopped
breathing, and was declared dead and
331
00:25:22,540 --> 00:25:28,419
Twenty years later, a man claiming to be
Clairvius showed up at his village and
332
00:25:28,420 --> 00:25:29,840
approached his family.
333
00:25:30,220 --> 00:25:36,559
In many respects, his story did check
out. He bared a physical
334
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:42,199
resemblance to the deceased. He went by
a nickname that was only known to him
335
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,550
and his sister when they were very
little kids.
336
00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:49,120
And so he was able to relate certain
details of...
337
00:25:49,340 --> 00:25:52,020
his former life that seemed to add up.
338
00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:58,679
But if Clairvius Narcisse died and was
buried, then how on earth was he alive
339
00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,560
and able to track down his sister almost
20 years later?
340
00:26:02,340 --> 00:26:09,159
Well, according to Clairvius, the reason
he was not lying dead in his grave was
341
00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:14,400
that a voodoo priest had transformed him
into a zombie.
342
00:26:15,180 --> 00:26:20,400
In Haiti, a zombie is an individual
who's had their soul stolen by sorcery,
343
00:26:20,420 --> 00:26:26,479
causing them to be sort of flung into a
perpetual place of purgatory through
344
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:32,000
this incredible transition of death,
rebirth, and return to the living,
345
00:26:32,140 --> 00:26:36,360
induced by the folk poison known as a
poud zombie.
346
00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:43,679
It was a plethora of ingredients,
including various plants and the toxin
347
00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:49,059
fish. It selectively blocks sodium
channels and nerves, bringing on
348
00:26:49,060 --> 00:26:50,980
until the moment of death.
349
00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:57,560
And yet critically, if you get through
that, you have nothing to worry about.
350
00:26:58,220 --> 00:27:04,240
This fascinating poison had made people
appear to be dead.
351
00:27:05,700 --> 00:27:11,140
In Haitian folklore specifically, the
zombie is not a villain but a victim.
352
00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:13,500
In these cases...
353
00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:18,599
people are turned into zombies and
forced to work on sugar cane plantations
354
00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,370
Haiti, and also in the Caribbean, but
primarily Haiti.
355
00:27:21,700 --> 00:27:27,159
And this has been a legend going back
many, many years, centuries, in some
356
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:29,140
cases, certainly since the slave trade.
357
00:27:29,260 --> 00:27:34,079
And it was all considered to be just
sort of a legend until 1980, when
358
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:35,130
Narcisse emerged.
359
00:27:36,420 --> 00:27:40,179
He told the story, it made huge news, as
you can imagine, because this was a
360
00:27:40,180 --> 00:27:44,029
first. personal account of somebody who
was a former zombie, right? So this is
361
00:27:44,030 --> 00:27:45,080
wild. This is crazy.
362
00:27:46,870 --> 00:27:51,890
According to Clairvius, he had been
paralyzed by a voodoo priest.
363
00:27:52,110 --> 00:27:58,989
This was a result of being drugged, and
this paste mixture that he
364
00:27:58,990 --> 00:28:03,430
was forced to consume kept him in this
death -like toper.
365
00:28:04,750 --> 00:28:07,870
Narcisse is buried, and...
366
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:14,019
The priest then dug him up from his
grave and enslaved him on a sugar cane
367
00:28:14,020 --> 00:28:15,900
plantation for 20 years.
368
00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:22,519
From the Haitian point of view, the fate
of a zombie is said to become an
369
00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:23,570
indentured servant.
370
00:28:24,300 --> 00:28:29,759
And losing your soul, losing your
identity, your personal autonomy,
371
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,680
make this a fate worse than death.
372
00:28:33,580 --> 00:28:38,019
The story of Clairvius Narcissus being
buried and then revived as an undead
373
00:28:38,020 --> 00:28:40,820
zombie made headlines around the world.
374
00:28:41,660 --> 00:28:47,199
Numerous experts investigated the case
in hopes of shedding light on what
375
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:48,380
exactly took place.
376
00:28:48,900 --> 00:28:54,819
The first question on everyone's mind
was whether Clairvius had only appeared
377
00:28:54,820 --> 00:29:01,319
be dead because he was drugged, or if
there was some truth to the idea that he
378
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:02,420
actually died.
379
00:29:03,210 --> 00:29:06,770
and then was revived by the power of
voodoo.
380
00:29:07,330 --> 00:29:13,069
What made the case of Narcisse unique
was one single thing. He had been
381
00:29:13,070 --> 00:29:19,049
pronounced dead in an American -directed
philanthropic institution, the
382
00:29:19,050 --> 00:29:20,130
Schweitzer Hospital.
383
00:29:20,870 --> 00:29:27,210
And his family members had witnessed the
death and authenticated it at the time.
384
00:29:28,780 --> 00:29:34,879
So all these lines of evidence led
scientists to go public in the 1980s,
385
00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:39,939
saying they felt they had found the
first medically verifiable instance of
386
00:29:39,940 --> 00:29:40,990
zombification.
387
00:29:42,260 --> 00:29:48,259
The doctors who had initially declared
Narcisse dead were no longer at the
388
00:29:48,260 --> 00:29:50,620
hospital 20 years later when he
returned.
389
00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:56,779
However, many doctors looked into his
case and did tests and proved that it
390
00:29:56,780 --> 00:29:57,830
in fact him.
391
00:29:58,410 --> 00:30:03,510
why the premature diagnosis and why he
was buried prematurely is unknown.
392
00:30:04,450 --> 00:30:07,930
And where he was for 20 years is
unknown.
393
00:30:08,130 --> 00:30:11,020
But there are photos of him sitting on
his own gravestone.
394
00:30:13,730 --> 00:30:18,869
There are many theories as to what
caused Clairvius Narcisse to be declared
395
00:30:18,870 --> 00:30:20,950
and then seemingly brought back to life.
396
00:30:21,950 --> 00:30:24,600
Ultimately, what happened to him remains
a mystery.
397
00:30:25,150 --> 00:30:27,330
But many Haitians are convinced.
398
00:30:28,190 --> 00:30:31,810
the Clavius did, in fact, rise from the
grave.
399
00:30:33,950 --> 00:30:39,469
And for some, his story is a reminder
that the distinction between the living
400
00:30:39,470 --> 00:30:43,810
and the dead may not be as clear -cut as
we commonly think.
401
00:30:44,890 --> 00:30:50,249
When we imagine zombies in the 21st
century, we tend to imagine the dead
402
00:30:50,250 --> 00:30:55,809
from the grave to prey upon the living.
That is not the case in Haitian voodoo
403
00:30:55,810 --> 00:30:56,860
practices.
404
00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:01,699
Zombification in voodoo was not
something that was done to the dead. It
405
00:31:01,700 --> 00:31:03,359
something that was done to the living.
406
00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:09,420
It was turning the living into a fugue
-like state, a death -like state.
407
00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:12,320
But they were not reanimated corpses.
408
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,300
Narcisse never doubted that he'd become
a zombie.
409
00:31:16,780 --> 00:31:21,979
In Haiti, a zombie is a complete pariah
who walks the edge between life and
410
00:31:21,980 --> 00:31:24,840
death and will do so for the rest of
their existence.
411
00:31:25,610 --> 00:31:32,109
And so this idea that a person could be
brought back to life
412
00:31:32,110 --> 00:31:36,650
fills all of us with mystery and
trepidation and dread.
413
00:31:37,950 --> 00:31:42,469
The prospect that any of us could become
a reanimated husk of our former selves
414
00:31:42,470 --> 00:31:43,970
is a haunting image.
415
00:31:45,930 --> 00:31:49,950
But just how one joins the ranks of the
walking dead is debatable.
416
00:31:50,810 --> 00:31:53,230
Is it a biological response?
417
00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:55,780
A psychological phenomenon?
418
00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:01,700
Or could there really be something to
the power of a deadly curse?
419
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:08,050
Cincinnati, Ohio.
420
00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:14,400
Just outside the city, on a normal
suburban street, in an ordinary
421
00:32:14,780 --> 00:32:18,500
is the home of Greg and Dana Newkirk.
422
00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:23,179
From the outside, their home is not much
different from any other house on the
423
00:32:23,180 --> 00:32:29,729
block. Get some fork action going on.
But inside, it contains something
424
00:32:29,730 --> 00:32:31,510
quite extraordinary.
425
00:32:32,290 --> 00:32:37,049
Because there is a room in the basement
that is filled with a collection of
426
00:32:37,050 --> 00:32:43,069
strange objects sent by people from all
over the world that are believed to be
427
00:32:43,070 --> 00:32:44,490
cursed.
428
00:32:45,950 --> 00:32:51,529
Greg and I lead normal lives, and we go
about our life the same way that
429
00:32:51,530 --> 00:32:52,580
everyone else does.
430
00:32:52,890 --> 00:32:56,510
We just happened to be caretakers for
very strange objects.
431
00:32:57,330 --> 00:33:01,250
The way that we got started collecting
cursed objects was complete accident.
432
00:33:01,970 --> 00:33:04,650
It wasn't something that we had set out
to do.
433
00:33:05,250 --> 00:33:07,790
Never would have imagined myself doing
this.
434
00:33:08,330 --> 00:33:10,930
We were just interested in general
weirdness.
435
00:33:13,130 --> 00:33:19,509
My wife and I investigate all manner of
high strangeness, and we were both very
436
00:33:19,510 --> 00:33:21,910
interested in the idea of cursed
objects.
437
00:33:22,770 --> 00:33:26,950
We slowly gained a reputation as being
particularly good people for this.
438
00:33:27,530 --> 00:33:32,249
And so anytime anyone had a problem with
an artifact, they would come to us and
439
00:33:32,250 --> 00:33:35,890
say, I don't know what to do with this.
This thing is affecting my life.
440
00:33:35,891 --> 00:33:39,389
Will you just take it off my hands? It'd
be easier to just give it to you and
441
00:33:39,390 --> 00:33:40,309
let you deal with it.
442
00:33:40,310 --> 00:33:43,290
So we built up this collection of very
bizarre things.
443
00:33:45,690 --> 00:33:48,520
Visitors to the Newkirk's home are given
ample warning.
444
00:33:49,020 --> 00:33:52,420
that the basement is filled with objects
that are cursed.
445
00:33:53,420 --> 00:33:59,959
We have a lot of haunted robes. But
curiously, every day, the new curts
446
00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:04,460
requests from people who are eager to
view their cursed collection.
447
00:34:05,220 --> 00:34:09,638
You'd think with cursed objects you'd
want to avoid them, but there is a draw
448
00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:10,689
them.
449
00:34:10,690 --> 00:34:14,349
When an object is said to be cursed,
another word you could use is special.
450
00:34:14,350 --> 00:34:18,349
It's special. If this chair is cursed,
it's different from every other chair in
451
00:34:18,350 --> 00:34:19,149
the world.
452
00:34:19,150 --> 00:34:22,509
And that makes it unique, that makes it
interesting, and that draws our
453
00:34:22,510 --> 00:34:26,269
attention every single time. And the
fact that that specialness is that it
454
00:34:26,270 --> 00:34:30,209
people, that appeals to a certain
macabre streak that we all have as human
455
00:34:30,210 --> 00:34:31,260
beings.
456
00:34:32,870 --> 00:34:36,630
People think of cursed objects as being
kind of fun and spooky.
457
00:34:37,610 --> 00:34:42,529
But working with them, it feels a lot
less about that and a lot more about
458
00:34:42,530 --> 00:34:47,029
kind of heavy responsibility to keep
some of these objects with us under lock
459
00:34:47,030 --> 00:34:52,129
and key and maybe out of the wrong hand
and maybe in a place that's safer not
460
00:34:52,130 --> 00:34:54,030
only for everyone else but for them.
461
00:34:54,031 --> 00:34:59,429
The Newkirk's collection includes
several objects that are considered to
462
00:34:59,430 --> 00:35:03,590
the power to inflict harm on anyone who
comes near them.
463
00:35:05,420 --> 00:35:07,800
This is the cursed deer skull.
464
00:35:08,100 --> 00:35:12,819
We drove down to Nashville to pick up
from a woman who saw this in an antique
465
00:35:12,820 --> 00:35:18,699
store and took it back to her office,
and almost immediately her employees
466
00:35:18,700 --> 00:35:24,139
started getting sick. One of her
employees was hit by a car, and then the
467
00:35:24,140 --> 00:35:28,099
that this was hanging on actually fell
down and took half of the building with
468
00:35:28,100 --> 00:35:29,150
it.
469
00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:34,229
There are certain objects specifically
in our museum that... Without people
470
00:35:34,230 --> 00:35:39,449
knowing why they feel the way that they
feel, they will definitely have heart
471
00:35:39,450 --> 00:35:40,650
palpitations, anxiety.
472
00:35:41,490 --> 00:35:46,409
We've had people almost faint. We've had
people throw up. We've had people dry
473
00:35:46,410 --> 00:35:47,460
heave.
474
00:35:47,510 --> 00:35:51,309
People have very visceral physical
reactions to being around some of the
475
00:35:51,310 --> 00:35:52,360
objects.
476
00:35:55,170 --> 00:36:00,769
Among the accursed objects in the new
Kirk's collection is a deadly ring that
477
00:36:00,770 --> 00:36:02,510
claimed to kill anyone who wears it.
478
00:36:03,660 --> 00:36:07,200
A Bible used during a failed exorcism.
479
00:36:07,460 --> 00:36:12,240
And a doll that is believed to spread
illness wherever it goes.
480
00:36:13,460 --> 00:36:18,339
But of all the cursed objects the
Newkirks have come across, there is one
481
00:36:18,340 --> 00:36:22,060
is so harrowing, they refuse to keep it
in their collection.
482
00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:27,260
It is an unsettling wooden effigy known
as the Chrome.
483
00:36:28,140 --> 00:36:32,260
The Chrome really is the definition of
kind of a cursed object.
484
00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:35,460
It is a carved statue of a woman.
485
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:41,499
Someone at some point in time took this
object and attached the noose and the
486
00:36:41,500 --> 00:36:42,550
nails.
487
00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:48,219
It was given to us by some hikers who
found it in the Catskills off the beaten
488
00:36:48,220 --> 00:36:49,460
path in a cave.
489
00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:55,760
They took it home and initially started
to experience really frightening things.
490
00:36:56,160 --> 00:37:00,219
Their animals were behaving strangely.
They were finding wet footprints on the
491
00:37:00,220 --> 00:37:02,440
ground, and they didn't know what to do.
492
00:37:03,710 --> 00:37:08,389
Someone who we had worked with
previously put them in contact with us,
493
00:37:08,390 --> 00:37:12,490
having some communication with them,
they sent the crone to us.
494
00:37:13,370 --> 00:37:18,549
People who would get near the crone,
they would be just overwhelmed with
495
00:37:18,550 --> 00:37:19,600
anxiety.
496
00:37:20,730 --> 00:37:24,910
This guy came all the way from Canada to
come and see the crone.
497
00:37:25,670 --> 00:37:30,630
He begged us to take it out of the box,
almost immediately.
498
00:37:32,049 --> 00:37:35,610
His eyes roll up in the back of his
head, and he starts to bleed from his
499
00:37:36,650 --> 00:37:41,130
And he has a violent seizure, and he has
to be taken out by the paramedics.
500
00:37:41,131 --> 00:37:44,189
And that's when Dana and I looked at
each other, and we said, we have to do
501
00:37:44,190 --> 00:37:45,270
something about this.
502
00:37:48,630 --> 00:37:52,250
The Catskill Mountains, October 2018.
503
00:37:54,110 --> 00:37:58,969
After a string of frightening incidents,
Greg and Dana Newkirk are convinced
504
00:37:58,970 --> 00:38:05,050
that a strange object in their
possession known as the crone is cursed.
505
00:38:06,890 --> 00:38:11,929
So they've traveled to this remote
region of upstate New York to free
506
00:38:11,930 --> 00:38:13,990
of the evil object.
507
00:38:15,850 --> 00:38:20,509
The crone is one of the objects that
does fall into that very small category
508
00:38:20,510 --> 00:38:22,990
objects that we didn't feel like we
could handle.
509
00:38:24,270 --> 00:38:28,669
It got to a point where the crone was
just too dangerous for even us to take
510
00:38:28,670 --> 00:38:29,589
care of.
511
00:38:29,590 --> 00:38:34,889
And what we wanted to do was bring her
back to the Catskills, which is where
512
00:38:34,890 --> 00:38:36,130
she's from.
513
00:38:39,230 --> 00:38:44,309
To remove the crone's curse, the
Newkirch plan was to return to the area
514
00:38:44,310 --> 00:38:50,029
it was originally found by two hikers
many years before, at which point they
515
00:38:50,030 --> 00:38:53,090
would remove the nails embedded in the
crone.
516
00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:54,860
in a cleansing ritual.
517
00:38:55,960 --> 00:39:01,599
We wanted to bring her back, and every
time a nail was pulled out, the
518
00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:04,880
was that we were pulling that curse out
of the object.
519
00:39:06,500 --> 00:39:13,440
We hiked into the woods for miles, and I
set up a circle.
520
00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:18,799
The idea of setting up a circle was
basically just to create an energetic
521
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:20,220
for containing this ritual.
522
00:39:21,670 --> 00:39:28,529
The whole time we were doing this, we
were hearing footsteps and strange
523
00:39:28,530 --> 00:39:30,510
that weren't animals around our circle.
524
00:39:32,030 --> 00:39:34,470
But we couldn't see anything.
525
00:39:36,430 --> 00:39:41,709
We were absolutely terrified. But we
start performing the ritual. I pull the
526
00:39:41,710 --> 00:39:42,649
nails out.
527
00:39:42,650 --> 00:39:49,070
Soon as that happens, we feel this
almost electric pop in the air.
528
00:39:50,890 --> 00:39:54,930
When we were done, every coyote on the
mountain just started howling.
529
00:39:55,870 --> 00:40:00,729
And the ritual was finished, and what we
were looking at was just a block of
530
00:40:00,730 --> 00:40:05,210
wood. And we just kind of knew that we
had done what we went there to do.
531
00:40:07,630 --> 00:40:11,749
Scholars of religion have long known the
power of ritual, that when a group of
532
00:40:11,750 --> 00:40:15,549
people get together and engage in the
same set of actions, believing that
533
00:40:15,550 --> 00:40:19,470
there's a supernatural origin behind
them, that brings people together.
534
00:40:20,300 --> 00:40:25,839
And so special movements that you need
to go through, special sayings or songs
535
00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:26,890
that you need to do.
536
00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:34,319
It's incredibly powerful phenomena that
can help rid of the devil or whatever
537
00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:36,140
other force has cursed us.
538
00:40:37,420 --> 00:40:42,980
Is it possible that ritually cleansing
the crown removed its curse?
539
00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:45,130
Perhaps.
540
00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:47,720
But of course, it all depends on.
541
00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:51,800
Whether you believe curses are real in
the first place.
542
00:40:51,801 --> 00:40:56,559
Whether you believe in cursed objects or
don't believe in cursed objects, they
543
00:40:56,560 --> 00:40:58,440
can still have a power over you.
544
00:40:59,700 --> 00:41:04,900
What that power is, to what extent that
is, how it kind of comes out,
545
00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,100
who knows?
546
00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:11,250
But they're still powerful objects, no
matter how you look at it.
547
00:41:12,240 --> 00:41:17,389
For people who don't believe in curses,
what I would say is, Keep believing
548
00:41:17,390 --> 00:41:18,440
they're not real.
549
00:41:18,610 --> 00:41:21,090
That's the best defense you have against
a curse.
550
00:41:21,950 --> 00:41:23,330
To not feed it.
551
00:41:25,290 --> 00:41:27,470
So, what do you think?
552
00:41:28,110 --> 00:41:31,230
Is there good reason we should take heed
of our primal fears?
553
00:41:32,050 --> 00:41:37,849
And follow intuition when our heart
starts to race and we tremble and
554
00:41:37,850 --> 00:41:40,570
turn to dread and impending danger?
555
00:41:40,990 --> 00:41:45,590
There are good reasons for our body and
mind to protect us from obvious risks.
556
00:41:46,640 --> 00:41:52,919
But exactly why we've become frightened
of dark entities, unseen evil and unholy
557
00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:59,160
objects, may be better left unexplained.
558
00:41:59,210 --> 00:42:03,760
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