A graphic featuring nighttime, the tops of trees, a hill, and the full moon. There are silhouettes of cryptids, such as a UFO, a werewolf, and Bigfoot.
The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom is bringing you a series about some of our region’s lesser-known cryptids. Photo Credit: John Boyle/The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom

The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom Presents:
What Lurks Beyond the Porch Light

When it comes to cryptids, it’s always, “Mothman this, Bigfoot that.” But the roster of monsters, mutants and mystery creatures is a lot deeper than you might think.

That’s especially true in Appalachia, where cryptids are ingrained in local lore. The mountain range is older than dinosaurs, the Atlantic Ocean and the very trees that now stand tall throughout the region’s peaks and hollers. Such a prolonged history — almost unfathomable to us mere humans — is bound to hold a bounty of secrets.

The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom is here to uncover some of them with a series about cryptids that lack the fame of some of their legendary counterparts, “What Lurks Beyond the Porch Light.” We’ll seek out answers about the Flatwoods Monster in West Virginia, the White Bluff Screamer in Tennessee and the Demon Leaper in Kentucky.

Check back for new features Oct. 5, Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, 2026.

Stories

Roberto Roldan,About 19 hours ago

The Old Louisville Demon Leaper’s Mischief In One Of America’s Largest Victorian Neighborhoods

In the late 1800s, tales of a creature that bounds between rooftops emerged in Old Louisville — The Demon Leaper.

Jewly Hight,About 20 hours ago

When The White Bluff Screamer And A Werewolf Preyed In The Tennessee Darkness

Around campfires in Dickson County people tell passed-down tales of two local cryptids — one a werewolf and the other the White Bluff Screamer.

Bill Lynch,Oct. 05, 2026

The Mystery Of The Flatwoods Monster

Many cryptids are said to lurk in the shadows of Appalachia, including West Virginia’s Flatwoods Monster.

Videos