There is a legend about a circus train that long ago crashed in the inaccessible swampland surrounding the small community of Chatawa in southern Mississippi. The train is said to have been heading towards New Orleans to show off its new, amazing find – a living ape-human hybrid.

But after the crash, when people came to rescue the train, the ape-human’s iron cage had been broken up and the monster was gone. A few days later, a nun at the nearby convent of St. Mary of the Pines saw a hairy, human-like figure moving through the undergrowth some distance from the convent. Her testimony mark the start of the legend of the Chatawa Monster.

The film The Chatawa Monster describes Chatawa’s snarky and inhospitable swamp forests in black and white, grainy images. We get to meet two of the community’s current residents and hear their thoughts on the monster, which is said to still reside in the area. The two men have completely different entries to the legend. One a direct witness story he was told during his upbringing in the area, the other a more philosophical reasoning about Chatawa as a paranormal place and our general human need for monsters.

The Chatawa Monster was filmed in Chatawa, Mississippi in February 2024 and is produced with support from the Swedish Arts Council and PSA, Mississippi.