True Terror with Robert Englund

Hidden away in news reports

from America's past

are tales so frightening that they must be true.

I'm Robert Englund.

Join me on a journey into the dark shadows

of our nation's history to uncover a trilogy of stories

as terrifying as they are real.

A mysterious creature invades the Old West.

- Come on! - Sam!

A future president

enters a savage beast's domain...

No!

...and a merciless demon

has villagers living in fear.

- Jane, come on! - I'm trying!

Brace yourself

for "True Terror."

Now, it's been said the oldest and strongest kind of fear

is fear of the unknown.

You want proof?

In the three stories I have for you now,

you'll see that it's a basic instinct

that can save or cost you your life.

Our first stop is Tombstone, Arizona,

best known for the gunfight at the O.K. Corral,

but just nine years after that the Tombstone press

reported something far, far scarier --

a threat that wasn't man, but beast.

Looks like you need a drink.

Whiskey.

54-year-old Ezekiel Bates

has cheated death more times than he can count.

Two for a quarter.

But they all pale in comparison

to the inexplicable horror

he's faced over the past 72 hours.

What ails you, pilgrim?

Eh.

You wouldn't believe me anyhow.

Try me.

Well, I reckon it all started about three days ago.

We was out east of the Huachucas.

Recounting some memories can be as painful

as walking barefoot through a nest of scorpions.

The time Bates stared the devil in the face

would be one of those.

We were just wrapping up about a six-week cattle drive.

Ranchers Ezekiel Bates and Sam Dawson

had been working together

for 20 years in this part of Arizona.

These guys had survived cattle stampedes,

rattlesnake bites,

lynch mobs, and renegade Indians.

Whoo.

It's hot enough to gag a maggot.

At least we got a cold bath and bottle of whiskey

waiting on us when we get to Tombstone.

I'm looking forward to that, brother.

We're talking about two old cowboys here

that have seen everything the old west has to offer.

But then there came the day

when two men who didn't believe something could exist

inevitably realized that it did.

Cloud.

There's a break.

That ain't no cloud.

What the hell is that?

Darned if I know.

Being that they are cowboys, their first instinct

when coming upon this strange creature

was to take a shot at it.

In this case, this is a huge mistake.

Whatever that thing is, it was minding it's own business.

Now they've poked the monster with the proverbial stick.

Oh, man.

What they saw that day was nothing short

than the stuff of legends.

"A winged monster, resembling a huge alligator

"with an extremely elongated tail

"and an immense pair of wings,

was found in the desert by two ranchers."

God almighty!

You okay Dawson?

I'm okay.

What the hell was that?

I ain't never seen nothing like it.

Thank you.

This thing, whatever it is,

swoops right in and kills their horses.

Now, Bates and Dawson,

they're just not stranded in the desert,

they also believe they're next on the menu.

Go get your gun!

Steady.

Fire!

Come on!

We didn't touch it!

"After the first shock of wild amazement had passed,

the two men regained sufficient courage to pursue the monster."

Hmm. "Pursue the monster."

Not sure I'd call that a bright idea,

but desperation can drive men to the extreme.

Problem is, if they're not careful,

curiosity will get them killed.

God.

For the first time, the cowboys get a look at this creature,

and what they see stuns them.

We're talking about a 92-foot wingspan,

and 160 feet tip to toe, and those jaws!

Back up. Back up. Back up. Back up.

Terror is never more intense

than when there's no place to run and no place to hide.

Sam!

Like any cowboy worth his salt,

Ezekiel Bates always felt at home in the Arizona desert.

That is, until the day a dragon swooped down

and took his friend Sam Dawson away.

- - Sam!

Now, Ezekiel Bates is standing there

in the middle of nowhere,

powerless to stop the winged beast

from making off with his friend.

It doesn't take him long to realize he's the next target.

That's when, off in the distance,

he notices a prospector's abandoned shack,

and he's thinking, "If I get there,

I can probably hide and protect myself."

Ah, yes, but how does one truly believe they're safe

if they can't comprehend the severity of the situation?

The monster in a crisis is fear,

and when forced to face it alone,

there's a good chance it will devour you.

Though before it does, it stalks and taunts it's prey,

taking ruthless delight in your terror.

Bates makes it safely through the night,

but the next morning he's consumed

with a fear that this dragon is going to find him

until he sees evidence to the contrary.

So, Mr. Flying Lizard,

it appears you can be hurt.

If I can hurt you,

yeah, then I can kill you.

At this point, Bates believes his only chance to survive

is to attack,

so he starts following the trail of blood,

hoping to find the creature.

But there is a huge problem.

He only has one bullet left.

One...