In 1898, the British Empire’s ambitious goal to connect East Africa by rail hit a blood-soaked standstill at the Tsavo River in Kenya. This real-life nightmare became the basis for the 1996 historical thriller . The Mission and the Monsters
: Terrified workers believe the lions are not animals at all, but demons—spirits of ancient kings returned to stop the bridge. They name them "The Ghost" and "The Darkness".
: Colonel John Henry Patterson (played by Val Kilmer), an Irish engineer, arrives in Tsavo with orders to complete a massive railway bridge on a strict deadline.
: Shortly after construction begins, a pair of maneless male lions begin a relentless hunting spree. Unlike typical predators, these two seem to hunt for sport rather than just hunger, dragging workers from their tents in the dead of night.