Otherworld – Episode 156: “Deer in the Headlights”
Released: February 16, 2026 – Host: Jack Wagner

Episode Overview

This double-feature episode of Otherworld presents two unnerving listener stories about encountering unexplainable, deer-like creatures while driving at night and even in broad daylight. Both stories defy easy categorization, yet share themes of the uncanny and how the human mind struggles to process impossible, supernatural events. Host Jack Wagner brings his usual measured, open-minded approach to the storytellers’ experiences.

Story 1: Phoebe’s Encounter, Salt Lake City, Utah

Setting and Context

• Phoebe is a hairdresser living in an "up and coming" industrial/suburban neighborhood in Salt Lake City.
• The incident took place in April 2021 during the late-night hours, while Phoebe was out driving to clear her head after pandemic isolation and personal stress.
  • “When I'm feeling too emotional or anxious, I can't sleep. I've always struggled with sleep. So what I will do is get in my car and just drive aimlessly around and just put on music, and usually sad music, so I can cry.” (09:40 – Phoebe)

The Paranormal Sighting

• Around midnight, Phoebe was driving through a familiar neighborhood when her headlights hit a group she initially mistook for teenagers.
• As she drew closer, she realized:
  • The group, about six figures, froze in her headlights, “like deer in headlights, quite literally.” (15:30 – Phoebe)
  • The beings had “human-like faces,” skin, and were “really tall, long limbs”—yet were postured and moved like deer standing on hind legs.
  • Notable Quote:
    • “It was like a human being had almost been stretched over a deer body. And they was acting like a deer, but it looked like a human except for really, really long limbs.” (16:10 – Phoebe)
  • Some wore “normal” clothes, initially blending into the environment.
  • Their eyes glowed in her headlights, adding to the deer-like effect.
  • On realizing they’d been seen, they scattered, bounding away in the “hopping” manner of deer—except upright, six feet into the air, vanishing behind hedges.
    • “They hop away, all of them…jump up into the air, probably about six feet into the air, and then they jump and disappear down behind these hedges.” (17:40 – Phoebe)

Immediate Aftermath and Emotional Response

• Phoebe was stunned and terrified, describing the interaction as lasting 15 seconds that “changed my whole world.”
  • “My whole world has changed within 15 seconds because I have never seen anything like this before.” (19:50 – Phoebe)
• She had difficulty sleeping afterward and questioned her own sanity before deciding to share her experience online two years later.

Searching for Answers

• Phoebe found no local legends matching her experience, aside from references to “skinwalkers”—although she was hesitant about this explanation due to differing details (usually only one being reported, not a group).
  • “The only thing that I saw, the only story I found that was similar was people talking about… skinwalkers. I don't know that I believe in skinwalkers, but I don't know that I don't.” (21:20 – Phoebe)
• She remains open but unsettled, emphasizing that the beings seemed startled and non-threatening, acting just like a deer herd would.
  • “…when they locked eyes with me, it seemed like they were scared and startled by me. And my car, and they bounded away because they were scared. It didn't seem like they were out to get me… Again, kind of like a pack of deer.” (23:00 – Phoebe)

Host Commentary (23:57 – Jack Wagner)

• Jack Wagner reflects that Phoebe’s account is “so uncanny and so strange,” the kind of experience that is almost impossible to relate to until you’ve lived it.
• He invites listeners to share if they’ve heard of anything similar.

Story 2: Pat’s Encounter, Kent, Ohio

Setting and Context

• Patrick McDugno is a visual artist and musician in the band Mothcock.
• The incident occurred during the COVID lockdown, as Pat and his bandmate Doug were driving home from a friend’s house in broad daylight.
  • “You imagine seeing a cryptid or a monster and you assume it’s going to be at dusk or at nighttime…I mean, this was in broad daylight, in public.” (30:50 – Pat)

The Paranormal Sighting

• Driving down Steinf Street (a sparsely populated connector road), Pat sees a creature he initially assumes is a deer.
• Details on closer inspection:
  • Legs are deer-like (“exact anatomy of a deer leg”), but the torso resembles a “dog that hasn’t eaten in a really long time.”
  • The most shocking feature is the entirely furless body and a human head, specifically resembling actor James Woods (!).
    • “…when I inspect it further, I realize it has a human head… the head looks a lot like the actor James Woods.” (29:40 – Pat)
    • The face had human features: “wrinkles on its forehead, a human nose, and a human mouth. Very non-dog features.”
    • No hair, just dry flesh-toned skin, and a starved, bony appearance.
    • The creature moved “aloofly” through a front yard, seemingly oblivious to the cars.
  • Doug, driving, also saw the creature and described being hit by a blinding glare while trying to look at it—a phenomenon Pat didn’t experience.
    • “He mentioned that… he was kind of hit with a glare that wasn’t necessarily the sun and that he was kind of blinded when he tried to inspect it further…” (33:10 – Pat)

Aftermath and Local Lore

• Neither felt fear; their reaction was primarily confusion and disbelief.
  • “My immediate thought was just confusion. I was never afraid… I think my overall reaction was just confusion and just kind of like, what the hell did we just see?” (31:57 – Pat)
• The encounter was corroborated between Pat and Doug, who agreed on the essential features (though Doug didn’t see the face as well).
• Sometime later, Pat recounts telling the story to a restaurant coworker—who reacted with shock and claimed as a kid sleeping over on Steinf Street, “they would see the thing at night all the time.”
  • “…my employee being spooked and being like, oh, wow, was it on Steinf Street? And I answered, yes. And then he went on to say that…they would see the thing at night all the time.” (35:35 – Pat)
• Pat ponders whether others have seen it and notes how the experience shifted his openness to the existence of monsters.
  • “Since this experience has happened to me, it’s kind of left me a little more open on what could possibly exist in the world… But now I’m kind of wrestling with the idea that it might be reality.” (36:25 – Pat)

Host Commentary (36:52 – Jack Wagner)

• Jack notes the absurdity and uniqueness of seeing a “James Woods”-faced cryptid.
• Strikingly, this makes the third story on Otherworld where a creature has a face resembling an actor.
  • “Strangely, this is not the first story we've had on this show where somebody sees a creature with a human face that resembles an actor…it's the third instance.” (36:52 – Jack Wagner)
• Wagner highlights that the pattern is bizarre but just as notable is how sincere and impacted these storytellers are by their experiences.

Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• Phoebe (on seeing the creatures):
  “It was like a human being had almost been stretched over a deer body. And they was acting like a deer, but it looked like a human except for really, really long limbs.” (16:10)

• Phoebe (on the emotional aftermath):
  “My whole world has changed within 15 seconds because I have never seen anything like this before.” (19:50)

• Pat (on the creature’s appearance):
  “When I inspect it further, I realize it has a human head… the head looks a lot like the actor James Woods.” (29:40)

• Pat (on changed beliefs):
  “Since this experience has happened to me, it’s kind of left me a little more open on what could possibly exist in the world… now I’m kind of wrestling with the idea that it might be reality.” (36:25)

• Jack Wagner (on repeated themes):
  “This is not the first story we've had on this show where somebody sees a creature with a human face that resembles an actor…it's the third instance of this, which I think is very strange.” (36:52)

Key Segments and Timestamps

• Intro & Story Setup: 00:11 – 03:45
• Phoebe’s Story: 07:30 – 23:57
• Host Interlude/Reflection: 23:57 – 26:41
• Pat’s Story: 26:43 – 36:52
• Final Reflections & Closing: 36:52 – end

Tone & Takeaways

The episode maintains a sincere, matter-of-fact yet awe-struck tone throughout, allowing the storytellers’ confusion, fright, and wonder to shine through. Both recountings blend the mundane with the inexplicable, leaving listeners with a sense of how a genuinely unclassifiable encounter might impact a person—and, perhaps, expand their sense of reality.

Listeners are encouraged to share similar stories or insights if they have experiences or legends to contribute regarding deer-like humanoid cryptids.

For fans of the uncanny, “Deer in the Headlights” is a tour through disbelief, fear, and reluctant wonder, blurring the line between reality and the unknown—while planting the seeds of new folklore.