The Fairfax Girl Team There’s nothing like a good monster story. Whether shared around a campfire or at bedtime, hearing a tale of an otherworldly creature that could exist is a tradition unto itself. Northern Virginia has its own local myth: the tale of the Bunnyman. The Bunnyman story originated in Clifton in the mid-1970s and has continued to thrill and inspire residents and visitors. Read on for more about the myth of the Bunnyman.
About the Myth
Sources differ on the exact origin of the story, but the gist is the same in every version. A man in a rabbit suit, or a man-sized rabbit, terrorizes visitors to his territory near the Colchester Bridge in Clifton. In some recountings, the man is actually an escaped patient from an insane asylum who was surviving in the woods by eating bunnies, sometimes stringing their carcasses under the bridge. In others, the creature is a murderous thing, wielding a hatchet or an axe, leaving carnage in his wake. The encounters take place only near Halloween, or at any time of year, depending on the rendition. Halloween visitors are most likely to be killed or vanish, according to variations.
Perhaps the most robust account of the origins of the Bunnyman myth, and the myth itself, is a paper written by Fairfax County Historian-Archivist Brian A. Conley. Bunnyman Unmasked: The Real Life Origins Of An Urban Legend explores the regional allure of the story, as well as the author’s own recollections of living in the area in the 1970s when the story began to circulate. It’s important to note that in the early 1970s, the Clifton area was still mostly rural. The Kings Park West Subdivision, near where these incidents take place, was under construction.
Brian’s incredible research yielded what he believes to be the most credible origin of the myth. The first big break was a 1973 paper written by a University of Maryland graduate student examining the origins of folklore. The student had chosen the Bunnyman myth, and interviewed several Prince George’s County teenagers on their knowledge of the story. All 54 individuals gave their own version of the story, but Brian noticed that nearly all of the stories took place around Halloween 1970.
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This led to the second major source of information: two Washington Post articles around Halloween 1970 that described two incidents with a ‘bunny man’ near the 5400 block of Guinea Road in Fairfax. The location was in what is now the Kings Park West subdivision. The first incident was reported on or about October 20th, 1970, by a young couple, who were sitting in a parked car and were approached by a man who was dressed in a bunny suit and wielding an axe. The man yelled at the couple for trespassing and threw the axe at the car, breaking the windshield.
In the second incident, an overnight security guard at the Kings Park West subdivision reported seeing a man in a bunny suit using an axe to chop away at a newly built but unoccupied home. The incident took place on or around October 30th, 1970, a short distance away from the first incident. The security guard told investigators that the man again mentioned trespassing, threatening to harm people who continued to trespass.
A third incident was shared with Fairfax County police officers, where a staff person at the Kings Park West subdivision reported getting a threatening phone call on or around October 31st, 1970. The caller identified himself as ‘The Axe Man’ and threatened to harm the staffer based on the company’s trespass and damage to the land.
Perhaps the Bunnyman was a disgruntled local who was angry about the changes coming to this part of Fairfax County: the axe, use of the word ‘trespass’, and timeline of the incidents would lead to that conclusion. Or maybe it was a prank that took on new dimensions as the myth grew and morphed. At any rate, you’ll never ever catch us there after dark, and especially not on Halloween.
Other Appearances
The Bunnyman legend has reached beyond Fairfax County. It has inspired a horror movie franchise called The Bunnyman. The 2001 film Donnie Darko was reportedly inspired by the Bunnyman legend. Donnie Darko is a suburban teen played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who has daytime visions of a man in a bunny suit who manipulates and controls him. Director Richard Kelly grew up in Virginia, and the story is set in a fictional Virginia town.
Even actor, artist, and musician Johnny Depp knows about the story. His 2023 collection, The Bunnyman Genesi,s features artworks created by Johnny. In an interview about the collection, Johnny said that the figure had come to him in a dream as a child, and the memory was jogged by a similar experience with his son. He views the Bunnyman as a guardian. It is unknown whether Johnny’s time in Fairfax County for his 2022 trial helped inspire the artwork.
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Here in Fairfax County, the Bunnyman legend has been embraced as inspiration for musicians and brewmasters, and other community members. Bunnyman Brewing Company, located at 5583 Guinea Road in Fairfax, was founded by two Fairfax County locals who embrace the mythology. Co-owners Sam Gray and Eric Barrett’s brewery is one block away from the famed bridge, and the Bunnyman iconography is all over the brewery’s merchandise.
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In 2014, a local music group wrote and recorded an original, 26-song Rock opera called The Legend of the Bunnyman. The Mantua Finials are a group of Fairfax County musicians who were inspired by the legend. The musical can be streamed on Amazon. One local quilter has immortalized the legend in fabric, according to the Washington Post. She repurposed a pattern for Bigfoot to get the figure of the Bunnyman.
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The town of Clifton has embraced its role in the story. The Clifton Haunted Trail is a seasonal attraction specializing in Halloween haunts, and the Bunnyman makes an appearance every year.
Spooky season or not, this iconic piece of local lore has kept residents guessing for decades. If you’re brave enough to visit the Bridge at night, or near Halloween, or at night near Halloween, we hope you make it back safely.
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