Urban legends are notoriously known for their fictional nature, often circulating via word of mouth, email chains, text messages, and social media. However, there are a few horrifying incidents that have occurred that demonstrate some urban legends hold some merit. This article highlights ten urban legends that are actually true, such as the Choking Doberman, the Killer in the Backseat, and the Vanishing Hitchhiker. These stories serve as a reminder that occasionally, fact can indeed be stranger than fiction.
10 Shocking Urban Legends That Are Actually True
Urban legends have been circulating around for ages. They are tales that circulate via word of mouth, email, text messages, and social media. Urban legends predominantly have a share of terrifying endings. It is a well-known fact that most, if not all, urban legends are untrue or embellished. However, there have been a few horrifying incidents that prove some urban legends deserve some merit. As such, here are ten shocking urban legends that are actually true.
1. The Choking Doberman
The tale of the Choking Doberman began in 1978 when an elderly woman rushed her pet Doberman, which was choking, to the veterinarian. The X-ray revealed a human-thumb-sized object stuck in the canine’s throat. It turned out to be a human finger. It was soon discovered that the finger belonged to the woman’s neighbor, who had been missing for two weeks. The dog had broken into the neighbor’s house to search for food and discovered the dead body.
2. The Clowns in the Woods
In 2016, there were reports of clowns lurking in the woods in South Carolina. These reports triggered copycat sightings throughout the country. However, similar hysteria occurred in 1981, when children in Kansas City reported seeing clowns driving around in a van and attempting to lure them inside with candy. The clowns eventually went to court for assault charges, and it was discovered that they had kidnapped several children.
3. The Hook
This legend is about a couple parked on a deserted road where a radio announcement warns them that a murderous hook-handed convict had just escaped from the nearby asylum. Shortly after hearing the news, they heard scraping sounds on the car door handle. Terrified, they sped away and arrived safely at their destination. However, when they looked at the car’s door handle, they found a bloody hook hanging from it. As creepy as this legend sounds, this incident did occur in 1946, where a hook-handed murderer took the life of a young couple parked on a lover’s lane in Texarkana.
4. The Fatal Hairdo
One of the most gruesome urban legends is about a woman who died while getting her hair permed. It was said that the woman’s hair caught fire due to her hair spray’s alcohol content, which acted as a flame accelerant while under the hairdryer. Although this tale sounds far-fetched, it is possible to ignite the hair if heated excessively under a hairdryer. Unfortunately, an incident in 1991 proved that this legend was true when a woman in Connecticut died a week after her hair ignited with a hairdryer.
5. The Body Under the Bed
One of the scariest urban legends is the tale of a person who finds an awful smell and eventually discovers a dead body inside their room under the bed. This legend has a trace of truth behind it. In 1999, a tourist in Las Vegas discovered the body of a murdered homeless man under his room’s bed.
6. The Killer Calling from Inside the House
This urban legend is about a woman at home alone receiving anonymous phone calls that terrify her until the police trace the call and reveal that it is coming from inside the house. This legend is true and is inspired by the 1974 murder of Janett Christman of Columbia, Missouri. Her killer, a telephone repairman, was completing repairs when he spotted her, followed her home later that day, and killed her.
7. The Licked Hand
Urban legends often center around animals. One tale is about a dog or cat that licks its owner’s hand, only to realize that its owner is dead. This tale does hold some truth. In 1996, a woman’s dog licked her hand, only for the woman to realize that the dog could smell carbon monoxide poisoning in the home, which had killed her husband.
8. The Vanishing Hitchhiker
The Vanishing Hitchhiker is about a girl who glides into a driver’s car and vanishes out of sight. The hitchhiker usually leaves something behind to prove they exist, like an ID. This legend is inspired by the case of a woman in Santa Ana, California, who was killed on the roadside in 1968. In the following years, drivers reported seeing a hitchhiking woman who inhabited the same spot her body was found, only to vanish from sight while in the car.
9. The Killer in the Backseat
This legend is a tale of a woman being followed home by a car in a dark alley. When she arrives home, the driver pulls out a knife, but a stranger pulls over, saving her life when they flash their parked headlights. The stranger reveals that the driver of the car had been in the backseat the whole time. A similar event happened in the 1960s when a man kept driving after thinking a car was high-beaming him, but the occupants were trying to save him from a murderer hiding in the back seat.
10. Dead Body on the Roller Coaster
An urban legend is about a roller coaster rider discovering a body on the ride. Many people believe that the legend is incorrect. However, in 2015, it came to light that a maintenance worker was killed on a roller coaster in Darien Lake, New York. The body, which sat undetected throughout the workday, was discovered by a ride operator the following morning.
In conclusion, while urban legends are often exaggerated, these ten legends are true and add a note of horror to them. While some cases are rarer than others, they serve as a reminder that sometimes, fact is indeed stranger than fiction.