Boogeymen: Monsters Among Us

Since 1735, legend has it that a demonic creature has stalked the woods of one of America's oldest states. There are two images of the monster: one, a terrifying creature that has haunted New Jersey for centuries; the other, an invention of marketers to sell merchandise. The Devil has given its name not just to hockey teams but to shops, wine, musical bands and a dizzying array of memorabilia.

In the town of Willow Creek in northern California, the legend of Bigfoot, an ape-like monster believed to be a missing link between man's evolutionary leap from monkeys, is taken more seriously than anywhere else in the world, with organized hunting expeditions, statues and even a museum - but is there any substance to the mythology?

Westmoreland County, in western Pennsylvania, is a region rife with reports of paranormal sightings and occurrences. A number of witnesses have seen a flying creature that resembles no known bird in existence. Some who say they saw the giant bird are hunters with intimate knowledge of wilderness and wildlife. Others are local residents who swear they've seen small dogs snatched by a giant bird.

In the 1990s, the Chupacabra spread fear into the hearts of rural Texans. According to some reports, it has dark grey, leathery skin and fearsome red eyes. But while some people debate whether it walks on two or four legs, everyone agrees its long fangs, thorny spine and claws. There was no physical evidence supporting its existence - until a resident of Dewitt County made a gruesome discovery.

The natural beauty of Australia's Byron Bay attract over one million visitors per year. These tourists probably don't suspect the presence of a mysterious creature known locally as the Devil Dog. It could well be a species of animal long thought extinct in the region: the thylacine, better known as the Tasmanian tiger. This half-dog, half-kangaroo with fangs has been extinct since the 1930s.

In the dense forests of the Appalachians, there lives a rare and still unidentified class of creature. Physically imposing, with traits characteristic of wolves, bears and even gorillas, this strange monster strikes fear into anyone who wanders into his presence, especially since it has a reputation of attacking small farm animals and human beings. Some see it as a Dog-Man or American werewolf.