Tall, Dark, & Gruesome

**Theories** |  · Cryptid · Demonic entity

**Tall, Dark, & Gruesome**, also known as the **Elizaville Monster**, is an ongoing monstrous haunting said to take place in Elizaville, Boone County, Indiana. It supposedly involves a monstrous and murderous ghostly creature that has been blamed for the disappearances of many people.

## Manifestations

* A tall, towering shadow figure at least seven feet in height.

## Background

Many of the town's residents agree that there is something evil responsible for the large number of missing people. There’s apparently no scientific explanation of the disappearances that have continued for the past 100+ years. The beast is usually described as a 7-foot “man beast” that is spotted at night wandering around cemeteries and fields. Locals say that if you scream between the hours of 1-3 AM anywhere in the town, the creature will hunt you down, kill and eat you, bones included.

## Notable Accounts

* Account #1
* Account #2
 *I went to this town with three friends. We were able to get directions from the internet, which had been posted by a previous visitor, and eventually we discovered a simple green road sign which said "Elizaville". We drove along the roads for a while, some of which were paved with gravel, making us have to drive along slowly. We saw no creature stalking among the fields, no bones, and no abandoned cars, but there were some things we saw that were rather creepy: part of a cornfield had been smashed through, as if by a car; a relatively nice-looking house with its windows busted out; tire marks on the road which swerved in weird directions. Then we came into an area that smelled of decaying meat. Also, it was uncharacteristically cold for a summer night. It seemed that we were not only pervaded by the stench of death, but by the very feel of it. Also, my friend who was sitting next to me in the back of the car, KJ, complained of serious stomach cramps, which he always seems to get when something bad is about to happen. This never seems to occur under different circumstances than when there’s trouble in the future. Our journey soon ended after I looked out of the window beside me and saw, sitting a few feet from the edge of the road, a human head laying sideways on a tree stump. The blood was still shiny and wet, and its eyes were wide open and staring straight in my direction. I went for the switch that closed the window, but the damn thing had been locked, and I told the driver to close the fucking thing. When I described what I had seen, we immediately left Elizaville and went back to Indianapolis. When we were on familiar grounds, I told them we should probably report this. They said it would be pointless, seeing that outside law enforcement never found enough evidence to convict anyone. By the time we called the cops and had them out there, the head would have likely been gone. There could still be traces of blood on the stump or on the grass around it, but this would be virtually meaningless. And Elizaville itself does not have its own law enforcement, so it would take a while for any patrol cars to arrive there. I was greatly shaken by the whole thing, and my fingers are trembling even now that I’m typing this out. It was the first time I had seen fresh death.*

*I lived on Elizaville Rd. across the road from a farm. For several years I noticed that people would drive out of town at extremely high speeds...as if they were in a panic. This usually happened at night. On two occasions I heard a high pitched 'squeal' that were followed by loud grunts. These sounds came from the direction of my back yard, which led to a large cornfield. Both times I contacted the Boone County Sheriff and the deputies would take a look...but they never went into the cornfield. I had heard the stories about the monster but never saw any evidence...though those squeals and grunts were terrifying.*
*I later got a teaching position in Muncie, Indiana and moved away. Several years ago, I was told that a former neighbor in Elizabeth received a holiday visit from her sister. The sister went on an errand one evening...and was never seen again. Her car was found in a field on the other side of the town. I have heard that others have gone missing, but I cannot verify that.*

## Trivia

* The name "Tall, Dark, & Gruesome" is a play on the phrase "Tall, Dark, and Handsome" and is commonly used to refer to an ugly individual.
* This figure has been reported since 1924.