The Flatwoods Monster, also known as the Braxton County Monster or the Phantom of Flatwoods, is an alleged unidentified extraterrestrial or cryptid reported to be sighted in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County, West Virginia, on September 12, 1952. Stories of the creature are an example of a purported close encounter of the third kind.

Appearance

There are two entities associated with the Flatwoods Monster. The first was described as being a large, pulsating, red ball of light that hovered above or rested upon the ground. Ufologists believe that it may have been a powered craft that was piloted by the second entity.

Various descriptions of the second entity exist. Most agree that it was at least 10 feet tall and that it had a red face which appeared to glow from within, and a green body. Witnesses described the creature's head as having bulging, non-human eyes and as either being shaped like a heart/an Ace of Spades, or as having a large heart/Ace of Spades shaped cowling behind it. The creature's body was described as being man-shaped and clad in a dark pleated skirt; later described as being green. Some accounts record that the creature had no visible arms, while others describe it as having short, stubby arms; ending in long, claw-like fingers, which protruded from the front of its body.

Reported in Flatwoods, Virginia, on the night of September 12, 1952, the Flatwoods Monster is said to have been an alien from another planet because the creature was first seen after an apparent UFO crash. Stories of the creature are an example of a purported close encounter of the third kind.

A simple sighting of a UFO is called a close encounter of the first kind. A close encounter of the second kind is when a UFO physically affects the environment, such as causing a cars engine to stall. However, what happens when UFOs land and aliens exit the craft? These cases are termed close encounters of the third kind. There have been literally thousands of reported UFO landings across the world. More than 2,000 of these cases involve physical trace evidence of the landing. The Flatwoods Monster case is only one example. Many other equally shocking cases exist. What makes landing cases so interesting is that they make the usual Air Force explanations of misperception or hallucination much harder to accept.

Flatwoods Monster (Phantom of Flatwoods)