Terrified residents in a town in Brazil are on lockdown after a spate of werewolf sightings saw a night-time curfew imposed.
The claims are backed up by hair-raising footage of what is purported to be the beast creeping through a backyard in Brazil’s São Gonçalo de Campos.
What’s more, one unlucky man found his way into the path of the lycanthrope and only just managed to escape with his life.
This is the beast which was caught on typically grainy CCTV
It would be a smashing tale if any of it were true.
Grainy footage of something (chimpanzee? man in a bear suit?) loping past a security camera is currently doing the online rounds, along with a witness account from the dubiously-named ‘Pingo’.
According to Pingo’s description, the being was “A black monster, appearing to have more than 1.5 meters of height, hairy. In the occasion, the creature was writhing – as the legends tell – maybe in the process of transformation."
Brazil Weird News also cites Paulo Dias as recalling “something strange” outside his house earlier this month.
“I heard a scratching at the gate, like an animal,” he said.
Werewolves are mythological humans with the ability to shape-shift into a wolf, usually during full moon
Sadly local newspaper A Tarde seems to have pulled the plug on at least part of the story.
Though the footage was published on YouTube on 5 February, it points out a quick search finds the same clip was uploaded back in 2007.
Interestingly though, the publication and local blogs in the area suggest the rumours alone were enough for some residents (obviously not the fearless ‘Pingo’, though) to adopt a 9pm curfew for fear of stumbling upon the creature.
However, A Tarde cites city delegate Cristiane Oliveira as saying there are no official records related to the case.
Tales like this occasionally resurface online – as they did back in 2013 when an image of a hideously bloated python went viral – along with the suggestion it had swallowed a man whole.
The snake in question is quite the globetrotter however, having made varied geographic appearances in 2012 and 2012. Naughty snake.