Did You Know New England Has Its Own Version of the Slender Man?

A recurring dream for many is being chased by a large figure dressed in black. But in one Massachusetts town, some insist this nightmare was very much a reality.

It began back in the 1930s, according to Provincetown Magazine. After several children claimed they were chased home by a large “monster,” a woman ran frantically into a shop claiming she was nearly its next victim.

It was described as inhumanly tall, with glowing blue eyes, silver ears, and the ability to jump effortlessly from the road back into the darkness. It was a strange creature that would soon be known as The Black Flash of Provincetown.

As with New Hampshire’s Devil Monkey of Danville or the Sea Serpent of Gloucester, “copycat” sightings soon followed. Some claimed it was wearing a hooded black cape and was able to run as quickly as it jumped.

But others grew skeptical, especially given the time of year. It was, after all, October in New England, the perfect time for cabin fever to set in and locals to get creative to entertain themselves as winter slowly set in.

The town’s police chief even took to the Provincetown Advocate to dispute any reports of a so-called “Black Flash” wreaking havoc, essentially serving as the anti-Sheriff Brody in this Jaws-like saga. And by the 1940s, tales of the Black Flash had ceased.

So maybe people gave up on this communal prank. Or, as with the case of Vermont’s Bennington Triangle (not to be confused with Massachusetts’ equally mysterious Bridgewater Triangle), whoever or whatever was creating terror in a sleepy town finally met its own end.