Bormujos And here’s the second part of “Red-Eyed Monster Haunts Ohio Valley,” in the “Mothman Casebook.” Actually, now that I think about it, it may be a separate document, just bound after the first. At any rate, here it is. It was later used in Strange Creatures from Time and Space.
The folder labeled “Mothman Casebook” isn’t really a casebook. It contains four articles John wrote about Mothman: “Red-Eyed Monster Haunts Ohio Valley,” “Special Report: West Virginia’s Enigmatic ‘Bird’,” “UFOs and the Bridge Disaster,” and “It’s a bird… it’s a plane…No, No, it’s ‘Mothman’ (gulp).” The second appeared in somewhat different form in Flying Saucer News, and the fourth, as “Mothman Monster,” in Saga. I haven’t been able to trace the first and the third. There is, of course, repetition in these articles, and all the material was reworked for The Mothman Prophecies. But here are John’s early attempts at telling the story, as they left his typewriter, with all their corrections, deletions, and extra notes.
So, we’ll start with “Red-Eyed Monster Haunts Ohio Valley.” It’s headed “UFO #4,” but I don’t know which magazine or newsletter that means. Here’s the first part.
These last entries conclude John’s unfinished UFO dictionary. He takes us through a few definitions concerning the electromagnetic spectrum, and then ends on a rather glum note with the Protocols of Zion, a hoax that unfortunately continues to influence readers, including UFO buffs.
John left no indication of what he meant to do with this material; I assume he hoped to sell it as either a magazine feature or a book. I find it most useful for the definitions of his own terms, and for the less familiar ideas from past ufology. At any rate, here it all is, for you to consult as you like.
This next batch elucidates a few acronyms. Perhaps the least familiar term the “Varn-Lian Limit.” Robert Renaud was a contactee who claimed encounters with people from the planet Korendor; his experiences were described in John W. Dean’s book Flying Saucers Close Up.
In this next set, John explains the crucial difference between a UFO buff, a Ufologist, and a Ufo-phile. Don’t confuse them! And above all, don’t call John a UFO buff!
These next entries include a clear definition of that troublesome term “ultra-terrestrial.” John also defines “trance” not just as a somnolent state, but a state of being controlled.
Attention, New Yorkers! The Anthology Film Archives in NYC is presenting a series devoted to UFOs, called “Watch the Skies: Ufology on Screen,” programmed by Tyler Maxin and John Dieringer. It runs from November 4 to 15; you can see the schedule here.
George Kuchar’s 2010 video Secrets of the Shadow World will be shown on November 13 and 15. Like many of George’s later works, it’s a rambling video diary celebrating the many people he knows. John is featured prominently, with many interviews, and highlights from a trip they took together to Mt. Shasta in California. Also on the bill is George’s short video about Jacques Vallee, The Tower of the Astro-Cyclops.
John met George and his twin brother Mike back in the ’60s, at the Metropolitan Motion Picture Club, a society for amateur film-makers. John was then making comic and experimental films, often with his friend Ed Lord. The Kuchars were making goofy, zero-budget epics parodying the Hollywood blockbusters they loved. The rest of the members were producing home movies and travelogues, and were not always receptive to the Keel and Kuchar output.
George’s exuberant style is not to everyone’s taste. But here, as a historical footnote, is his 1965 underground classic Corruption of the Damned. John is not credited, but you can see him in the séance scene that starts at 17:10. He’s the one in the suit, sitting next to Mike.
I’ll be at the November 13 screening, to make a few opening remarks about both John and George. My remarks will be brief, since this is one of George’s longer works, clocking in at 135 minutes.
POSTSCRIPT: The talk went well. There was a good crowd, who seemed to enjoy John’s inimitable wit and wisdom. For me, it was the first time since 2020 that I’d gone to NYC, ridden the subway, eaten in a restaurant, talked to a live audience, or seen a film in a theater. What a day!
These next entries all have to do with aspects of time, from time compression to time travel. The last one is somewhat garbled, but you get the idea. He apparently never did redo it.
This next group of entries includes an interesting definition of “sulfa”: there’s more about it here. “Tamper” was a word often used among Shaver believers; I don’t know how common it was in UFO circles.
