We all like to tell scary stories. By the fireside or elsewhere. A tradition which, in the United States, is particularly anchored elsewhere, with marshmallow to grill in support. In America where each state has its own persistent urban legend. Stories that are passed on from generation to generation, conducive to delicious thrills. We have selected the 10 best for you.
1. The Char-Man (California)
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In 1948, a father and his son are horribly burned in the fire of their house but manage to survive. However, recovering from such a tragedy is not easy and soon after, the son completely freaks out and flays his father alive before hanging him. The authorities, determined to arrest the culprit of such a horrible murder, set off on the hunt. When they find the son, his appearance leads them to believe that he is already dead. It must be said that it is badly burned. But the boy has not said his last word and is taking advantage of the situation to get away. It is said today that he would drag his purulent wounds to the side of isolated camps and that he would pretend to be a hitchhiker in order to find new victims…
2. Riverdale Road (Colorado)
All sorts of stories are told about Riverdale Road, a lonely stretch of asphalt in Colorado. Among the latter, one often comes up: that of the ghost jogger. A man hit by a car while jogging and left for dead. Since then, several witnesses report having seen and waited for him, assuring that the specter had left handprints on the windows of their vehicle.
3. Ghosts of Lake Lanier (Georgia)
As often, this urban legend was born from a real event, namely, in this case, the construction of a dam. Dam that forced the authorities to engulf several villages. Houses, churches and cemeteries, resting today at the bottom of Lake Lanier. A place where the number of accidents is well above average. It is said that it is not uncommon to have the impression, when bathing, that hands are trying to grab your legs to drown you.
4. Homey the Evil Clown (Illinois)
The Pennywise from Stephen King’s It novel has been emulated. In Illinois, a persistent story claims that there is a clown named Homey, who drives his ice cream truck through the streets to kidnap and kill children. He would have been seen in Chicago in particular…
5. Mothman (West Virginia)
Perhaps the best-known urban legend of this top. She even inspired a movie, namely The Shadow Prophecy, with Richard Gere. The Mothman would not be a superhero but a half-insect, half-human creature that would appear on the eve of disasters. Some residents strongly believe in it. Especially since the collapse of the city bridge on December 15, 1967. A tragedy that caused the death of 46 people. Witnesses claiming that the Mothman would have shown up the night before in the area. And this is just one story among many. If we add to this the fact that Men in Black have also been seen in the city, there is reason to ask questions…
6. The Swamp Grunch (Louisiana)
The swamps are already pretty scary. Especially at night. It’s hard to know what lurks in these dark waters. And yes, you can be attacked by an alligator. Accidents are common in these regions. However, if an urban legend is to be believed, you can also be a victim of the Grunch. Creatures not to be confused with the Grinch, who lay traps for walkers to then capture them and drink their blood. Particularly active on a road called Grunch Road, these monsters would use an injured goat to encourage motorists to stop.
7. The girl from Knock Knock Road (Michigan)
It’s kind of funny how creepy kids can get. Like this kid that some witnesses would have seen on the road called Knock Knock Road. Why such a name ? Because the little ghost girl, once killed there, would still lurk there, tapping on the windows of vehicles to find her killer.
8. Momo the Bigfoot (Missouri)
The Big Foot, or Sasquatch, is a well-known mythological creature in the United States. A man of the woods often described as very tall, very strong and very hairy, who would a priori impose himself as the missing link between man and ape. Big Foot which changes its name a little depending on the region, being sometimes rather harmless and other times downright nasty. A bit like Momo, this giant covered in fur who would love to eat dogs that were careless enough to hang out in the woods of Missouri. It is even said that he would have tried to kidnap a little boy in 1968.
9. The Witch of Hampton (New Hampshire)
While some states, Massachusetts in particular, have conducted major witch hunts, notably in Salem, others have also played a role in the history of American witchcraft. New Hampshire in particular, where lived Eunice Cole, a woman who was nicknamed Goody and who was therefore suspected of witchcraft. Accused several times, Goody was finally found dead. Convinced that she could still harm them, the inhabitants decided to prick her heart before burying her. Since then, however, several disasters have occurred in the town where Eunice Cole lived. Like that time a boat overturned. Passengers unable to return to shore. A tragedy having encouraged certain voices to be raised to accuse the witch who, according to them, would have cast a spell on the poor unfortunates to make them forget the basics of swimming when their boat sank.
10. Cropsey (New York)
This is a story that the cinema has often taken up. Once upon a time there was Cropsey, an evil man with a hook, who went to hospitals to kill children. A man who would always be around who would take advantage of the carelessness of young people to slit their throats. A documentary has also proven that this urban legend had a kernel of truth, drawing heavily on the story of a certain Andre Rand, who was convicted of the murder of several children.