The Momo Challenge, Popular Culture, and Folklore
The image is downright disturbing, a young woman with dark hair, bulging eyes, and a chilling smile. She stares out at you and causes you to….die?
Mark Twain’s Wild West and the Presidential Election of 1872
In a daring act, facing frightful peril, Mark Twain exploited a legend to launch his onstage comic career. With his future as a lecturer on a knife’s edge, Twain decided to open with a worn-out narrative that had seen better days. A disgruntled audience nearly drove him from the stage … until they understood his brilliant manipulation of their own folklore.
Can Belief in Slender Man Make Him Real?
Slender Man was created in 2009 in the Something Awful forum by user Victor Surge (real name: Eric Knudson) in response to a challenge to “make something creepy.”
Faces in the Mirror: The Urban Legend of Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary is a scary urban legend that has been told for decades, but what might psychology tell us about its appeal and origins?
Cursed Paintings: Ill-Fated Portraits and Unlucky Landscapes
The cursed painting is an enduring urban legend that continues to have the ability to scare us, and also makes a good tabloid news story.