London, 1762: the Cock Lane Ghost starts knocking from beneath the floorboards and the whole city storms in like it’s the first paranormal reality show. Then we jump to Mattoon, Illinois, 1944, where people wake up choking and sick from a mysterious sweet-smelling gas… with no intruder in sight.

Two cases. Two centuries apart. Same result: a community spiraling into fear fast enough to turn rumor into a monster.