23 of the Creepiest Urban Legends, From Bloody Mary to Bigfoot

Urban legends come from every town, region, and country in the world…and each one is more spooky and spine-chilling than the last. These stories are often horrific and sometimes humorous, but they’re considered completely fictional—although many derive from at least a small kernel of truth. Whether you’re fascinated by the folkloric and macabre or want a spooky story to tell around your next campfire, this list of famously frightening urban legends from the United States, Japan, and other countries will surely keep your hair raised and your blood curdled for a long time to come…just don’t say we didn’t warn you!

The Most Famous Urban Legends

Area 51: A U.S. Air Force base dedicated to studying alien spacecraft and technology.
Chupacabra: A winged goat-like cryptid that sucks the blood of livestock.
Bigfoot: A large ape-like creature that lives in the forests of North America.
Bloody Mary: A ghostly woman who appears in the mirror after her name is said thrice.
Mothman: A giant winged humanoid creature said to appear before deadly disasters.

1

Am I Pretty Girl

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This Japanese legend is known as Kuchisake-onna or the Slit-Mouthed Woman. Originating in Japan during the Heian period (794 – 1185), the story tells of a very beautiful woman who was married to a samurai. Although she was admired for her beauty, she was also vain and ended up having an affair. Enraged by her betrayal, her samurai husband slit her mouth from ear to ear before asking her, “Who will think you’re pretty now?” ^{[1]
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- Following this story, people in Japan then began to spread warnings of a woman wearing a surgical mask approaching people (particularly children) at night and asking them if she was pretty.
- If they said no, she would cut their faces in a similar way to her own. If they said yes, she would reveal her face and ask again. If they said no this time, she would cut their faces. If they said yes, she’d still follow them home and kill them.
- According to Japanese lore, the only way to escape her would be to confuse her with an answer like “you’re okay” or “you’re so-so,” rather than a definite “yes” or “no.”

2

Area 51

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Area 51 is a famous U.S. Air Force base connected to extraterrestrial activity. The infamous mystery around Area 51 makes it arguably one of the most famous urban legends in America—but what is it? The idea is that Area 51—a U.S. Air Force base in the state of Nevada—is used to store alien spacecraft and study their technologies. It’s believed that a UFO landed in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and that the spacecraft and the bodies of the alien pilots are housed in Area 51. ^{[2]
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- Some people have reported UFO sightings above and around the Air Force base. ^{[3]
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- The U.S. government claims that the crashed craft was actually a weather balloon, although the Air Force has admitted that the wreckage from the Roswell crash was part of a secret spy project involving advanced aircraft from other countries.
- Despite the government’s protestations against the Area 51 legend, the story itself is fueled by the base’s public inaccessibility and the general secrecy around what goes on inside. ^{[4]
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3

The Bandage Man

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The Bandage Man is a ghostly legend said to haunt Oregon’s stretch of Highway 101. The first mention of the bandage man appeared in the 1950s when he was described as the mummy of a logger that was hacked to death in a sawmill accident. He’s said to be wrapped completely in bloody bandages with a smell of rotting flesh. According to legend, he haunts a stretch of Highway 101 near the notable beach town of Cannon Beach, Oregon. ^{[5]
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- Some stories of the Bandage Man involve him targeting teens in parked cars or moving vehicles with open tops (like convertibles and pickup trucks). Apparently, he jumps into the vehicle and mysteriously disappears before arriving in town, leaving behind no trace except for his rotting stench.
- He’s also been said to feed on dogs, small animals, and (rarely) an unfortunate individual.

4

The Bath Game (Daruma-san)

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Daruma-san is a famed Japanese urban legend with a similarly spooky game. The story and game derive from an old Japanese children’s game called Daruma-san or the Bath Game. In the ritualistic game, players are instructed to turn off the lights in a bathroom, fill the tub with water, and sit on the edge. They should then close their eyes and wash their hair while chanting, “Daruma-san fell down, Daruma-san fell down.” ^{[6]
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- According to legend, players should begin to see a ghostly figure falling and dying in the bathtub. They’re advised to avoid making eye contact at the risk of incurring her wrath.

5

Bigfoot

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The famous cryptid is said to be a large ape-like creature inhabiting North America. The urban legend of Bigfoot (also known as Sasquatch) tells of a hairy biped animal that stands 6–15 ft (2–4.5 m) tall and leaves behind footprints that are up to 24 in (60 cm) in length. ^{[7]
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Research source} Some witnesses have said that he moves silently, while others claim that he smells foul and makes high-pitched cries. ^{[8]
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- All sightings of Bigfoot have been reported in North America, and he’s most strongly associated with the forested areas of Pacific Northwest states like Oregon and Washington. These reports started as early as the late 1800s.
- Some individuals have claimed to have photographic evidence of Bigfoot, but all of these specimens are either blurry or have been proven fake. ^{[9]
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6

Bloody Mary

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Bloody Mary is one of the most infamous urban legends with a storied history. The most well-known aspect of this legend is the Bloody Mary game , where someone says her name repeatedly in the mirror in a dark room. After three recitations, it’s said that the ghost of Bloody Mary will appear. According to different tellings, Mary may appear as a benevolent ghostly woman holding a dead baby, or she may be a malevolent spirit who tries to scratch or kill her summoner, turn them insane, or pull them into the mirror. ^{[10]
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- Some believe the story derives from the life of Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed, a Hungarian noblewoman accused of torturing and killing hundreds of young women during the 16th and 17th centuries. ^{[11]
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- Others point to Queen Mary I of England as a potential source, as she was nicknamed “Bloody Mary” due to the hundreds of Protestant followers whom she burned at the stake. ^{[12]
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- However, one of the prevailing stories of Bloody Mary describes her as a young girl named Mary who lived during the 1800s. An illness swept through her town, causing people to drop dead soon after contracting the sickness. ^{[13]
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- There were many cases of people being pronounced dead mistakenly. So, townspeople would drill a small hole in a coffin, put a piece of string through the hole, and tie either end of the string around the deceased’s finger, and a bell hung next to their home. The idea was that if the “dead” person woke up, they’d ring the bell and be dug up.
- According to the tale, this is exactly what happened to Mary. However, her parents moved away a few weeks after her burial. So when she awoke in the grave, she pulled and pulled the string until the bell fell—and no one heard her. She clawed and scratched away at the coffin until she drew her last breath.
- When her parents came back home, they realized what had happened, unlatched the coffin, and found her coffin covered in scratches and her hands covered in blood. They put a mirror under her nose to check for signs of breath, to no avail. For this reason, her spirit is said to be attached to mirrors.

7

Chain Mail

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Chain letters were a spooky tech phenomenon popular in the early 21st century. If you were on the internet in the 2000s and early 2010s, you likely remember receiving chain emails that demanded that you copy and forward the letter to a certain number of recipients. The emails would also specify that, if you didn’t forward the email, a certain type of bad luck or misfortune would befall you. ^{[14]
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- Over time, you become a part of a “chain” as the email is rapidly copied and forwarded to dozens of people at a time, who then forward it to dozens more people.
- Some of the most popular chain letter stories include “The Cursed Necklace,” which tells of a necklace that brings bad luck to everyone who doesn’t pass it on, and “The Dead Child,” a story about a tragic accident said to happen to email recipients who don’t pass on the message.

8

Chupacabra

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The cryptid is typically depicted as a winged and horned goat-like creature with glowing eyes that attacks and kills livestock in order to feed on their blood. Fittingly, the name “chupacabra” derives from the Spanish words chupar (“to suck”) and cabra (“goat”). ^{[15]
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Research source} Chupacabras are associated with North and South America, with notable sightings occurring in Puerto Rico, Chile, Mexico, and Maine. However, they’ve become a popular figure in Latin American folklore stories and mainstream media productions. ^{[16]
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9

Cropsey

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The “Cropsey” legend tells of a New York serial killer who abducted children. In the 1970s and 80s, stories about an escaped mental patient who lived in the tunnels beneath the abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution began to circulate in Staten Island. According to legend, this person with a mental health condition—known as Cropsey—would leave the tunnels at night with a bloody axe to abduct children off of the street. ^{[17]
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- This legend was likely based on the many child disappearances in the Staten Island area during the mid-to-late 1900s. Nowadays, the story is usually linked to real-life kidnapper Andre Rand. ^{[18]
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10

The Devil’s Chair

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The Devil’s Chair is a supposedly haunted cemetery bench in Florida. The bench, located in the city of Cassadaga, is sat right next to a grave in the Thatcher family burial plot in the Lake Helen Cemetery. There are several stories associated with the bench, including anyone sitting in the chair will see the Devil, anyone who sits in the chair at midnight will be spoken to by the Devil, an unopened can of beer left on the chair will be empty by morning, and a young man who sat on the at midnight on Halloween has never been seen since. ^{[19]
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- There are other reported “Devil’s Chairs” in cemeteries across the world., including one in Kansas and one in Shropshire, England. ^{[20]
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11

Ghost Samuel Chew

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The Delaware urban legend tells of a ghost who took revenge on his tormentors. Samuel Chew, according to the stories, was a normal man who served as the Chief Justice of Delaware in the 1700s. Due to the phonetics of his name, he was tormented relentlessly by the people in his community who would fake a sneeze or make chewing sounds whenever he passed by. ^{[21]
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- As soon as Samuel Chew passed away, he began to haunt the town he lived in—Dover, Delaware—and the people who had mocked him.
- Many townspeople reported sightings of Chew’s ghost. They described him as dressed in a judge’s robe with a white powdered wig. Allegedly, he would pull on the tail coats of men and send shivers up women’s spines.
- In the aftermath of the sightings, people in the town closed up their shops and houses, stayed indoors, and set curfews once the sun set. Eventually, the town decided that the only way to get rid of Chew’s ghost was to hold a funeral.
- The town of Dover then hosted a funeral for Chew’s spirit, burying an empty casket under the tree where he was most often reported to be seen. According to reports, this ritual mostly suppressed his ghostly apparition.

12

Goatman

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This half-man, half-goat creature is said to live in the woods of Maryland. The Goatman is a mythical cryptid described as a vengeful spirit who protects his land and kills dogs and other small animals. Allegedly, he was once a scientist who did experiments on goats at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. During an experiment gone wrong, he mutated into a half-man, half-goat creature and eventually went insane—becoming the murderous creature that we now know as the Goatman. ^{[22]
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- The most famous stories of the Goatman come from Maryland, where he’s said to be seen walking alone at night along Fletchertown Road, Crybaby Bridge, and other desolate pathways.
- However, there have been many iterations of a Goatman creature in other U.S. states like Kentucky and Georgia. ^{[23]
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13

The Grunch

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This New Orleans legend tells of a group of half-human, half-monster cryptids. The Grunch isn’t just one creature; it’s a whole species of supernatural beings that make up one of Louisiana’s spookiest urban legends. These cryptids are said to live in the bayous, having evolved there due to isolation. They allegedly have an insatiable hunger for fear and despair and will feed off the emotions of their victims, drawing strength from their terror and fear. ^{[24]
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- The name of the Grunch comes from Grunch Road, an old dirt road in New Orleans.

14

Halloween Razors

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Many generations have spread the rumor that razors are placed in Halloween candy. The myth is that strangers hide razor blades in candy and chocolate bars to be handed out to children during trick-or-treating on Halloween. This common cautionary tale is told on a widespread level to children and parents to caution against the holiday’s practices, as well as to caution against accepting goods from strangers. ^{[25]
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- However, there is no evidence that children have ever been killed or seriously injured by contaminated candy.
- That being said, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration still maintains that adults should inspect a child’s candy before they eat it. While there are no substantiated reports of razors in Halloween candy, there have been reports of drugs like fentanyl being disguised as rainbow-colored candies. ^{[26]
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15

The Hookman

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This iconic horror myth tells of a hook-handed figure who attacks couples. There are many iterations of the Hookman legend, but almost all involve a murderous man who has a hook for a hand. His attacks usually take place in rural areas that have a nearby mental institution—where he’s said to have escaped from. He typically targets couples, especially at secluded and romantic spots like Lover’s Lanes. ^{[27]
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- In many stories, the couple is sitting in the car listening to a radio announcement about Hookman’s escape before they are suddenly attacked.

16

Inunaki Village

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This Japanese story tells of a fictional town living outside of Japan’s rule of law. The micronation of Inunaki is said to be located within the tunnel of the Inunaki mountain pass in Fukuoka Prefecture. The town, whose name translates to “Howling Village,” rejects Japan’s constitution and lives without the oversight of the government or its laws. According to some stories, the village is populated by cannibal demon worshippers, and the “demon” that they worship keeps their village hidden. ^{[28]
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- In other stories, there’s a phone booth outside the Inunaki tunnel that rings every night. If someone answers it, they’ll be taken to Inunaki and go insane before dying.
- The Inunaki tunnel (a real place) is no longer in use and is sealed with concrete blocks, although it has become a tourist hotspot since the release of the Japanese horror movie Howling Village (2019).
- Aside from the stories of the village, the tunnel itself is also thought to be haunted due to the many workers who died due to accidents and mishaps during its construction. A real murder also occurred there in 1988, and a dead body was found in the nearby dam in 2000.

17

The Jersey Devil

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This centuries-old mythical creature is said to live in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The first stories of the Jersey Devil emerged over 250 years ago, telling of a creature with a horse’s head, man’s body, bat wings, and a long tail. He allegedly has the ability to fly, a terrifying scream, and supernatural strength and speed. ^{[29]
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- According to legend, the Jersey Devil was the thirteenth child of a woman named Mother Leeds, who asked the devil to take the child away before he was born. During the birth, the child then transformed into the Jersey Devil and flew away.
- The Jersey Devil is a famous urban legend in New Jersey. It is said to skulk through the marshes of southern New Jersey, occasionally emerging to attack nearby towns and cities.
- Sightings of the Jersey Devil have even been reported by prominent figures like Commodore Stephen Decatur and Joseph Bonaparte. ^{[30]
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18

Mothman

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Mothman is a winged creature with glowing red eyes who is said to foretell disaster. Stories of the massive moth-like monster first appeared in Point Pleasant, West Virginia during the 1960s. Multiple sources told of a huge, flying winged creature that appeared at night—with its glowing red eyes boring through the darkness—often near the former TNT plant in Point Pleasant. ^{[31]
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- These reports came just before the collapse of the Silver Bridge, resulting in the deaths of 46 people, which led to the belief that the Mothman appeared in order to foreshadow a major disaster.
- Some people have claimed to see the Mothman before other tragic disasters, including 9/11, Chernobyl, Fukushima, the Russian apartment bombings, and the 2009 outbreak of the Mexican swine flu. ^{[32]
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19

Rat King

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The phenomenon of so-called “rat kings” has been reported in countries worldwide. According to legend, the tails of a large group of rats may become so tightly entangled that the rodents are bound together. This entanglement results in a living mass of rats that moves as one creature. This alleged phenomenon led to the development of a cryptid called the “rat king,” with the “king” aspect likely referring to the idea of the mass having a singular leader. ^{[33]
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- In 2021, a Rat King was found in Estonia. A woman found it whilst cleaning her chicken coops, and it was still alive! ^{[34]
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20

Resurrection Mary

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Resurrection Mary describes the spirit of a young woman hitchhiking through Chicago. According to Illinois’ famous urban legend, “Mary” is a beautiful young woman in a white party dress who appears as a hitchhiker along Archer Avenue near Resurrection Cemetery in the town of Justice. When picked up, Mary asks for a ride to a nearby location but mysteriously disappears from the vehicle when nearing the grounds of the cemetery. ^{[35]
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- Allegedly, Mary died in a car accident and is searching for her final resting place, which is believed to be in the Resurrection Cemetery.

21

Skinwalkers

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Skinwalkers are malevolent shapeshifters originating in Native American folklore. Particularly among the Navajo people, skinwalkers are creatures who can transform into any animal by wearing the animal's skin. Skinwalkers most frequently disguise themselves as coyotes or wolves, which allows them to stalk and attack humans without being noticed. According to legend, skinwalkers gain this shapeshifting ability through evil acts like murder, familicide, or witchcraft. ^{[36]
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- The creatures are a great source of fear within Native American folklore and legend, and it’s often considered taboo to discuss them openly within certain tribes.

22

Sewer Alligator

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This mythical alligator is said to live in the sewers of New York City. The sewer alligator is a popular urban legend in Manhattan and beyond, and its story has been widely circulated in books, movies, and television shows. However, the origins of the creature are factual, coming from a 1935 incident where an 8-foot alligator was found in a sewer. ^{[37]
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- The discovery of the large reptile was largely reported on in the press, with the story experiencing a resurgence in the 1950s and the emergence of the urban legend maintaining popularity throughout the 20th and 21st century. ^{[38]
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- Biologists and historians have continuously debunked the myth, insisting that no large predator could survive in the NYC sewer system.
- However, these denials haven’t stopped New Yorkers from embracing the legend—the city celebrates Alligator in the Sewer Day in February, and the 14th St subway station boasts a bronze sculpture of a gator climbing out of a manhole. ^{[39]
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23

Vampire Mercy Brown

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Mercy Brown was a real woman caught up in the New England Vampire Panic. Mercy Brown was a young woman from Rhode Island who died from tuberculosis in 1892. Around this same time, a phenomenon known as the “New England Vampire Panic” swept through the northeastern United States, leading people in rural communities to believe that dead people could return as vampires, spread disease, and drain the life out of their living relatives. ^{[40]
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- After Mercy’s death, her brother became ill, and her family members believed that she must have become a vampire after death, making her the source of her living brother’s illness.
- Mercy’s family and neighbors exhumed her body, reportedly removing and burning her organs in an attempt to stop her “vampire” curse from spreading and killing more individuals in the community.
- This incident is largely considered to be one of the last known cases of “vampire hunting” in the U.S.
- While Mercy Brown’s story is based on a real person and event, the idea of her being a “vampire” is what constitutes this story as an urban legend.

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23 of the Creepiest Urban Legends, From Bloody Mary to Bigfoot

The Most Famous Urban Legends

Steps

Am I Pretty Girl

Area 51

The Bandage Man

The Bath Game (Daruma-san)

Bigfoot

Bloody Mary

Chain Mail

Chupacabra

Cropsey

The Devil’s Chair

Ghost Samuel Chew

Goatman

The Grunch

Halloween Razors

The Hookman

Inunaki Village

The Jersey Devil

Mothman

Rat King

Resurrection Mary

Skinwalkers

Sewer Alligator

Vampire Mercy Brown

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