A father and son stumbled upon a VHS tape that led to a startling revelation.
The unsettling video would fit right into a horror film. You can watch it below:
In 1989, a motorist and his son discovered the tape by the roadside near Stockton, California.
Curious about its contents, they decided to watch it. The footage they saw was so disturbing that they turned it over to the TV show Unsolved Mysteries.
The tape was wrapped in an old army jacket that also contained a pestle and mortar, herbs, and a model of a human skull.
Ultimately, the video played a crucial role in solving a mystery that had plagued the area for weeks.
What exactly was on the tape that frightened them so much?
The tapes contained footage of fires set by arsonists, later known as the Stockton Arsonists, over several weeks.
Adding to the eerie nature, the tapes featured a voiceover from one of the arsonists.
The arsonist’s creepy, intense whisper is perhaps the most disturbing part, and that’s before considering the unsettling things he said.
He can be heard saying: “The fire that I will destroy, and burn your soul up, ancient spirit of evil.”
In another segment, he states: “This is what I’ve been doing on your week’s vacation. I said I’ll do it! I said I’ll do it!”
Another part has him repeating a similar sentiment, saying: “I told you I’ll do it.”
In one scene, he focuses on the fire, saying: “Just take a good look at that and you tell me that I cannot start fires.”
In another, he seems to address an audience, saying: “Look at the fire, isn’t it beautiful? Look at it. You see what I can do ladies and gentlemen? Do you see what I can do?”
Finally, as sirens sound, he remarks: “The fire department’s trying to put it out, what a laugh.”
The video ultimately led to the criminals’ apprehension, as its airing on Unsolved Mysteries prompted viewers to send in tips.
These tips resulted in the arrests of a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old, whose identities were withheld due to their minor status at the time of the crimes.
The 19-year-old eventually confessed to setting the fires and appearing in the video.