Mark Laita, who first created a video about the Whittakers of Odd, West Virginia, five years ago, has consistently returned to provide updates on the family via YouTube
The filmmaker who highlighted what’s been called “America’s most inbred family” has revealed his first meeting with them.
Mark Laita, who initially produced a video about the Whittakers from Odd, West Virginia, five years ago, has regularly returned to share updates about the family through YouTube.
The Whittaker family’s inbreeding started when children of identical twin brothers Henry and John married each other, creating generations of inbreeding that caused many offspring to have serious disabilities.
Laita disclosed it was originally difficult to approach the family because of their protective neighbours.
Nevertheless, he eventually discovered a police officer who accompanied him to their residence, reports the Mirror US.
During an appearance on the Koncrete Klips podcast, the filmmaker explained: “We came around to this road, which turns into a country road, which turns into a dirt road.”, reports the Mirror US.
He added: “Then we come to this trailer and then a little shack on the other side of the road. And there’s these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us.”
Laita compared his initial encounter with the family to a scene from the thriller film Deliverance. He said: “One bloke, you would look him in the eye or say anything and he would just scream and go running away, and his trousers would fall around his ankles, and he would go running off and go and kick a rubbish bin. And this would happen over and over. It was out of control – the maddest thing I have ever witnessed.”
At first, the family was reluctant to engage with Laita, but he slowly established a connection with them by offering to take photographs for a deceased relative’s coffin.
He subsequently returned to film Inbred Family – The Whittakers in 2020.
He confessed that it was “difficult to communicate with them” but has since produced videos for his YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly, chronicling their existence.
The videos carry titles such as “Christmas season with the Whittakers”, “The Whittaker family cemetery”, and “The Whittakers go to the state fair”.
Laita disclosed that over the years, he has received contrasting responses from viewers regarding his videos.
Some brand him an “exploitative b******” whilst others find the clips “incredible”.
He conceded his work was exploitative, but contended that it was unavoidable in life, stating: “It feels exploitative but I think it’s good for us all to know that these things exist. The hotel I’m staying at, they’re exploiting my need for sleep. The restaurant I ate breakfast at is exploiting my hunger. Everything is exploitative. Photography and video are especially by nature exploitative.”