Urban Legends And Pop Culture

Arguably, the most classic of all urban legends is the story of "Bloody Mary". This story possibly originated in 1978 (Wells 1999). According to legend, Bloody Mary was a woman named Mary Worth who was either (depending on the version) a witch executed a hundred years ago, or a woman who was disfigured and killed in a car accident (Lauren 2001). Her spirit can be summoned by chanting "Bloody Mary" in front of a mirror, in a bathroom lighted by only candlelight. The actual number of chants varies, but is most commonly thirteen. On the last chant, Mary will appear in the mirror and viciously scratch the chanters face. While there have been reportedly one hundred versions of "Bloody Mary" over the years (Wells 1999), it has never been proven that Mary Worth even existed. Likewise, the comparison of the ghost in the legend to queen Mary I of England (also known as Bloody Mary) is purely coincidence. Over the years though, the legend and ritual of "Bloody Mary" has stayed a true favorite at slumber parties and in popular culture. Versions of the legend have appeared in the 1992 horror movie "Candyman", as well as 1998's "Urban Legend", recruiting a whole another generation of teenage girls to be brave enough to tempt the scary ceremony.

Another popular urban legend originated in the mid 1950's (Wells 1999). Known simply as "The Hook", this story has stayed on the collective conscience of young lovers for decades. The story goes like this, two young lovers travel to an isolated spot to partake in some "˜necking'. They hear a news broadcast on the radio about a killer with a hook for a hand, who just escaped from an insane asylum. The girl keeps hearing noises outside the car, becomes afraid and wants to leave. Her boyfriend tries to convince her to stay, and when that fails, he gets angry, pulls away quickly and drives home at top speed. Once they arrive at the girls' home, the couple discover a bloody hook dangling from the car door. They narrowly escaped being murdered because of the boyfriends reckless driving. This legend has spawned off several different versions as well, including the boyfriend getting out of the car to inspect the noises. When he doesn't return, his girlfriend finds him hanging from a tree. In a similiar version, the boyfriend leaves the car to inspect the noises. When he doesn't return, the girlfiends decides to leave. She doesn't realize her boyfriend is hanging with his toes barely touching the hood of the car. She drives away and inadvertently hangs him. What makes this story so scary to would be teenage lovers, is that it could have possibly been based on true events. Although there is no record of it actually occurring, the lack of supernatural actions, makes this story believable. So while, it may have merely been a concoction to scare away teenagers from "lovers lane", the legend has endured. The notion of a killer with a hook for a hand influenced many teenage movies like the 1997 blockbuster "I Know What You Did Last Summer", and 1992's "Candyman". This has helped make "The Hook" one the best known and longest running urban legends in the last fifty years.

The popularity of the Internet has become a new breeding ground for urban folklore. Official looking bulletins and "first hand" accounts have created a new generation of legends, that reaches millions of people a day. In 1993, a warning was sent out through emails and faxes on what appeared to be official looking California Police Department letterhead. It warned of a new gang initiation that involved gang members driving around with their headlights off. When flashed by a passing driver, the gang chased the car down and killed the occupants. The warning resurfaced in 1998, allegedly sent by a Dare officer (Wells 1999). This time the bulletin was picked up and taken seriously by several government agencies including the San Diego Housing Department, and the Nassau County Sheriffs office in Florida (Wells 1999). Eventually, the bulletin was pulled when it was discovered the entire message was a hoax. No reports of any gang performing this deadly ritual were ever confirmed. The damage was done though, and to this day many still receive and forward the message, keeping the legend alive.

Another popular Internet legend is about people who sit down in a movie theater, feel a prick and realize they have been poked with a hypodermic needle. Attached to the needle is a note that reads- "Welcome to the World of Aids". This may quite possibly be the scariest urban legend being told today. Emails were sent out all over the world, recalling cases in various countries. It is not a new legend though, merely a mutation of many similar versions throughout the years. The story may have first originated in New Orleans in the 1930's. Women were warned to be careful in movie theaters, of men who would inject them with drugs in order to sell them into white slavery (Mikkelson 2001).One of the most popular accounts started in the late 1980's, about a young man who celebrates his 21st birthday with a prostitute.The next morning, he finds the "Welcome to the World of Aids" note in lipstick on his bathroom mirror. Different versions of the original legend have surfaced in nightclubs, schools and after robberies. Cases of robbers claiming to have HIV infected needles to control victims, and children poking each other with needles in schools as pranks have been reported. There has never been a case discovered though, in these incidents where someone was infected with the HIV virus. Nor has the CDC or other similar organizations released warnings as the emails suggest (Mikkelson 2001). The believability and continuation of this particular legend seems to stem from the publics' fear of AIDS and belief that this could happen to anyone, anywhere.

What may be the most carefully constructed urban legend in history is the "Blair Witch" phenomenon. In 1999, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez wrote and directed the "Blair Witch Project". The story was about three film students who in October of 1994 go into the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland to make a documentary about the Blair Witch. They are never seen again. Their footage was found one year later. What made this movie so believable was not only the manner in which it was filmed, but also how it was advertised. The writers created a "documentary" which aired on the Sci-fi channel prior to the movies release. The documentary gave a history on the Blair Witch legend, the film students and contained interviews with supposed members of the community. The movie itself was filmed primarily with hand cams, and with little or no special effects. In fact, the actors were not given complete scripts, so they did not know what was going to happen from scene to scene (Wells 2000). This created an authentic atmosphere and realistic reactions from the actors. The result was blockbuster success at the theaters and worldwide speculation on the authenticity of the story. Thousands traveled to Burkittsville in search of the Blair Witch and the missing students. In actuality though, the entire story was from the imagination of the films writers. While there is a Burkittsville Maryland, there has never been a witch legend there, or a disappearance linked to it. The story itself though, how it was made and the attention it received, has made the "Blair Witch" one of the most talked about and speculated urban legends of recent times.

The majority of urban legends are modern fairy tales. The have been told, changed and retold hundreds of times. They have not only left their mark on countless slumber parties, office discussions and campfires, but on pop culture as well. Movies and the Internet have jumped on the urban legend bandwagon and have run with it. As a result, they have increased the popularity and in some instances the validity of urban legends. The classics have endured the test of time, and new ones are told everyday. The truth behind them seems to be less important than the "idea" of the story itself. As long as there is a good story to tell and an audience to hear it, urban legends and folklore will be part of pop culture and society for years to come.