We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share the creepiest urban legend they've ever heard. Here are some of their chill-inducing submissions:
1. The ghost girl of Gold Brook Bridge:
"In Vermont, there's a bridge called Gold Brook Bridge that's allegedly haunted by the ghost of a girl named Emily. Different versions of how she died exist, but the most popular ones involve her being jilted by a lover and committing suicide or driving her wagon over the bridge. When going over the bridge, people have reported seeing scratch marks appear on their cars, feeling something brush up against them, seeing a white apparition, and hearing footsteps, a girl screaming, or something hitting the roof of their car."
2. The mischievous Missouri Monster:
"In Missouri, we have this thing called MoMo, which is short for Missouri Monster. It has a body like Bigfoot, smells like rotten meat, and has a pumpkin-shaped head and glowing orange eyes. It has been seen up and down the Mississippi River, and kills animals and terrorizes people for fun. One person even reported the monster chasing them to their car and trying to open the doors."
3. The haunted hospital with eerie happenings:
"In Scotland, we have an old village hospital called Bangour, which is famously haunted. The hospital also contained an asylum for psychiatric patients. People have reported fully charged phones dying suddenly, seeing faces in the windows of the buildings, and hearing screams when they're alone."
4. The ghost girl in your backseat:
"In Sydney, Australia, there is a giant road that is apparently haunted by a spirit named Kelly. It is said that Kelly was walking along the road when she was kidnapped by hitchhikers and killed. People have said that Kelly's spirit has appeared in the back of their cars, and if you don't say, 'Get out Kelly,' she will steer you off the road. There was going to be a movie made on it, but the actors all felt incredibly unwell and had to leave when filming on the road."
5. The creepy clown "statue":
"I once heard a story about a babysitter who went to take care of some kids while their parents were out. The kids were asleep, so the babysitter decided to watch TV in their parents' room. She walked in and saw a giant clown statue in the room. She was creeped out and felt uneasy, so she went downstairs to get something to eat. When she came back up, the statue was gone. She immediately called the parents and asked if they knew anything about the statue, but they didn't. The parents rushed home to find that the babysitter and kids were gone."
6. The treasure guarded by the devil himself:
"According to one Bavarian legend, there was a castle with treasure on top of a mountain in the 16th century. The owner went crazy and let the castle burn down completely. His family had a premonition and buried the precious treasures near the castle. People have tried to get it, but the legend says that if you try to steal the treasure, the devil will possess and kill you. You also aren't supposed to say your name because otherwise, he will follow you if you leave and kill you."
7. The Yazoo River Witch:
"In Yazoo, Mississippi, we have the legend of the Yazoo River Witch, who would kill men and throw their bodies in the river. When she was caught, she was chased into a swamp, and as she sank, she swore to burn down Yazoo. A decade later, half the town was destroyed by a fire. People say that if the chains on her grave are ever broken, she'll come back and burn the rest of the town."
8. The immortal midwife:
"In my elementary school in Bavaria, we learned the legend of the damned midwife who killed babies in the 14th century. Before she went to the gallows, she made a pact with the devil to remain immortal. Legend has it that pregnant women shouldn't look out the window in the old town after 10 p.m. because the midwife is still looking for new victims. If you see her, your child will die."
9. The Catholic school ghost nun:
"I went to an all-girls Catholic elementary school, which was built on top of a graveyard, so there were lots of urban legends going around. According to one story, the ghost of a nun who was rumored to have killed herself could be seen falling from the building. The spot where she fell would look burnt, indicating that she went to hell. Another legend has it that if you used the last bathroom stall, the hand of the devil would come out of the toilet and rip apart your insides."
10. The woman with the pocket-sized humans:
"I went camping and heard stories of satanic rituals that took place in the nearby mountains. According to one story, a woman wanted to be rich, so she made a pact with the devil. He asked her for seven kids, and when she got them, she was instructed to boil them alive for the ritual. The ritual didn't kill them, but instead transformed them into tiny, pocket-sized humans. And, in order for the woman to be rich, she'd have to carry them in her purse forever and keep them alive."
11. The cannibalistic Wendigo:
"I grew up in Minnesota and constantly heard the story of the Wendigo. The legend is derived from Algonquin folklore and is actually pretty terrifying. The spirit of the Wendigo inhabits anyone who commits the ultimate crime of cannibalism. They are then doomed to roam the earth, forever hungry, and looking for another human to feast on."
12. The melon heads lying in wait:
"Here in Connecticut, we have a legend about the melon heads — patients escaped from the Fairfield Hills asylum, and they created a family that would interbreed, which caused their offspring to have misshapen heads. They are rumored to live on Saw Mill City Road. I've never experienced anything myself, but people swear that they've had things hit their cars when driving down the road at night. If you get out for any reason, it is said that you'll be attacked by the melon heads."
13. The ghost girl without any legs:
"I read a Japanese legend about the ghost of a girl who got cut in half and dragged herself around on her hands. Somehow, that image stuck with me, and now when I walk upstairs at night, I always have to resist the urge to turn around and make sure she’s not dragging herself up the stairs behind me."
14. The ghost dog searching for his owner:
"In South Carolina, we have this ghost dog in my county that’s said to haunt the road in search of its dead owner. It’s known to attack people and chase them to the door of his late owner’s mansion, or to the end of the road — whichever comes first."
15. The seven gates of hell in Pennsylvania:
"In York County, Pennsylvania, there's a legend about the seven gates of hell hidden in the woods. According to the story, if you pass through the seven gates, you'll wind up directly in hell. However, nobody has ever gotten past the fifth gate. People who located the first gate reported having an overwhelming sense of evil and dread. Gates 2–7, however, are only visible at night."