In some parts of America, but especially in the United States and Canada, the legend of Bloody Mary is well known. It is an urban hoax that claims that if someone repeats the ominous nickname three times in front of a mirror, they will be visited by a bloody ghost who will kill them. Which, in different variations, It’s the same teenage rumour that’s spreading across England and parts of Scotland.
Although this sounds like a plot from a horror movieEri B (which it did in 2005), the truth is that this urban legend has a more mundane origin. Although, no doubt, no less frightening. In the mid-16th century, Queen Mary I of England was nicknamed Bloody Marybecause of the terrorist campaign he carried out during his mandate. This is in an attempt to completely eradicate Protestants. During the Marian persecutions, the monarch sent more than 300 victims to the stake. What they turned her into into a hated and feared figure who, after his death, even haunted English nightmares.
So, the legend about Bloody Maryseems like a natural progression of the panic caused by the English queen, who was even accused of persecuting Protestants from abroad. Of course, this is not the only case where a real-life incident supports an urban legend, becomes one, or seems to be its source. We tell you five that are currently part of the creepiest stories in pop culture. From the origin of the devilish clown to the mysterious protagonist of the sinister story. All so that you can see for yourself how strange the world of pop culture can be.
The personality of this
In 1986, one of the fundamental novels of modern horror was published. It is about This Stephen King, whose long shadow terrified not only readers of his time but also generations to come, thanks to his influence on the horror genre and subsequent adaptations of the story. which appeared on television and in film in 1990 and 2017 respectively.
There are reasons. At the center of the story is one of the most terrifying creatures ever depicted in literature and cinema. Pennywise is an interdimensional entity capable of bringing your worst fears to life. Which makes children and teenagers the most appetizing victims. A horror scene that the book details. And much more, which emphasizes that Pennywise’s violence seemed to be satisfied only with horror, the suffering and tears of the most helpless.
The scariest part, however, is that the creature may have been inspired by a real serial killer. John Wayne Gacy was a criminal who raped and murdered at least 33 men, mostly teenagers and children, between 1972 and 1978. One of his signature features was his clown outfit, and in fact, it was very similar to the version that Stephen King describes in the book.
The Truth Behind the Chilling Book
John Wayne Gacy used this alter egoto get confused between children’s charity events and other similar celebrations in Chicago, the city where he lived during his active years. Urban legend claims that since this is a well-known, obvious and widely publicized case in North America, it is likely The writer took the notorious killer as a source of inspiration for his work. Is it true?
While this is an intriguing hypothesis, the truth is that there is no concrete evidence to suggest that it is true. Aside from the notable similarities between the character and the killer, Stephen King has never once indicated that this was his inspiration. In fact, in a 2013 interview, he was asked about his inspiration for the terrifying monster. He responded that he was simply trying to take clowns into another dimension of terror. a classic ingredient in childhood nightmares.
Ghosts of the Fukushima Tragedy
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the Fukushima area of Japan. It also caused a tsunami and even seriously affected the nuclear power plant in the region. As a result, 22,000 people died and more than 100 went missing. The terrible circumstance completely disrupted peaceful life in the area. To the point of provoking mobilizations and even studies of the emotional state of those who survived the incident.
However, one of the most striking and sinister phenomena are the versions that claim that the disaster left behind a series of inexplicable events. These are the so-called ghosts of Fukushima. According to residents, in some places of the tragedy, you can often see brief but recognizable ghosts of those who died in 2011. Most of them ask to be taken home or They insist on seeing their surviving relatives. The stories follow the same pattern and often repeat themselves.
The evidence has become so repetitive that it has become frightening and, of course, part of popular culture. From an episode of the Netflix series Unsolved Mysteries to various reports that explain the phenomenon as part of the survivors’ post-traumatic stress. The truth is that the experience has become part of one of the great modern urban legends, and one of the most mysterious. Is there any truth to the stories? According to psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, it is merely a projection of the pain and fear that the region experienced. A long sequel that lives on.
The personality of the protagonist of “Lolita”
book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, published in 1955, is one of the most controversial in world literature. The story of Humbert Humbert and his obsession with the twelve-year-old girl Lola has already become part of world culture. In fact, it is recognized as a combination of an essentially perverse event and privileged prose, making the book A brutal look at perverted desires and pedophilia.
But the scariest part is that this story may be based, at least in part, on a true story. In 1948, 11-year-old Sally Horner was kidnapped from her New Jersey home with no idea what had happened. Two years later, police finally found her: she had been kidnapped by Frank La Salle, an ex-convict pedophile. The criminal had spent most of that time traveling around the country. in the company of a girl whom he passed off as his daughter and subjected her to all sorts of abuse.
A story with a tragic ending
Freed from her captor, Sally Horner was returned to her parents and Frank La Salle was sentenced to 35 years in prison where she would die while serving her sentence. On the other hand, his victim died in a tragic car accident in 1952. Which turned the event into a tragic story that later became part of the rumors surrounding Lolita. But, Is it, as has already been said, a source of inspiration for Nabokov?
The probability is very high, although the writer himself never admitted it. However, at the time of his death, a notebook with the titles of the story was found among his belongings. This suggests that, although he did not indicate a direct source of inspiration, he still took some elements of the harsh circumstances for his book.
The Terrifying Dogs of Chernobyl
On April 26, 1986, the explosion of the fourth reactor of the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant caused a serious accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The next thing that happened was the then Soviet Union trying to keep the situation under control and prevent it from getting worse. But even though it succeeded, the truth is that the radioactive contamination made it uninhabitable. the area around the plant and the surrounding city for thousands of years.
Decades after the event, there were rumors about what might have happened to the possible mutations of the fauna and flora in the area. Which included monstrous birds, packs of wild dogs with horrific deformities, and even survivors who had turned into monsters. All this in the so-called exclusion zone. This covers a radius of 30 kilometers around the plant, an area of about 5,200 square kilometers and completely isolates the most critical areas of the incident. Something that the film “Trapped in Chernobyl” (2012) turned into a horror story. series b. But is there any truth to this topic?
The obvious answer is, of course, that these are all exaggerated and unfounded urban legends. In fact, when the aforementioned film, Friends of the Chernobyl Centers, premiered in the US, there were complaints about the plot, finding it disrespectful to the victims and survivors. However, there is some truth to the mutation theories. In 2023, field studies were conducted that showed that the current fauna in the area has special genetics that allow it to survive in the degraded environment. This marked an important milestone in the study of such phenomena today.
The boy from The Exorcist
May 5, 1971 book The ExorcistWilliam Peter Blatty’s The Last Jedi was a landmark in the horror genre. The story, which hit theaters in 1973, told the story of how a little girl, the daughter of an actress, found herself possessed by a demon in the middle of modern-day Georgetown. What made the mother, had to resort to an ancient Roman ritual in search of saving his life.
The unique room caused a sensation and soon became an obsession around the world. And it was rumored that it was a real case. Which the writer finally confirmed, explaining that it was partly based on the story of an exorcism performed in 1949, which Blatty heard about in 1950.
At the time of its publication, the book was believed to be a literary history, strictly detailed compared to the original, and part of the archives of the Mount Rainier, Maryland, vestry. It also told the story of Regan Manheim, who became the center of a lengthy trial on April 19, 1949. But is this rumor true?
The story is actually simpler. The real exiled child was Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, who suffered from delusions and unexplained symptoms. After a Catholic ritual, the 12-year-old boy got better. The most curious part? As an adult, Hunkeler became a NASA engineer, working on the Apollo 11 mission that successfully landed on the moon. He is credited with being the primary creator of the heat shields that surrounded the spacecraft. And that when the spacecraft returned, This prevented the ship from breaking apart upon impact with the atmosphere.
Source: Hiper Textual
