This is a somewhat
peculiar documentary about a werewolf-like creature said to stalk eastern Kentucky.
It´s popularly known as Bearilla (think bear and gorilla…or is it Godzilla?)
and seems to have appeared in the Appalachians out of the blue during the 1970´s.
Some locals claim to have seen it up front, and the local cryptozoologist Ron
Coffey is a true believer in its existence, even organizing a little expedition
for the benefit of an eye-witness (and the TV crew).
The
creature is described as large, either black or silvery, walking on its hind
legs, having a dog-like snout and pointed ears. It´s supposedly behind cattle
killings and have even attacked and killed humans (although this is
unconfirmed). Obviously, no “real” creature looks like this, although Coffey
likes to think that it could be a bear-dog or amphicyonid, a carnivoran that
went extinct 5 million years ago according to modern science. Werewolf folklore
is a more likely explanation, but a local zoologist believes that people are
simply misidentifying black bears. The reason? The black bear, long extinct in
Kentucky, started to return during the 1970´s, exactly when people started to report
Bearillas in the woods…
Bears can stand
or walk on their hind legs, and their front legs then look like long “arms”. They
also have snouts and (in this case) black fur. Young bears in particular look strangely
“humanoid”. Of course, this explanation tacitly assumes that many of the
reports are exaggerated or even hoaxes, since Bearilla can apparently run
across highways on its hind legs, is sometimes seen in broad daylight and (as
already mentioned) often has a silvery coat. DNA tests of cows supposedly
killed by Bearilla shows canine DNA, consistent with feral dogs.
The
documentary features non-token skeptics, which is unusual for a
paranormal-themed production, and it´s obvious that many locals in the area don´t
really believe in the creature. I also veer towards the misidentified bear
explanation, perhaps in conjunction with huge quantities of Appalachian
moonshine, but sure, you never really know what may lurk out there…
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