These urban legends that ended up being true in unexpected ways really do prove that the truth can indeed be stranger than fiction. It’s terribly easy to forget that there are some real life nightmares running amok out there, and by default blurring the lines between reality as we know it and vivid scenes that seem like they could be from alien dimensions altogether. I rounded up some of my top picks for the forgotten urban legends that somehow ended up being proven “true”, or close enough to the truth.
1. The Bunny Man
The Bunny Man legend goes that there was a nefarious fellow who would get dressed up in a bunny costume and then proceed to terrorize people in Virginia back in the 1970s by wielding an axe and smashing up car windows. Even though the legend was largely viewed as a myth, the story took its roots in actual reports of a man in a bunny suit who’d threaten locals.
2. The Phantom Black Dogs
These ghostly black dogs oftentimes being described as having glowing red eyes were claimed to haunt rural roads and cemeteries throughout Europe. They were often viewed as omens of literal death.
3. The Stolen Kidney
This legend involves the unsuspecting victims often waking up in a horrifying bathtub of ice, and with a note that tells them to call 911, only to learn that one of their kidneys have been surgically removed. While a story, it is based on all those fears surrounding the world of illegal organ trafficking.
4. The Killer in the Backseat
A driver is rescued the moment that a gas station attendant or other stranger cautions them that a person is staked out in the backseat of their car. The legend is preying upon the almost universal fear that folks have of being vulnerable while in an isolated space. This is only made worse by all those stories about the true-crime cases when attackers hide out in vehicles.
5. The Green Children of Woolpit
The medieval accounts from Suffolk, England describe two green-skinned children that would appear in the village of Woolpit. The legend goes on to say that they’d speak an unknown language, only ate beans, and said they came from a bizarre land of St. Martin. It’s thought that if they were actually real people at the time that their surprising appearances could’ve been caused by extreme vitamin deficiencies.
6. Alligators in the Sewers of New York City
Just picture that. I certainly don’t enjoy the nightmarish vision of a sewer in New York City somehow made that much worse by the presence of unwanted albino alligators running amok. However, the scary legend is said to stem from the rare reports of alligators that were discovered in urban sewer systems.
7. Polybius, the Haunted Arcade Game
This 1980s urban legend speaks of an arcade game out in Portland, Oregon that was said to have induced seizures, nightmares, as well as mind control. It’s claimed that the men in black themselves would keep watchful eye over the machine for a while until the machine just up and vanished altogether. This would seem to be a legend that gained its nightmarish inspiration from government experiments and video game addiction.
8. The Midnight Game
This terrifying ritual involves the invitation of a spirit called, The Midnight Man, who would enter your home at exactly midnight by passage of lighting up a candle and then abiding by strict rules. Participants were said to have needed to evade the entity until 3:33 a.m., or they’d run the risk of having to deal with severe punishment. It’s said that this legend was inspired by the online creepypasta culture.
9. The Clown Doll Curse
It’s said that this legend involves a babysitter who ends up noticing a creepy clown doll lurking in the house that she’s been tasked to watch over. She’s then told to leave immediately as they parents don’t actually own any weird doll. The doll is said to have been possessed by evil forces, and it sure sounds like it was. The story is said to have its origins in all the fears encircling the horror of evil clowns.
10. The Green Lady of Castle Keep
It’s said that in Scotland as well as other parts of Europe, the Green Lady is a ghost that would haunt castles. She was usually linked to tragic love or betrayal, and viewed as a glowing green figure that would wander the halls and grounds. The legend itself takes its origins in the actual mystery that enveloped her death.
