Original subtitles

I'm Professor Grace O'Leary, biology professor at Lazarus University.

Today's class will be a continuation of the discussion Professor Peters began yesterday regarding

"pseudo-science" ”, or, to put it in terms that relate directly to this class, cryptozoology.

I'll be joined today by my colleagues Professor Belinda Southworth and Professor Magda

Jenkins, both heading up research into "fortean phenomenon" ”. Specifically, we'll be

concentrating on the local legend of the "Reed's Cove Swamp Freak"”. I advise that you all take notes or record

this lecture for later study. This is all going to be on the mid-terms.

Like most subjects of cryptozoology, the Reed's Cove Swamp Freak can trace its origins

back to either actual facts or a fictional word-of-mouth story that later became accepted as fact. For example,

the well-known "Jersey Devil" ” myth actually began as a story spread by none other than Ben Franklin, as a satirical jab

at a political rival.

As with most myths, it soon took on a life of its own.

Such is the case with the Reed's Cove Swamp Freak.

The myth's origins can be traced back to Nineteen Sixty-Seven, when the Cully family settled in the Reed's

Cove area. At the time, the land was considered worthless, and

the area was completely uninhabited.

The matriarch of the Cully clan, Lila, allegedly gave birth to her first child, whom they called "Moss" ”. Moss was

supposedly homebirthed in the Cullys' house in Reed's Cove. The few locals who were present during this birth

claimed that the child was horribly deformed, and didn't live long after he was born. These deformities are most

likely where

the myth got started. There are conflicting stories here, but many of them suggest that the Cully family buried Moss's

body in the swamp.

There's no records of the family ever having other children, but a few locals claimed they had at least one

other child around Nineteen Ninety-Two. "Isaac" ”. That would have been right around the time the entire Cully

family mysteriously vanished.

It's time, brother...

Hey Morton, it's Charles.

Where the hell are you, man?

We were supposed to meet here at the same time.

Yeah, I'm at Reed's cove.

The swamp.

Yeah, that swamp.

Listen man, I don't care how much you overslept this morning, I'm not combing the swamp by myself.

Yeah.

The others will be here, too.

But I'm still in this area by myself until you get here. Understand?

Well, how hard can it be?

He's some old guy camping out in the woods.

So listen, I'm going to be waiting here on the road until you get here.

About... 6 miles in. Okay?

Real funny, Moron. I mean, “Morton“.

Anyway, if you don't show up here in the next hour, I'm heading back to town.

I don't care if they ever find the professor again.

Hello?

Hey, Morton. You in Reed's Cove yet?

Great, I just got to the old Cully place now.

Yeah, it's probably a long shot, but it'll make a decent campsite if nothing else.

It's the only place around for miles.

Right, so it's you, me, Charles, Wallace, Harry and Foster.

That's all I could get on short notice!

Listen, if you or Charles or anybody sees anything, I mean, an old campfire, fresh footprints,

anything... call me...

Professor Peters!

Worth a shot.

Hello?

Yes, this is Leila Stewart. Right, I'm the one who called about filing a missing person's report.

No, I know it hasn't been seventy-two hours yet, but...

No, I'm a student of his at the college.

I don't even know if he has any close relatives.

Well, me and a bunch of other students are out here in Reed's Cove...

...yes, that Reed's Cove.

We're covering the are by ourselves.

Why?

Because you're not doing anything!

He could be hurt, he could be dead!

Well, if we need your help I guess we're up the creek without a paddle, aren't we?

Thanks for nothing.

You couldn't have gotten lost in downtown Las Vegas or something?

Yeah, Leila's already waiting for us at the old Cully place.

I'm supposed to be meeting Charles and we're gonna sweep the northern

end of the swamp.

Look, Foster, give me a break!

This is my first search party, okay?

Well I like Peter's class and everything, but there ain't no amount of passing grades that's gonna make me want to

find him face-down in the mud somewhere.

I don't know.

That's just it, nobody knows.

You want to complain to somebody, complain to Leila. This was her idea...

Hi everybody, I'm Belinda Southworth,

professor of forensic biology at Chambers University.

Professor O'Leary asked me here today to share my expertise on cryptozoology,

and, to be more specific, my knowledge of what the locals around here refer to as the

"Reed's Cove Swamp Freak" ”.

She's already filled you in on the basic back-story, for those of you who weren't aware of it.

So I'll skip ahead to present day, or at least five years ago, when the disappearances started.

Good question! And it proves that you're already smarter than ninety-eight

percent of the people who go, and have gone,

looking for the Swamp Freak, or Bigfoot, or any other mythical creature you can rattle off the top of your

head.

But, in all seriousness, as Professor O'Leary stated in her part of the lecture, most of these myths has become some

basis in fact.

Before I became a teaching professor at Chambers, I was actually a consultant for the state police department's

C.S.I. division,

and was called in on several cases that the witnesses and victims believed were the work of this so-called "Reed's Cove

Swamp Freak"”.

And let me tell you, they were some interesting characters, to say the least.

With that in mind, these people shared some very interesting details.

Many of the victims claimed to be attacked in broad daylight.

They all claimed that their attacker was definitely neither human nor animal.

And they all had defensive wounds that we decided were either some sort of a knife, or the claws of a large

predatory animal.

All of them were hysterical. And in shock.

We're not talking about the sort of shock that accompanies the survival of a near-death experience.

This was something else.

What the hell, dude?

Don't even tell me it's been an hour yet.

Don't tell me I came all the way out to this muddy hell hole for you to play some stupid game with me.

Come on, you stupid jag-off, where are you?

Charles!

Charles!?

Anyone bother showing up yet?!

The number you have reached is not in service.

Charles?!

I guess this makes me the third guest speaker today.

I'm Magda Jenkins, professor of Humanities at Klepper College.

I've been studying the phenomenon of folklore as explanation for

crimes and disappearances for a while now, like my colleagues.

I've chosen to focus on the regional impact of the "Reed's Cove Swamp Freak" ” on its neighbors.

While the area is currently slated for re-development as both residential and commercial properties,

it's been left virtually untouched for decades until this point,

despite its potential value.

Why?

Families and businesses have been patently terrified of this region since the legend of the "Swamp Freak" ” began.

Despite reasonable thinking that says "common sense" ” should be the rule of thumb here,

the locals still believe that there is some kind of "swamp monster" ” roaming the

Reed's Cove area.

This has been bolstered by numerous unexplained deaths and disappearances in the region over the years,

which, in reality, can be attributed to something as simple as getting lost in the wilderness,

wild animal attacks, or circumstances that have absolutely nothing to do with the swamp.

It's time to eat, brother.

Foster, where the hell are you?

Relax, huh? I just got here. I took the ferry over.

Is anybody else with you?

I thought they were with you.

Well so far I've talked to Charles and Morton but they're nowhere to be seen,

so that leaves you, me, Harry and Wallace.

Well where are you?

At the old Cully place.

You think Professor Peters actually went there?

I don't know what to think.

Also I just talked to the police.

Did you tell them we're basically doing their job?

I mean what are we waiting for, his body to turn up in the middle of the bay or something?

That's not funny!

I'm serious.

They said they weren't going to do anything until he's officially missing for seventy-two hours.

For all we know he's home by now.

I left a bunch of messages on his phone, he knows we're out here. He would have at least called.

I don't think it's a good idea for us to stay overnight, Leila. I say we just search the swamp a bit and try to

take the last ferry out of Reed's Cove before dark.

I know he's your favorite teacher, he's mine too, but-

I tried to talk him out of this trip!

You know, people get lost out here in the swamp all the time.

It's not your fault.

I just want to find him.

Me too.

We'll look for him until sundown, meet back here at the house and stay the night.

And then?

Just try to find him before sundown.

I'll try my best.

I'll keep trying to contact the others, and if you find them before I do, just let them know what's going on.

Will do.

We're not going to find him.

Another one?

Hello!?

Charles!?

Morton?

Foster?

Guys this isn't the time or place for this crap.

Okay, you know what? Funny.

The footprints? Funny.

But you had your little laugh.

Professor Peters is still out there somewhere and he could be in serious trouble!

Please tell me somebody else bothered showing up!

Anyone!?

We're running out of time!

Hello?

It's Happy-Time Harry here to brighten your day!

We're knee-deep in swamp right now.

How's it going on your end?

Not so good.

After this we're going to have to set up a search party just to find Charles, Morton and Foster.

Where's Wallace?

He's with me.

I'm using a stick to find dead bodies!

What did he say?

He's uh... fishing.

Anyways, what's up with the other guys?

Totally MIA. I can't seem to reach them on my cell phone.

Want me to try calling them?

Let me repeat: I can't reach them on my cell phone.

How are you going to reach them?

Right.

Uh, I hate to be a buzz-kill but I think this is a complete waste of time.

We're not even finding old beer cans out here. I don't think Professor Peters is going to turn up.

We need one of those dogs that can sniff out old corpses.

Hold on. Shut up, Wallace!

Sorry.

Anyway, you were saying?

You were saying.

You guys have barely even covered the swamp, how do you know he's not here?

Why aren't you out looking for him?

I'm at the old Cully place, waiting for you.

So the one place you know he isn't.

I thought we were all going to meet up here and then split up the map.

Apparently you don't know how Charles, Morton or Foster think.

Oh, I know. They pranked me a little while ago.

They left some weird footprints in the house.

Footprints?

Yeah, you know. Like it's supposed to be the Reed's Cove Swamp Freak.

There were some weird noises in the woods, and some footprints around...

Right. So they're probably not answering their phones on purpose. Great.

My guess is they're probably out getting blitzed somewhere.

Short attention spans. I blame television.

Let's get serious, okay?

Okay. Right. You're the boss.

What do we do now?

Find Professor Peters.

I'll give these jerks a little while longer, then I'll join you.

He's not out here, Leila. We've been looking for three hours.

No sign of a campsite, no fresh footprints.

No burial sites.

We're not the police. We're not an organized search party.

We're a bunch of college students.

Half of us are probably dancing around a bonfire right now drinking moonshine.

He's alive, okay!

You know, he was my favorite teacher, too, but-

He could be hurt. He could be dehydrated!

Well just wait one more day and then let the cops look for him.

Harry...

Why don't Wallace and I come to the old Cully house, grab you, and we'll all leave together.

What about the others?

They'll figure it out.

Look, you guys can leave if you want. Sorry I got you into this.

We're coming by the house. You're not staying there by yourself. End of discussion.

We're going to the Cully place. Drop the stick!

I can't bring it with me?

I'm keeping the stick.

Why are you even running!?

That's my knee!

Harry!

Harry! Harry!

The swamp freak is real!

Harry!

It's going to get me!

It's going to get me!

Locking the doors won't keep us out.

Who are you?

I'm Isaac Cully. I was born in this house.

You're trespassing on our property.

Our property?

You've already met my brother, Moss.

We both live here.

The legends...

...the swamp freak...

All true. We've been guarding this place for years.

We've lived in peace.

Then the developers came.

They wanted to turn the swamps into houses, stores and restaurants.

They wanted to murder it, like they murder everything.

So we murdered them.

That thing out there killed my teacher!

My friends!

No one had to come here. No one had to die.

You came here.

You trespassed on our lands.

Don't come any closer!

You don't get it.

I came from the swamp.

No.

Moss came from me.

I'm the swamp freak.

This can't be happening!