A graphic video appearing to show a bloodied werewolf lying dead is viral with claims that the shapeshifter, popular in folklore, was spotted in Nigeria. Werewolf is an European folklore character and considered to be a human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf.
BOOM found that the werewolf seen in the viral clip is a work of art by artist Joseph Rob Cobasky for an upcoming film.
The viral clip shows a closeup of the werewolf that appears to be lying lifeless. The creature's face and teeth appear to be bloodied. Netizens have captioned the video as, "Werewolf in Nigeria, So terrifying."
Click here and here to see the viral Facebook posts. BOOM has chosen not to include the viral clip as it is disturbing in nature.
One such post is archived here.
The video is viral on Twitter with the caption, "This was killed in south eastern Nigeria... Please what exactly can this be called? A werewolf? #BiafraExit". Two tweets are archived here and here.
Fact Check
BOOM broke the video into its keyframes and ran a reverse image search on one of the frames. We were directed to the same video uploaded on Instagram by artist Joseph Rob Cobasky. The werewolf is part of a creation by Cobasky, a sculptor and special effects artist. Cobasky specializes in creating realistic sculptures and special effects for films.
BOOM scanned through Cobasky's Instagram account and found several posts featuring the werewolf creation. The posts can be seen here, here and here.
We reached out to Cobasky who clarified, "This is my work. An unknown person stole my video off my Instagram account and turned it into something that can scare people. I have nothing to do with the fake video going viral. I was simply posting my work which I did for a movie."
Additionally, we found a tweet from June 18, 2021, by Tremulous Motion Pictures, a Los Angles-based television and film production company that clarified that the creation is for a yet to be released film.
The tweet clarified that the werewolf is a piece of artistic creation by Cobasky, the director of practical effects for the film titled Unsanctifed. The tweet stated, "Creator of the Werewolf man went viral in Argentina and Brazil when people beloved his Monstrous creature was real." (sic.)
In a Facebook post dated December 13, 2020, Tremulous Motion Pictures announced roping in Cobasky to design the special effects of the then titled film 'Cursed'. The post featured shots of the werewolf and another creation of his.