Hello there!
Are you looking for a reason not to sleep tonight or
ever again? Cool-cool-cool same, so let's join spooky hands and
run through 17 of the scariest urban legends ever. Let's see...we
have a wailing ghost who wanders rivers trying to doom people, a
cryptid that feasts on goat blood, an axe murderer who spends his
time dressed as a bunny (nope, do not want), and Slender Man—
an urban legend so very legendary that people have tried to kill in
his name.
Ready? Yeah me neither, but here we go I guess. Also, a word of
warning: after reading this list, you will likely assume that every
friendly dog who tries to lick your hand is secretly a serial killer
trying to murder you. Enjoy the nightmares!
Let's kick things off with this total classic, involving a deranged
dude with a hook for a hand who goes around attacking couples
trying to make out in their cars. Usually, said couples are listening
to the radio, and find out that a serial killer has escaped a mental
institution RIGHT before getting slashed to death. Oh, and our
dude almost always leaves his hook hanging ominously in the car
door.
Naale Baa
Naale Baa is an Indian urban legend involving a malevolent spirit
dressed as a bride who manipulates people into letting her inside
their homes. But once you open the door? You're toast. The only
way to deter Naale Baa is to write her name on your door, so
excuse me while I go do that real quick, thanks.
Teke Teke
The legend of Teke Teke hails from Japan, and involves the spirit of
a young woman who was tragically cut in half during a train
accident. Apparently, the top half of Teke Teke's body can be found
wandering stations in the evenings—and legend says she'll cut you
in half if you run into her. So yeah, something else to worry about
next time you're taking the train home!
Rat King
Despite the name, Rat King is not a cute rodent reigning over his
whiskered subjects. Rat King is the horrifying name for a
phenomenon where rats become tangled together and form a
giant super rat. The worst part is, this is a thing
that actually happens—so it's less of an urban legend and more of
a terrifying glimpse at what's probably going down in the New York
City subways.
The Roommate
This is one of those stories that gets passed around from friend to
friend and is likely very untrue, but here's the deal. Once upon a
time, a college student comes home after a party and sees her
roommate lying in bed. No bigs / ordinary, so she goes to sleep.
But uh, when she wakes up the next morning, she sees that her
roommate's throat has been slit and the words "aren’t you glad
you didn’t turn on the light?” are drawn on the wall in blood.
Thanks, I hate it!
The Vanishing Hitchhiker
This one has been around FOREVER thanks to multiple people
telling the same story: they pick up a hitchhiker, everything's
normal, and then poof! Said hitchhiker vanishes from the car.
Guess the consensus is that ghosts are trolling us? Kinda here for
it.
The Spider Bite
I honestly don't even know how to describe this one, so I'll just go
ahead and say it: The Spider Bite is an urban legend about a, duh,
spider bite which swells up and bursts, revealing millions of tiny
baby spiders in the wound. I'll give you a moment to collect
yourself and/or vomit.
La Llorona
Yours truly grew up with this particular folktale, which originates in
Mexico and is about a mother named Maria (aka La Llorona) who
threw her children into a river upon realizing that her husband was
unfaithful. She immediately regretted the impulsive act, and so
legend says that if you lurk around rivers or arroyos after dark, you
might come across her wailing spirit. La Llorona wears a highly
haunting all-white lace outfit, and laying eyes on her will bring you
death and doom so RUN THE HELL AWAY.
Bloody Mary
Hands up if you've ever walked into the bathroom, turned the
lights on and off, and chanted "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody
Mary" in front of the mirror. Because apparently this is how you
summon ya girl Mary! And the good news is that sometimes Mary's
nice. The bad news is she often appears as a corpse covered in
blood. So yeah.
P.S. If you've ever played Bloody Mary and truly thought you saw
her, don't worry—you were most likely hallucinating, which
apparently can happen when you stare into a mirror for too long.
The alternative is you're just seeing the spirit of a dead girl. Either
way!
Chupacabra
Ah yes, the Chupacabra! 'Tis a legendary cryptid rumored to
meander around the Southwest and Puerto Rico. This deranged-
looking furry friend is said to drink the blood of goats and other
unlucky livestock, and there's no way you want to be caught near
one. Apparently, the Chupacabra has been doing his thing since
the '90s, when eight sheep were found drained of blood in Puerto
Rico. A few months later, a whole SLEW of farm animals were
killed, and after that, people all over the world started citing
reports of their livestock having two puncture wounds and zero
bodily fluids.
There's been a ton of legitimate research about whether or not the
Chupacabra is real, and the answer is no-ish. IRL sightings are
probably just coyotes with mange, but still.
