Ghost-less ghost stories, urban legends are modern day fairytales. Just as Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks were spread by oral tradition, urban myths are spread by word of mouth, creating contemporary folklore, often with a moral sting in the tail. Let's face it, a sleepover isn't complete without at least one candlelit tale of terror.
Much like traditional folklore, modern myths are embellished or altered as they are retold. Most are still told orally over marshmallows and hot chocolate but some are recorded. Here are some of the best.
The spider bite
Possibly one of the more "believed" urban myths, this one tells the tale of a young person, often a traveller to a far-flung location, who is bitten by a spider and/or an ant. On returning home, the victim experiences a "hatching" whereby parasitic baby spiders and/or ants burst out from under their skin.
FYI – this isn't physically possible, but it hasn't stopped parasitology being a defining feature of the body horror genre from Alien and Wrath of Kahn to Stephen King's Dreamcatcher and Stephenie Meyer's The Host.
Possibly one of the more "believed" urban myths, this one tells the tale of a young person, often a traveller to a far-flung location, who is bitten by a spider and/or an ant. On returning home, the victim experiences a "hatching" whereby parasitic baby spiders and/or ants burst out from under their skin.
FYI – this isn't physically possible, but it hasn't stopped parasitology being a defining feature of the body horror genre from Alien and Wrath of Kahn to Stephen King's Dreamcatcher and Stephenie Meyer's The Host.
The hookman
Another campfire must, this tale features an amorous young couple out for a drive when the radio informs them a hook-handed lunatic has escaped from a local institution. Either the couple go home to find a hook embedded in the back of the car or one of them ends up suspended above the car with his fingers scraping against the roof.
In the original, novelised version of I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, the killer uses a gun but the cinematic version by Kevin Williamson features a hook-handed fishermen hell-bent on revenge. The Candyman also has a hook for a hand.
Another campfire must, this tale features an amorous young couple out for a drive when the radio informs them a hook-handed lunatic has escaped from a local institution. Either the couple go home to find a hook embedded in the back of the car or one of them ends up suspended above the car with his fingers scraping against the roof.
In the original, novelised version of I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, the killer uses a gun but the cinematic version by Kevin Williamson features a hook-handed fishermen hell-bent on revenge. The Candyman also has a hook for a hand.
The hidden staircase leads to a secret room.
The licked hand
In this popular tale, a scared girl (or sometimes an old woman) listens to an ominous dripping coming from within her home. She is reassured by the presence of her faithful dog who licks her hand from under the bed. Eventually, she investigates the noise only to find her dog slaughtered and a message written in blood – "humans can lick hands too".
This story was actually taken from a much earlier MR James story called 'The Diary of Mr Poynter' in which a character experiences a similar fate.
In this popular tale, a scared girl (or sometimes an old woman) listens to an ominous dripping coming from within her home. She is reassured by the presence of her faithful dog who licks her hand from under the bed. Eventually, she investigates the noise only to find her dog slaughtered and a message written in blood – "humans can lick hands too".
This story was actually taken from a much earlier MR James story called 'The Diary of Mr Poynter' in which a character experiences a similar fate.
Location, location, location
As someone eager to get on the property ladder, I don't know how bothered I'd be to check what my house was built on, but you might want to get a surveyor to have a look. Everyone knows houses built on burial grounds are bound to be cursed, right? Although ancient Indian Burial mounds are few and far between in the USA, they sure get a lot of flack.
From Stephen King's The Shining and Pet Cemetery to Hollywood classic Poltergeist and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the message is very clear – don't just look at a home before you buy it, look under it.
As someone eager to get on the property ladder, I don't know how bothered I'd be to check what my house was built on, but you might want to get a surveyor to have a look. Everyone knows houses built on burial grounds are bound to be cursed, right? Although ancient Indian Burial mounds are few and far between in the USA, they sure get a lot of flack.
From Stephen King's The Shining and Pet Cemetery to Hollywood classic Poltergeist and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the message is very clear – don't just look at a home before you buy it, look under it.
The call is from inside the house
The moral is clear: WOMEN, PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN. Variations of this one see a babysitter being tormented by threatening phone calls that turn out to be coming from a inside the house. The children in her care are often murdered.
Variations of this story are everywhere, notably in Point Horrors The Babysitter by RL Stine and Mother's Helper by A Bates. Kevin Williamson paid homage in the Scream series as did I in Hollow Pike. With advances in mobile phone technology expect this to develop into Snapchat based horror or killers using Tinder to track down their victims.
The moral is clear: WOMEN, PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN. Variations of this one see a babysitter being tormented by threatening phone calls that turn out to be coming from a inside the house. The children in her care are often murdered.
Variations of this story are everywhere, notably in Point Horrors The Babysitter by RL Stine and Mother's Helper by A Bates. Kevin Williamson paid homage in the Scream series as did I in Hollow Pike. With advances in mobile phone technology expect this to develop into Snapchat based horror or killers using Tinder to track down their victims.
The Slender Man
A truly modern modern myth, Slender Man started online as part of a competition to Photoshop pictures to include a supernatural element. User 'Victor Surge' added a suited, faceless, unnaturally tall figure into two black and white photos which were copied and distributed virally over the net.
Since then, millions of authors, mostly online, have shared and spread the story on websites such as Creepypasta. The Slender Man's modus operandi is to abduct people, often children who seem to willingly go with the figure never to be seen again, making him a terrifying version of the Pied Piper. New urban legends will almost certainly have some sort of viral online element. Jeff the Killer is a similar, facially disfigured internet meme.
A truly modern modern myth, Slender Man started online as part of a competition to Photoshop pictures to include a supernatural element. User 'Victor Surge' added a suited, faceless, unnaturally tall figure into two black and white photos which were copied and distributed virally over the net.
Since then, millions of authors, mostly online, have shared and spread the story on websites such as Creepypasta. The Slender Man's modus operandi is to abduct people, often children who seem to willingly go with the figure never to be seen again, making him a terrifying version of the Pied Piper. New urban legends will almost certainly have some sort of viral online element. Jeff the Killer is a similar, facially disfigured internet meme.
Dropbears
According to the Australian Museum, “Drop Bears can be found in the densely forested regions of the Great Dividing Range in South-eastern Australia. However there are also some reports of them from South-east South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island.”
When institutions such as the aforementioned Australian Museum are in on the joke to such a degree that the species – Thylarctos plummetus – has its own fact sheet, it’s no wonder tourist are confused. And not a little afraid: "Once prey is within view, the Drop Bear will drop as much as eight metres to pounce on top of the unsuspecting victim. The initial impact often stuns the prey, allowing it to be bitten on the neck and quickly subdued.”
According to the Australian Museum, “Drop Bears can be found in the densely forested regions of the Great Dividing Range in South-eastern Australia. However there are also some reports of them from South-east South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island.”
When institutions such as the aforementioned Australian Museum are in on the joke to such a degree that the species – Thylarctos plummetus – has its own fact sheet, it’s no wonder tourist are confused. And not a little afraid: "Once prey is within view, the Drop Bear will drop as much as eight metres to pounce on top of the unsuspecting victim. The initial impact often stuns the prey, allowing it to be bitten on the neck and quickly subdued.”
Water Babies
Water babies, according to Native American lore, can be found at Massacre Rocks State Park in Idaho and in Utah Lake, though one origin story is distinctly more upsetting. The Idaho water babies are believed to be the ghosts of young children that the starving people of the Shoshone tribe drowned in the river, choosing this death over one of starvation. It's said that if you sit at the rocks, you can still hear their cries. While some stories claim that the babies simply drowned, others posit that they adapted, grew gills, and have sworn revenge on the living.
In Utah, water babies are believed to be another type of creature altogether. According to Weird US, these water babies were a type of dwarf that lived in the lake and mimicked the sounds of babies crying to drown unsuspecting people. Different water baby legends can be found in Nevada and California, as well. The commonality between them all seems to be luring people into the lake to drown them.
Water babies, according to Native American lore, can be found at Massacre Rocks State Park in Idaho and in Utah Lake, though one origin story is distinctly more upsetting. The Idaho water babies are believed to be the ghosts of young children that the starving people of the Shoshone tribe drowned in the river, choosing this death over one of starvation. It's said that if you sit at the rocks, you can still hear their cries. While some stories claim that the babies simply drowned, others posit that they adapted, grew gills, and have sworn revenge on the living.
In Utah, water babies are believed to be another type of creature altogether. According to Weird US, these water babies were a type of dwarf that lived in the lake and mimicked the sounds of babies crying to drown unsuspecting people. Different water baby legends can be found in Nevada and California, as well. The commonality between them all seems to be luring people into the lake to drown them.
Pinky Pinky
While American kids had Bloody Mary to terrify them out of going the bathroom alone, girls in South Africa had Pinky Pinky, a demon with shockingly pink hair who would target women just trying to use the bathroom.
According to The South African, Pinky Pinky particularly does not like girls who wear pink underwear, and has been known to attack or even murder them.
While American kids had Bloody Mary to terrify them out of going the bathroom alone, girls in South Africa had Pinky Pinky, a demon with shockingly pink hair who would target women just trying to use the bathroom.
According to The South African, Pinky Pinky particularly does not like girls who wear pink underwear, and has been known to attack or even murder them.
The Beijing Ghost Bus
Like so many urban legends, this one begins on a dark and stormy night. While there are more than a few variations on the story, like what number the route was, the story generally goes like this: A bus is traveling late at night, around midnight, and it's the last one of the evening. Two men flag down the bus, and even though the driver is reluctant to pick them up since they're not at a stop, he acquiesces and lets them on anyway. So far, so good.
But, it turns out, it's actually three men. The two are holding up another one who appears to be in rough shape. It also turns out that all three of them are extraordinarily pale, and wearing garb from the Qing Dynasty (which lasted from 1644 through 1911). The bus driver apparently explains it away by claiming that the three are actors who didn't have time to change after work.
As the bus slowly empties out, it gets down to a young man and an elderly person (which has been both a man or a woman, depending on the story). Out of nowhere, the older person picks a fight with the young man, claiming that he stole his wallet and forcing him to get off at the next stop to go to the police. Upon disembarking, they tell the young man that the fight was a ruse to help them get off the bus: apparently the three men on the bus hadn't been touching the ground. Some versions claim that the men didn't have legs at all. The two go to the police to report the alleged spirits, but get ridiculed.
However, the next morning they find out that the bus never completed its route. Some versions state that the bus was never found, while others claim that the bus was found days later with three severely decomposed bodies inside.
Like so many urban legends, this one begins on a dark and stormy night. While there are more than a few variations on the story, like what number the route was, the story generally goes like this: A bus is traveling late at night, around midnight, and it's the last one of the evening. Two men flag down the bus, and even though the driver is reluctant to pick them up since they're not at a stop, he acquiesces and lets them on anyway. So far, so good.
But, it turns out, it's actually three men. The two are holding up another one who appears to be in rough shape. It also turns out that all three of them are extraordinarily pale, and wearing garb from the Qing Dynasty (which lasted from 1644 through 1911). The bus driver apparently explains it away by claiming that the three are actors who didn't have time to change after work.
As the bus slowly empties out, it gets down to a young man and an elderly person (which has been both a man or a woman, depending on the story). Out of nowhere, the older person picks a fight with the young man, claiming that he stole his wallet and forcing him to get off at the next stop to go to the police. Upon disembarking, they tell the young man that the fight was a ruse to help them get off the bus: apparently the three men on the bus hadn't been touching the ground. Some versions claim that the men didn't have legs at all. The two go to the police to report the alleged spirits, but get ridiculed.
However, the next morning they find out that the bus never completed its route. Some versions state that the bus was never found, while others claim that the bus was found days later with three severely decomposed bodies inside.
Chupacabra
The word "chupacabra" is Spanish for "goat-sucker." Indeed, chupacabras were first believed to be vampiric reptilian creatures that drain goats and other small animals of their blood.
The first reported sighting of a chupacabra was in March 1995 in Puerto Rico, when eight sheep were found dead and drained of blood, with three small puncture wounds in their chests. Five months later, as many as 150 farm animals were found dead in the same manner.
The legend spread, and more sightings followed in Latin America and the southern US, though there have been alleged sightings as far north as Maine.
In the 2000s, the chupacabra re-emerged, but it looked a bit different. According to the BBC, "it was described as a hairless, dog-like animal walking on four legs," and "quite horrific-looking: hairless, with a gaunt appearance and burnt-looking skin."
When alleged cupacabra bodies turned up, scientists DNA tested them, identifying them as normal animals that were affected by sarcoptic mange — their hair and fur had fallen out. However, the legend persists.
The word "chupacabra" is Spanish for "goat-sucker." Indeed, chupacabras were first believed to be vampiric reptilian creatures that drain goats and other small animals of their blood.
The first reported sighting of a chupacabra was in March 1995 in Puerto Rico, when eight sheep were found dead and drained of blood, with three small puncture wounds in their chests. Five months later, as many as 150 farm animals were found dead in the same manner.
The legend spread, and more sightings followed in Latin America and the southern US, though there have been alleged sightings as far north as Maine.
In the 2000s, the chupacabra re-emerged, but it looked a bit different. According to the BBC, "it was described as a hairless, dog-like animal walking on four legs," and "quite horrific-looking: hairless, with a gaunt appearance and burnt-looking skin."
When alleged cupacabra bodies turned up, scientists DNA tested them, identifying them as normal animals that were affected by sarcoptic mange — their hair and fur had fallen out. However, the legend persists.
Sydney Harbour Bridge tomb
Officially, 16 people died during the construction of the famous Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia, which was completed in 1928. However, legends posit that there should be three more men added to the death toll.
According to the stories, three men died during construction after they fell into the brick pylons of the bridge. However, since they were migrant workers, and because labor laws didn't seem all that stringent at the time, their disappearance wasn't noticed for weeks.
Apparently, retrieving the bodies would have been too difficult, and so they were entombed there for eternity.
Officially, 16 people died during the construction of the famous Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia, which was completed in 1928. However, legends posit that there should be three more men added to the death toll.
According to the stories, three men died during construction after they fell into the brick pylons of the bridge. However, since they were migrant workers, and because labor laws didn't seem all that stringent at the time, their disappearance wasn't noticed for weeks.
Apparently, retrieving the bodies would have been too difficult, and so they were entombed there for eternity.
