﻿1
[electronic music]
[beak clacking] [ominous music]
[children laughing]
[country music]
♪ Say hey, mister break man
♪ Don't put me off your train
♪ Oh yeah mister break man, don't put me off your train ♪
♪ 'Cause the weather is cold
♪ And I'm going home again
♪ Because the midnight special
♪ Shone a light on me
♪ All the way out on, that old old me ♪
♪ I'm weary now
♪ And short on the lease now
♪ I'm weary now, and surely in this town ♪
♪ I can't find a job, I'm tired of hanging out ♪
[laughing]
[country music]
[cow mooing]
[calm jazz music]
- Good evening. - Good evening.
- [Melissa] Are you Professor Herman?
- I am indeed, it's nice to meet you.
- Yeah nice to meet you.
Sorry we're late, we got lost on the way.
It's a really small village, and there were no signs.
- It's true there's not very much civilization out here.
Problem with it is it's the last refuge
before the mountains.
But, I'm glad you've arrived safely.
- [Melissa] Thanks.
- You must be David.
- [David] Yeah that's me, nice to meet you professor Herman.
- Oh please, call me Gunter.
Can I help you with your bags?
- No, it's okay.
- You sure? - Yeah.
- Okay well let's grab this stuff and get inside,
it's bloody freezing.
- Thank you for putting us up for the night.
- I should be thanking you.
This is a very unusual case.
It's great that we've got media coverage.
David, I have to apologize I don't speak French.
It's a bit embarrassing really for an English scientist
working on the French-Swiss border, but all us English
we're not renowned for speaking languages.
Come on in.
- It's okay, David and I speak English.
- [David] Yeah I understand English, but sorry
I have a very bad accent.
- Well I can understand everything.
This is a pretty cool place, we've got researchers
from Switzerland, France, Germany.
It's a cosmopolitan place.
We've been collecting samples now for over a week.
So we setup this self-sufficient research camp.
It's up in the mountains.
We're trying to find out why there's been a drop
of temperature and micro-climate in this particular area.
- Do you think it has anything to do
with the cattle disappearance?
- I do yes.
I mean the problem with these unusual weather conditions
is that sometimes it can actually affect
even the other side of the mountain.
It can alter the environment completely.
- Like a climate anomaly.
Is that why people are talking about this virus spreading?
- You've heard about the virus.
Well probably it's the glaciers melting,
and yet the temperature's remaining abnormally low
especially on one of the sites just over here.
We've discovered this new bacterial strain.
Now it's very different from any other bacteria
we've seen on the glacier.
It's the same species that's for sure,
but it has a minor difference, and it's mutating fast.
We just don't know what it is yet.
Now we think it might be a new virus developing
as the glacier is melting, and they're saying now
that it can be extremely contagious
especially when the temperatures are really low.
- And this new virus is infecting the animals?
- There's no proof that the bacteria is actually harmful.
But what if, the animals had inhaled it a while ago
without us knowing?
- And this bacteria made them disappear?
- The guys in the camp, they're doing everything they can
to find out why they're having these disappearances.
Have you heard about the horse carcass?
- Yeah, yeah it's scary.
So the criminal act suspicions hasn't been ruled out then.
What do the experts think?
- Discovery of a horse carcass, I don't think
has anything to do with our case or our studies.
I just think it's one of those isolated cases.
- Where are the others?
When's the rest of the team coming?
- I don't know.
They were supposed to be back here a few days ago.
- We haven't been able to get in touch with them.
We can't establish any radio contact with the base.
- [Gunter] Melissa, David, let me introduce you
to Blake Turner.
He's a police investigator from Colorado.
- Nice to meet you Melissa.
- [Melissa] Nice to meet you.
- David, how are you?
- [David] Nice to meet you.
- [Gunter] You're just in time for dinner my friend.
- Sounds good, what's on?
- [Gunter] Okay?
- Hmm, really good.
- [Gunter] Cheesy enough?
- Yeah.
- [David] Yeah it's very nice.
- [Gunter] Cool.
- What are you filming for?
- Making a documentary about the case, it's French TV.
- Yeah, it's our first big case,
and we wanna collect as many reports as possible.
- [Blake] Okay.
- What are we gonna do though if there's no one to interview
in the refuge?
- That's a good point.
It's looks like you might have to go up to the top
of the mountain to interview them up there.
- Okay.
- For some bizarre reason, something must be
keeping them up there.
And, if the radio is not working,
we can't contact them anymore.
We don't know if they've decided to come back
without even telling us, which could be the case.
Or, whether they've decided to stay up there
and wait for supplies.
- Supplies?
- There is a helicopter that makes a supply run
every two weeks, food, provisions,
shuttles people back and forth.
Last run was four days ago.
Pilot said everything was fine at that point.
- A few of the scientists were supposed to be back
a few days ago.
The pilot said that there was nothing really unusual.
We only lost contact this morning.
- Okay so why are we going if they're coming back then?
- It's already been four days.
Only takes a day to get up there in a jeep,
all the jeeps are up there.
Should have been back by now.
- You're leaving for the camp tomorrow, aren't you?
- [Blake] Right, yeah.
- He taking an English biologist and the mountain guide.
- [Blake] Daniel.
- Daniel right.
So what we'll do is we'll give you some of the extra parts
for the radio.
It's really, really cold up there,
maybe the circuits to the radio are frozen.
- Okay, maybe we could follow.
We could shoot some pretty nice footage on the way.
- Well um, okay, happy to have you along.
- [Melissa] How long does it take to get up there?
- Um, I don't know it's about three or four days or so.
- Three days? - Yeah.
- And, are you sure it's safe?
- Yeah. - It's safe.
- Blake, Daniel, they can take the tents.
We're obviously gonna have to camp up in the cold,
windy mountains.
[laughing]
Nah, you'll be fine.
A few days in the snow, a few nights, no big deal.
You have winter coats if you need them?
- Hmm-mm. - Okay.
Good, anybody care for some Swiss cheese?
- Hmm, yeah.
- Sure. - I'd love some.
- Look who's filming already.
Sleep well?
- [Melissa] Yes, I slept very good, thanks.
- [Blake] It is the first day of hiking,
we've got a good one ahead of us today.
Good morning.
- Good morning. - Blake.
- Daniel. - I'm Lori-Ann.
Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, Blake.
- Daniel.
- [Lori-Ann] Uhm, shouldn't we be roped up?
- [Daniel] You just walk behind me.
- Well, Detective Turner. - Yeah?
- [Melissa] What's an American investigator doing
in the French mountains?
- Investigating.
There have been similar cases of animal disappearances
in the US over the past 10 years.
I've been investigating the Snoopy Case,
happened in Colorado in '67,
I don't suppose you ever heard of it.
You ever heard of the Snoopy Case?
- [Melissa] No no, what is the Snoopy Case?
- Snoopy was a horse who went missing.
His owner saw he had meat in his daily rations.
They found him a quarter mile away from the ranch.
Skin, hide on his shoulders, neck, skull,
been torn off, his skull was cleanly exposed,
it was terrible.
The bushes around the carcass, they found
they were flattened.
They found his mane about 50 yards off.
- [Melissa] Wow, so you came to which conclusion?
- I haven't come to any conclusion yet.
The investigation is still ongoing.
- Actually all the blood, organ, cerebral spinal fluids,
and brain tissues were all gone.
The full autopsy conducted one month later
was inconclusive.
The forensics said there was nothing
particularly odd about all the organs being gone,
could be scavengers.
- [Blake] Really?
- For him, the blood just coagulated
and the bone tissues decompose naturally.
I just love that case.
- Yeah, I can see that.
- You know that there was this butchered horse carcass
found in the area a few days ago.
Do you think it died in the same conditions
as this Snoopy Case?
- Oh, I conducted the autopsy,
and I found some similarities with Snoopy.
- [Blake] Really?
- Yeah, there were signs of infection
on the left flank of the horse, just like Snoopy had.
And, the skin next to the shoulder had been sectioned.
I guess someone might have cut its throat
to put an end to his agony.
- [Blake] Jesus.
- [Lori-Ann] Yeah.
Thank you.
[speaking in a foreign language]
- Hey, Lori-Ann. - Hey.
- You are a biologist specializing
in animal biology, aren't you?
- Yes I am.
I've learned a couple of points of cell biology.
My thing is definitely zoology and animal physiology.
But, I'm also interested in neuroscience and ecology.
- Do you think this is a criminal case then?
- Well, it's highly likely.
Snoopy's carcass was examined by a private vet.
He said that Snoopy had been shot and then threw
himself on barb wires.
The same might have happened here.
Human intervention, be careful.
Human intervention was pretty obvious in '67,
but they were never really able to explain why
there were the traces around the carcass.
- Do you think little green men did it?
- You might have something there.
I've seen some pretty strange cases
of animal mutilation these past 10 years.
Last year, Copper Cove, Texas.
Locals say they saw a bright orange flashing light
near the spot where they found a mutilated cat.
30 yard circumference around the cat.
The vegetation was flattened as if it was blown
flat by a jet engine or rocket engine,
and then there were other flattened leaf shapes
in the vegetation around that area.
Very, very odd.
- Yeah, I heard about the same year in Wisconsin.
A cow was found dead in an area of flattened vegetation.
The neck was broken, external organs had been removed.
Tongue and naval had been cut out.
But, they couldn't find any blood.
- Get this thing off me.
- Help me.
- Yeah, thanks.
[laughing]
- Thanks, cheers.
- What do you say we stop here for the night, set up camp?
It's getting cloudy.
- You're right Mr. Turner.
- [Lori-Ann] Are we stopping here for the night?
- [Melissa] Yeah, seems like it.
- Good, I can't feel my feet anymore.
- [Melissa] I know what you mean.
- I'll take the second pole when it's ready.
Second pole, thank you.
- Thank you. [speaking foreign language]
Well that's clever.
Chemical friction warms up the bag.
You can't stop science, can you?
- Thank you, here you go.
That's great.
- Great, thank you!
- [Lori-Ann] Good night.
- I hope that will warm us up.
It's only the first night, and I'm already freezing.
- Yeah, I know, and it's just the beginning.
It'll be worse in Cold Ground.
- What's Cold Ground?
- [Lori-Ann] Gunter didn't tell you?
- No.
- That's what they call it, that camp up there.
- [Melissa] Why?
- There you go.
Thank you.
Because that's the coldest place in the mountain.
Nobody knows why, but the ground there
is frozen all the time and recent soil samples
indicate really, really low temperatures for the season.
If I were you David, I would turn that camera off
because with that cold your batteries are gonna die
like that.
- Yeah true.
[wind howling]
- [Lori-Ann] Go back to sleep.
It's probably just an owl.
The mountain's full of life you know.
Just turn those lights off and go back to sleep.
- [Blake] Yeah let's do that first.
What's this corner you got there?
Ah, you wanna help me hold it?
[groaning]
- Good morning.
- Sleep okay?
- Yeah kinda hard to sleep in with the cold
getting you, huh?
- [Melissa] Sleep how, I was so cold.
Good morning.
- How you doing? - Good morning.
- I have here a breakfast if any of you fancy some.
- [Melissa] Yeah!
- [Blake] Hey check this out!
I found something over here!
Come here!
- [Blake] Do you think a wolf could've done it
during the night?
- It looks awfully like a dear bone.
A fox might've left it here.
[crow cawing]
- You okay? - Yeah.
[speaking in a foreign language]
What's your thought about this bacteria strain
in the glacier?
- Well, there might be a virus strain up there.
But, I do believe that the bacteria is harmless.
I mean a little bacterial anomaly cannot mutilate
an animal like that.
- That's what I'm here to find out.
- [Melissa] Did the French government pay
for you to come here, of did you come here
by your own means, out of curiosity?
- Yeah, a little of both.
They helped.
But, this is similar to cases I'm working on
back home.
So it's kind of personal to me.
- We stop here for today. - Okay.
- Okay boss.
- Oh god, I'm freezing my bum off.
Do you still have some of those magic hot bags left?
Oh yeah, thank you.
- So Melissa, tell me how long have you been working
as a journalist?
- Well I graduated last year, and David's been
doing this for two years already.
- Well done.
Your cameraman's surely good looking.
- Yeah, well we've been together for five years,
and I couldn't dream of a better colleague.
- And, no sound man then?
- No, we're working with the best equipment.
We're shooting with this new audio camera.
- Okay.
- So no need to record the sound separately.
- [Lori-Ann] Okay.
- Hey Lori-Ann, come take a look.
I found something up here.
What the hell kind of animal did this?
- [Lori-Ann] Look at that, that gash on the flank.
It's huge.
- [Blake] A very sharp object made that
or sharp claws.
- [Melissa] Whose?
- [Blake] Skulls been scalped, scalped clean.
- [Melissa] Do birds of prey do that?
- [Blake] No, we're up too high, and the cuts
are too precise.
Cuts on the scalp too.
Brain's still intact, get a picture of that.
- Yeah. - It's frozen.
- [Blake] Daniel, you've got the radioactive detector.
- [Daniel] EMF?
- [Blake] EMF, exactly.
- Do you think it'll show signs of radioactivity?
- [Blake] Yeah well I found some around Snoopy's remains,
0.5%.
- [Melissa] How is that possible?
- Well I don't know, you tell me.
A low radioactive reading.
I can't tell whether it's coming from the animal
or the ground.
- I can't believe it, a dead radioactive cow
in the middle of nowhere.
[grunting]
- Lori-Ann what do you say we take that cow
down with us on our way back down?
- I don't think so.
By the time we get back, it'll be covered in snow,
eaten by foxes. - You're right.
- The only working materials that we have now
are pictures I took I'm afraid.
- Pictures, and your film.
- [David] You're right.
- Anyway, I wasn't looking forward
to carrying it up on my back.
Here, up you go.
[groaning]
- [David] Thanks.
[walkie-talkie crackling]
- Daniel to Pine Wood.
Daniel to Pine Wood.
Gunter, do you copy?
[walkie-talkie crackling]
- Honestly Daniel, I don't think you're gonna
have any luck with that walkie-talkie
up here in the trees.
Best thing is in the morning, get up to Cold Ground,
and we'll use their radio to call down to Pine Wood.
- [Blake] Whatever you say, boss.
- You think the cold did that to the cow
and to the horse as well?
- Well you'd have to be totally out of your mind
to do such things to poor defenseless animals,
but in most cases, the wounds are cauterized
and the mutilations are extremely precise,
so it can't be the work of an animal.
- I also heard about these uranium mines
in nuclear tests up north.
- Yeah.
- Do you think that could be an explanation of all this?
- With all the waste they've been burying,
I mean no wonder Mother Nature's retaliating.
Animal life's precious, you know,
and man tend to forget about that.
Shush. [leaves rustling]
- Don't, don't open the tent.
We don't know what that is, and if it's an animal,
it won't see us if we stay hidden.
Turn those lights off and put the food away.
Put the food away.
The smell might attract them.
Quickly.
- If we are in danger here, if there are bears,
if there are wolves, our lives are in danger.
I say we go back in the tents.
We just shut the fuck up for the night.
No one wants to get eaten by an animal.
- [Lori-Ann] But it's human.
- What? - It's human remains.
- [Blake] You're right.
What the hell could've done that?
- [Lori-Ann] Oh my God!
- Shit.
This is now officially a criminal investigation.
- We find a torn apart cow, and now a human's jaw.
We really need to call the police now.
- Okay, first thing in the morning when we get up
to the camp, we get on the horn.
We call local officials, get a search party going.
This is a lot more serious than a mutilated calf.
- You happy, you got your sensational footage?
- Daniel to Pine Wood, Daniel to Pine Wood, do you copy?
Do you copy?
[walkie-talkie screeching]
- Your walkie-talkie doesn't work here in the forest.
I already told you.
[screaming]
- [Blake] What's the matter, you okay?
- [Lori-Ann] Yeah, I'm okay, look.
Again.
Look, look at that.
- No footprints, no animal tracks.
How the hell did it get here?
Completely skinned.
Looks pretty recent to me.
- [Lori-Ann] Yeah.
- [Blake] First the bone, then the cow,
then a human jaw.
What the fuck is going on?
- Come on, we're almost there.
- Oh good. - Let's go.
- It's about time.
I'm sick of climbing.
This is exhausting.
[explosion booming]
- [Daniel] Oh, run!
[heaving]
- [Blake] David!
[grunting]
David, David!
David!
Talk to me, talk to me, talk to me.
Give me your hand.
Talk to me.
How do you feel?
- [Melissa] David!
- [Blake] Let's get the snow off of him.
- [Blake] Look at me, look at me!
Where did you last see Daniel?
- [David] He was up there, but his leg got stuck.
- [Blake] I checked that whole zone.
I couldn't find him.
He's under the snow.
We're lucky we saw your backpack.
Are you okay?
Give me your hand.
We're gonna pull you up.
Gotta pull you out of the snow.
Ready?
One, two, three!
Does it hurt?
Can you walk?
- [Blake] what'd he say, what'd he say?
- [David] My ankle.
- [Blake] Hold me, hold me!
Up.
Slowly.
- That was, I can't believe you're still here filming.
- [David] I'm okay.
Walking warms me up.
My foot hurts, but I should be fine.
- It's amazing that the camera survived.
- Too bad Daniel wasn't so lucky.
- It's just tragic.
We really need to get to the camp.
They might be able to find him still.
- Stop, people honestly I've lost my bearings.
I'm not sure where we are.
The avalanche changed the topography.
I don't know this forest.
But, listen it's gonna be okay.
We're going to keep heading up this way.
If we don't find the camp in an hour,
we're going to set up tent.
Daniel had the other tent and the rest of the gear,
but I've got enough provisions for the night,
so don't worry about it.
- You're saying that we're lost 10,000 feet
up in the mountain? - That's what I'm saying!
- And you don't know where the camp is?
- That's what I'm saying but we'll be fine.
We're just gonna head up north this way.
- [Lori-Ann] Wait, look I think we found it.
- [Melissa] So what do we do now?
- [Blake] The camp is gone, but not everything's lost.
The avalanche covered our tracks back down,
but we're gonna follow the stream.
We'll get to Pine Wood in the morning.
We're gonna set up the tent under the trees,
and we'll spend the night here.
David, you need to warm up especially
with your ankle injury.
- There's nothing left to eat or drink.
This is a nightmare.
I'm freezing.
- Stop trying to fight the cold.
Empty your mind of all thoughts of cold.
Concentrate on someplace warm.
- Like a desert island on a beach in a hot sun.
- That's right.
- I would kill to be on the beach right now,
toes in the warm sun.
This bloody avalanche.
- We don't even know what happened.
I mean the explosion triggered the avalanche,
but what triggered the explosion.
- And, where'd the team go?
- They're probably frozen under the ice.
[screaming]
- What was that?
Something pushed me outside.
What are you doing?
- I'm gonna check.
- [Melissa] Are you crazy?
No.
- [Blake] David!
- They're crazy, they're crazy.
It's okay.
- [Lori-Ann] They're gonna come back, right?
- Yeah, everything is gonna be okay.
We need to calm down.
I don't what they're fucking doing outside.
- [Lori-Ann] Okay.
Okay.
- [Melissa] What is it?
- What's going on?
What did he say?
- I don't know, he wanted to film something.
- What?
- I don't know they're crazy.
Why are they doing this?
- That didn't happen during the avalanche.
We're not alone, and we're not safe.
- [David] Blake, do you have a gun?
- [Blake] No.
- [Melissa] Have you found anything?
Seen anything?
- [Blake] Go back, stay in the tent.
- Why, what's going on?
[screeching]
- Sounds like a man.
Someone may have survived.
- Get back in the tent, please, okay?
We're gonna go check this out.
You guys, just get back in there.
- No, no, no I'm coming with you.
- Yeah I'm coming too.
I'm not staying here.
- Then stay close and stay quiet.
Hold up.
There's someone there.
[gasping]
- [Lori-Ann] Bloody hell!
His face, they skinned him.
- [Blake] Oh Jesus Christ.
[grumbling]
[yelling]
[screaming]
- [Melissa] David!
[screaming]
- [Blake] Are you okay?
- What was that?
We have no weapons.
We're gonna die here.
- [Blake] We gotta keep moving.
I don't know what that thing was.
- But we--
[screaming]
- David, kill the light.
Over there.
Our tracks from last night.
I told you it was this way.
We pack up, we get out of here fast.
- Lori-Ann...
She's gone.
- She'd want the same thing to happen to us.
Let's keep moving.
Let's get outta here.
[screeching]
- [Melissa] It's that beast again.
[screeching]
- It's a bobcat.
David, use my boot prints, take it slow.
- [Melissa] You sure we're going the right way?
- Not 100%, but at least we're heading down, right?
- We don't even know if we're going south.
We could be going anywhere.
- Daniel had the map, but we gotta head down this way.
We're getting further from the beast's territory.
That's a good thing.
When we get to the bottom, we'll take a rest.
- I'm so thirsty.
I'm starving.
- Don't, don't.
It'll speed up hypothermia.
Drink out of the stream.
When we get down, we're gonna have a nice dinner,
I promise.
- Yeah, roast lamb with potatoes and mushrooms,
piping hot.
It'll be so hot we'll burn our mouths.
- [Blake] Yeah, I'm gonna hold you to that.
- Yeah.
- [David] What do you think it was last night, Blake?
- What do I think?
I don't know.
At high altitude, there are a lot of strange creatures.
It's so isolated here.
Is this Switzerland or France do you think?
- [David] I don't know.
- Maybe it's Bigfoot.
- What's Bigfoot?
- It's a creature living in the forests of North America.
Something like the abominable snowman or the yeti.
Some people say it's real, some people say it's a legend.
- Well what we saw yesterday was real,
and it was a carnivore.
- Yeah, a lot of freaky creatures living up here.
- Will it be back?
- I don't think so.
I think we walked long enough, we're out of its territory.
It's a nocturnal creature that's for sure.
That's why no one's seen if before.
- A werewolf.
- No, I don't believe in fairy tales.
- Do you think that beast provoked the avalanche,
and that explosion before?
- Frankly, it doesn't matter now.
All that matters is getting you two back safe.
The sooner we get walking, the sooner we get down there.
And, you're gonna owe me some roast lamb
whatever the dish.
- Yeah, with some hot cocoa with warm croissant.
- I'm gonna hold you to it.
You okay?
- [David] Yeah, I'm all right.
Thanks.
- Okay.
- Today's Sunday.
We left on Wednesday.
Back home, my kids are probably skipping out
on church services right now.
Okay, concentrate on someplace warm.
We're sitting in front of the fireplace tomorrow
when we get back down.
- I wish.
I hope his leg will be okay.
It'll be fine.
- I've gotta go outside and get some wood to make a fire.
Fuck, I don't have a lighter.
- Do you know how to make sparks with stones?
- Yeah, it's gonna be tough, but I can do it.
- Okay, I'll come with you.
- We only have one flashlight.
- I got some wood over here.
You go find some stones.
I'm gonna grab these branches.
- [Melissa] Blake?
Blake!
- What?
Melissa!
[screaming]
[retching]
We gotta get outta here!
To the right!
[screaming]
Melissa, Melissa, stop!
Stop!
[panting]
Calm down!
Calm down, you're gonna get us lost!
Take the camera.
Take the camera, I've got the flashlight.
Tent's back there.
Let's go.
[panting]
Hold on.
[wind howling]
[eerie music]
[screaming]
[weeping]
[screaming]
[groaning]
[coughing]
- [Daniel] Blake?
Blake, Blake!
Blake.
[coughing]
Come on, get up.
Get up!
- Go.
Just go.
[growling]
[heaving]
[screaming]
[thudding]
[grunting]
[heaving]
[weeping]
[screaming] [weeping]
[screaming in foreign language]
[yelling]
[weeping]
[screeching]
[growling] [screaming]
[heaving] [weeping]
[growling] [screaming]
[thudding] [screaming]
[sediment skidding]
[heaving]
[rumbling] [gasping]
[water dripping]
[heaving]
[growling] [whimpering]
[rumbling]
[growling]
[screaming]
[growling] [screaming]
[groaning] [thudding]
[sediment skidding]
[eerie music]