Movies like Paranormal Activity, Case 39, and Black Swan are recent releases that excite the imagination. However, legends closer to home have more impact upon locals.
Rumors of a “monkey dog” on broad river road have persisted for decades. “They say it is about the size of a Rottweiler with the face of a savage gorilla,” says senior Dylan Barbian. Do you believe in the monkey dog? “No, not at all, the rumors may have begun with a very aggressive dog sighted on broad river road.” Do you trust the local law enforcement to protect Chapin citizens from any roaming aggressive animals? “Don’t trust the Chapin police for anything, every citizen should carry a gun.”
Another student,  senior Sawyer Tedder, also does not believe in the monkey dog. When asked why, he had a very logical explanation.
“Because monkeys and dogs cannot reproduce together.” Unexpectedly, Tedder is a firm believer in Sasquatch. When once more asked why, his response was rather personal. “I feel this commonality with Sasquatch, you know me being large and him being large; him being furry, me being furry. And he will be very nice . . . when we find him.”
Another popular myth is the lizard man. Half man, half lizard, he haunts rivers throughout South Carolina. Page Pierce, junior, is cynical of this legend. “I think the people that made it up were the ones that did all that stuff,” says junior Chase Wicker. There is a bridge off of West Shady Grove Road where a woman killed her baby by throwing it off the bridge. If you go over it and stop, the car doesn’t turn back on.
Greg Worley, the drama teacher, remembers a similar legend that was popular when he was a highschooler in Seneca, South Carolina. “ They said if you parked your car over a bridge, left the keys on the dash, turned your headlights on, stood in front of the car and call out “Bloody Mary” three times, a spirit would steal the keys off the dash.
The “Lake Murray Monster” is another myth that has survived decades.
Cory Campitella, senior, believes the “monster” is actually a big catfish. Teachers seemed to be more superstitious than students. Anastasia Sease, history teacher, claims that her in-laws house is haunted, saying “a creepy ghost lives there.”
Jennifer Henry, english teacher, says she “absolutely believes in hauntings.” In fact, she has already arranged her own haunting agenda.
“I definitely plan on haunting people when I die . . . there are a few members of the Schelble family along with Zach Woodham that I cannot wait to torment.”
After interviewing several students and teachers, the most popular haunted legend appears to be The Legend of Sleepy Hallow. This story first appeared in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, published in 1820 by Washington Irving. In the original story, Ichabod Crane competes with Brom Bones for the farmer’s daughter hand in marriage. When Crane leaves a party one night, he is pursued by a ghostly headless horseman and run out of town, never to be seen again. Some believe the perpetrator was Bones in disguise, jealous of the daughter’s preference for Crane. Others believe it was the ghost of a Hessian soldier killed in the American Revolutionary War. More than seven film adaptations were created. “The Real Ghostbusters” featured an episode that suggested the legend lives on; a descendant of Ichabod Crane claims to be pursued by a headless ghost on a motorcycle. Apparently the headless horseman is not immune to modern upgrades. 
Whatever your plans this Halloween, haunted myths and legends are sure to influence costumes, candy, and for those brave enough, destinations.