This episode asks whether Earth's most notorious "evil" locations—places associated with mysterious deaths, disappearances, and persistent local warnings—might be connected to past extraterrestrial activity that left behind dangerous "negative energy." Ancient astronaut theorists focus particularly on Japan's Aokigahara Forest at the base of Mount Fuji, where officials recover 70 to 150 bodies annually from people who travel there specifically to end their lives, and Australia's Black Mountains, where local Aboriginal myths describe ancient serpent gods and where hikers have vanished without trace. The episode suggests these sites share a common thread: Indigenous populations have long warned outsiders to stay away, and those who ignore such warnings face disproportionate rates of death or disappearance. Proponents argue that the persistent cultural warnings and unusual phenomena at these locations could indicate places where extraterrestrial beings once operated, leaving behind harmful residual effects that humans instinctively recognize as dangerous.
Mainstream psychology and sociology offer well-documented explanations for why certain locations become associated with suicide or tragedy. Aokigahara's reputation was cemented by a 1960s novel romanticizing suicide in the forest, creating a feedback loop where media coverage and cultural association draw vulnerable individuals to the site—a phenomenon psychologists call "suicide contagion" or the "Werther effect." The forest's dense vegetation and natural quietness are products of the volcanic soil from Mount Fuji, not paranormal forces. Still, the episode compellingly documents how powerfully place and story intertwine across cultures, raising genuine questions about why humans consistently mark certain landscapes as forbidden or dangerous long before modern explanations emerge.
Aokigahara Forest
Japan · Japanese
Ancient Astronaut theorists cite the dark forest at the base of Mount Fuji where hundreds annually commit suicide, suggesting extraterrestrial activity creates negative energy at this 'evil place.'
Aokigahara Forest, Mount Fuji, Japan
Japan · Modern
Every year hundreds are drawn to a dark forest at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan to commit suicide. Ancient Astronaut theorists propose that past extraterrestrial activity created negative energy in this location.
Black Mountain (Kalkajaka)
Australia · Aboriginal Australian
Ancient astronaut theorists suggest Black Mountain may not be a natural formation but rather conceals debris or radioactive contamination from ancient alien activity, possibly a landing or mining site, and that the Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent legend may describe an extraterrestrial flying machine whose radiation killed intruders. Mainstream scientists attribute the numerous disappearances at the site to its dangerous terrain of unstable granite boulders and labyrinthine caverns.
Black Mountains
Australia · Aboriginal Australian
Ancient Astronaut theorists point to Aboriginal myths of ancient serpent gods and reports of hikers disappearing at Australia's Black Mountains, suggesting extraterrestrial activity in this 'evil place.'
Black Mountains, Australia
Australia · Aboriginal Australian
At Australia's Black Mountains, local myths speak of ancient serpent gods and hikers disappearing. Ancient Astronaut theorists suggest extraterrestrial entities may be responsible for the mysterious disappearances.
Kholat Syakhl (Mountain of the Dead / Dyatlov Pass)
Russia · Europe/Asia (Ural Mountains)
Ancient astronaut theorists argue that the nine Dyatlov hikers were killed by extraterrestrial orbs or probes whose intense energy caused radiation poisoning, internal injuries, premature aging, and other anomalous physical effects, and that the mountain sits on an active dimensional portal. The official Soviet investigation concluded the hikers died of hypothermia, though the chief investigator refused to sign the report; the case remains officially unsolved.
Tunguska explosion site
Russia · Modern
Ancient astronaut theorists suggest the 1908 Tunguska explosion may have been caused by the extraterrestrial defense weapon system located in the nearby Valley of Death, implying that an alien underground installation shot down an incoming object. Mainstream science attributes the Tunguska event to the airburst of a meteoroid or comet approximately 5–10 kilometers above the surface.
Valley of Death (Vilyuy River basin)
Russia · Modern
Ancient astronaut theorists claim the Valley of Death contains metallic dome-shaped 'cauldrons' that are remnants of an extraterrestrial underground defense system capable of shooting down incoming objects, possibly responsible for the Tunguska explosion, and that radiation from this alien installation causes illness and death in visitors. Mainstream scientists and geographers have not identified the metallic structures; the cauldrons remain unverified and are considered local legend by conventional researchers.
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
United States · Modern
The episode uses the WIPP as a modern analogy, arguing that if future generations encounter this radioactive burial site after its geological containment fails, they may regard it as a cursed or evil place in the same way ancient peoples may have responded to extraterrestrial radioactive contamination sites. The US Department of Energy operates WIPP as a licensed deep geologic repository for transuranic radioactive waste, designed to isolate it safely for tens of thousands of years.