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Who doesn’t love a good story? And for many of us, a scary story that sends chills up our spines is even better. Urban legends are a type of folklore with stories about events that people believe to be true but are usually not true. Urban legends can be humorous, but most of the time, they include troubling or mysterious events, like strange entities, objects, or disappearances.
Slender Man
This tall, thin, faceless man with extra long limbs is said to appear in photos with young children right before they go missing. In 2014, two girls lured a friend into the woods and killed her. When questioned, they said they did it to impress the Slender Man.
Dudleytown
There is a town in Connecticut that locals call the “dark vortex.” It’s rumored that if anyone takes an artifact from the town, a horrible curse will be placed on them. Visitors have also reported light orbs, black shadows, and disembodied voices.
Bangladesh Soul Snatchers
According to the legend, evil spirits who have sold themselves to the devil try to snatch the souls of the deceased during funeral processions and drag them to hell. Because of this, people now fight to hold onto a coffin during a procession.
Arizona SkinWalkers
Arizona skinwalkers are said to be half-human, shapeshifting monsters that roam the Arizona desert at night. In 1987, when a Navajo female was found murdered in Flagstaff, the defense team said the attack was so gruesome it could only have been committed by a skinwalker.
The Hook
A couple is parked in a secluded area on a warm summer night. A news flash comes over the radio, stating a lunatic has escaped from the local asylum. He is recognizable because he has a hook in place of one hand. The girl wants to leave the area, but the boy does not. The girl finally turns off the radio, and they hear a scratch at the door. Finally, the boy agrees to leave, and they speed off. Once they get home, the boy walks around the car to open his girlfriend’s door and finds a bloody stump of the lunatic’s hook hanging on the door handle.
The Watcher
An urban legend from New Jersey that became famous in 2015, The Watcher is a legend of a young family who moved into their dream home. Shortly after settling in, they began receiving letters signed by “The Watcher.” The writer said he had to watch over the house, and the letters were filled with disturbing sentences such as “Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested?” It is said the family is still receiving letters today.
Seven Gates of Hell
This modern urban legend focuses on a burnt-down lunatic asylum in a heavily wooded part of York County, Pennsylvania. People say anyone who goes through all seven gates is sent straight to hell.
Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary is one of the most famous urban legends. It’s said that if you go into a dark room with all the lights turned out, look into a mirror, and say her name three times, her bloody face will appear. In earlier versions, the story says unwed women would see the face of the man they’d marry in the glass. However, if they did not marry, they would see a skull.
Chupacabra
Chupacabra is a monster that’s supposed to roam the New Mexico deserts. It’s said to resemble a bear-sized dog with glowing eyes and large spikes along its back. If that’s not scary enough, Chupacabra can fly and suck the blood of livestock. In fact, the name translates to “goat sucker.”
The Jersey Devil (13th Child)
This urban legend is over 250 years old. It’s said that in 1735, a woman living in the woods of New Jersey’s Pink Barrens cursed the birth of her thirteenth child. The cloven-hoofed, bat-winged creature has been terrorizing the area ever since.
Polybius
Polybius is said to be an arcade game that has strange and often lethal effects on its players. It’s claimed that the game can bring on disorientation, feelings of amnesia, and even suicidal thoughts. Occasionally, men would visit arcades to get data from the game and then promptly disappear. Some believed it was an awful CIA experiment, but we’ll never really know.
Bunny Man
It might be a cute name, but the bunny man is anything but cute. The legend says that a man from Virginia, dressed in a rabbit suit, kills people with an ax. There’s also a bridge named after him, and around Halloween, Bunny Man is said to kill and skin rabbits and hang them on the Bunny Man Bridge.
The Spider Bite
Keep scrolling if you hate spiders. This legend claims a woman returns home from traveling in a foreign land with a large pimple on her face. Despite many attempts to cure the zit, it turns into a boil. When the boil finally pops, hundreds of baby spiders rush out.
Missouri River Monster (Miniwashitu)
It may be known as the Missouri River monster, but this legend actually takes place in North Dakota. The story goes that in the spring, the monster swims upriver, breaking up any ice left over from the winter. Harmless enough, right? No, not really, because it’s said that if you see this legendary monster during the day, you’ll go insane.
Petrified Forest
Known as one of the most beautiful state parks in the U.S., the Escalante Petrified Forest in Utah has its own sinister urban legend. People believe that if you take a piece of petrified wood from the forest, you’ll be cursed with bad luck for the rest of your life.
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