![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_66d9708648eef.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc48725f9.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4863169.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4893a86.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc488fa13.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc488b094.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4b7528f.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4b18110.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4b425a9.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4b5bc0a.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fcb9244cc.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fcb92cf70.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fcb933213.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4b98ec6.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4b7d634.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4dc6e51.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fcd868c1b.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4dec6e1.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4e2ae1e.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4e50974.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4e59f58.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc4e7ab68.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc859373e.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc509d15a.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc5088bbc.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fcfe0b912.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fcfe17044.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc50cb71f.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fc50ef70f.jpg)
![These eerie urban legends actually happened](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_64d4fd1b53fd2.jpg)
See Also
See Again
© ShutterstockGetty Images
0 / 30 Fotos
The killer in your attic
- It's a classic tale. We've all heard stories about a possible killer living in the attic, who emerges while everyone is peacefully asleep. But this scenario has actually occurred.
© Shutterstock
1 / 30 Fotos
The killer in your attic
- In 1922 Germany, a farmer named Andreas Gruber began to observe minor items disappearing or being misplaced in his home. His family also detected the sound of footsteps, while Gruber himself discovered footprints inside his home.
© Shutterstock
2 / 30 Fotos
The killer in your attic
- Shortly after, the entire family was found brutally murdered in their home. The mystery surrounding the identity of the perpetrator remains unresolved.
© Shutterstock
3 / 30 Fotos
Le Loyon
- People living near the Maules Forest in Switzerland have shared tales of a mysterious individual wandering through the woods dressed in a lengthy camouflage cloak and a gas mask.
© Shutterstock
4 / 30 Fotos
Le Loyon
- Locals dubbed him the "Ghost of Maules" or "Le Loyon." However, given the absence of hard evidence that he existed, these accounts were disregarded as mere folklore.
© Shutterstock
5 / 30 Fotos
Le Loyon
- However, in 2013, a passerby captured a photograph of Le Loyon. Shortly thereafter, his cloak and gas mask were discovered in the woods, accompanied by a note stating that he could no longer stand being perceived as a monster. The fate that befell him remains unknown. He was never seen or heard from again.
© Shutterstock
6 / 30 Fotos
Charlie No-Face
- If you're from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it's likely that you're familiar with the legend of Charlie No-Face—a faceless man who roams the streets during the night.
© Shutterstock
7 / 30 Fotos
Charlie No-Face
- The legend says that the man was a utility worker whose face melted due to either an acid attack or an electrical accident, depending on the storyteller.
© Shutterstock
8 / 30 Fotos
Charlie No-Face
- However, the reality is that this man existed. He was named Raymond Robinson and had fallen victim to a childhood incident that left his face completely disfigured. Understandably, he shied away from crowds, choosing instead to take nighttime walks.
© Shutterstock
9 / 30 Fotos
The Night Doctors
- The Night Riders (or Ku Klux Doctors) was the name of a kind of boogeyman in African American folklore. The story goes that physicians in search of subjects for experiments would skulk in the shadows, biding their time for the chance to abduct their victims.
© Getty Images
10 / 30 Fotos
The Night Doctors
- These rumors were disseminated by white individuals aiming to hinder former slaves from relocating to the North. Sadly, the boogeyman has some basis in reality.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
The Night Doctors
- There's evidence that suggests that doctors of the 19th century conducted horrific experiments on African Americans. White farmers spread these stories as a fear-inducing strategy. The tactic was later adopted by the Ku Klux Klan following the Civil War.
© Getty Images
12 / 30 Fotos
The Alice Murders
- A relatively recent legend has been circulating in Japan. It involves a series of alleged murders spanning from 1999 to 2005. In every instance, the perpetrator left the word "Alice" written at the crime scene.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
The Alice Murders
- Following the killing and disfigurement of the victims, the murderer also left behind a playing card. However, these murders didn't happen in Japan.
© Shutterstock
14 / 30 Fotos
The Alice Murders
- In the early 2000s, Spain experienced a reign of terror by a convicted murderer who had a similar M.O. Alfredo Galán shot and killed six individuals, placing a playing card on each victim's body before making his escape.
© Shutterstock
15 / 30 Fotos
The Legend Of Cropsey
- In Staten Island, USA, a creature resembling a boogeyman known as Cropsey was reputed to be an axe-wielding killer. The tale suggested that Cropsey had fled from a mental institution and now haunts the tunnels beneath the former Willowbrook State School. This institution, once dedicated to children with intellectual disabilities, was closed down due to revelations of dreadful torture and maltreatment.
© Getty Images
16 / 30 Fotos
The Legend Of Cropsey
- The tale describes how Cropsey emerges during the night to seize children, luring them back to the abandoned Willowbrook facility where he murders them. This legend is closer to the truth than you might think.
© Shutterstock
17 / 30 Fotos
The Legend Of Cropsey
- A suspected murderer named Andre Rand was found guilty of abducting two children during the 1970s. As it transpires, he happened to be employed as a janitor at Willowbrook during the mid-1960s.
© Shutterstock
18 / 30 Fotos
The Puebla Tunnels
- For centuries, the inhabitants of Puebla, Mexico, shared folktales concerning a mysterious labyrinth of tunnels concealed beneath the city.
© Shutterstock
19 / 30 Fotos
The Puebla Tunnels
- But that network of tunnels simply didn't exist. Or did it?
© Shutterstock
20 / 30 Fotos
The Puebla Tunnels
- In 2015, a team of construction workers stumbled upon a mysterious tunnel. Subsequently, approximately six miles of these baffling tunnels have been unearthed winding beneath the city. They are thought to have been constructed between the 16th and 19th centuries.
© Shutterstock
21 / 30 Fotos
The babysitter and the man upstairs
- The story of the babysitter who receives an unsettling phone call only to find out the call was made from inside the house has been well-known since the mid-20th century.
© Shutterstock
22 / 30 Fotos
The babysitter and the man upstairs
- This story has inspired various films, including 'When a Stranger Calls' (1979) and its subsequent adaptations.
© Shutterstock
23 / 30 Fotos
The babysitter and the man upstairs
- The story finds its origins in an actual crime that occurred in 1950 in Missouri, USA. A 13-year-old named Janett Christman was looking after a three-year-old boy at his home when she was savagely assaulted and killed by an intruder. Her murder remains unresolved.
© Shutterstock
24 / 30 Fotos
The Bunny Man
- The tale of the Bunny Man, which still haunts Virginia, tells the story of a disturbing incident from 1904. A bus carrying patients from a mental institution crashed, resulting in the deaths of all but 10 patients. A search party successfully located them, except for one.
© Public Domain
25 / 30 Fotos
The Bunny Man
- Subsequently, rabbit carcasses started to be discovered suspended from a nearby bridge. Later on, the body of a man was also found hanging in a similar manner. It goes without saying that the Colchester Overpass in Clifton, Virginia, is deemed to be haunted. This legend is believed to have been influenced by two events, with the second one stemming from the 1970s when an individual dressed in a rabbit costume menaced others with an axe.
© Public Domain
26 / 30 Fotos
The Hookman
- This story has numerous variations, but they all share a common beginning: a couple kissing in a car on an isolated road. Suddenly, the radio emits crackling sounds, and a news bulletin disrupts the romantic scene, cautioning listeners about an escaped murderer with a hook for a hand who is on the loose.
© Shutterstock
27 / 30 Fotos
The Hookman
- The subsequent events differ significantly depending on the telling, but the idea is clear. Although this might resemble the plot of a B movie, it actually happened in Texarkana, Texas.
© Shutterstock
28 / 30 Fotos
The Hookman
- In 1946, a series of homicides called the Texarkana Moonlight Murders occurred in the city. The "Phantom Killer" targeted eight individuals, claiming the lives of five of them. They had all been sitting in cars on various "lovers lanes" when they were attacked. The cases remain unsolved. See also: The most sinister urban legends from every US state
© Public Domain
29 / 30 Fotos
© ShutterstockGetty Images
0 / 30 Fotos
The killer in your attic
- It's a classic tale. We've all heard stories about a possible killer living in the attic, who emerges while everyone is peacefully asleep. But this scenario has actually occurred.
© Shutterstock
1 / 30 Fotos
The killer in your attic
- In 1922 Germany, a farmer named Andreas Gruber began to observe minor items disappearing or being misplaced in his home. His family also detected the sound of footsteps, while Gruber himself discovered footprints inside his home.
© Shutterstock
2 / 30 Fotos
The killer in your attic
- Shortly after, the entire family was found brutally murdered in their home. The mystery surrounding the identity of the perpetrator remains unresolved.
© Shutterstock
3 / 30 Fotos
Le Loyon
- People living near the Maules Forest in Switzerland have shared tales of a mysterious individual wandering through the woods dressed in a lengthy camouflage cloak and a gas mask.
© Shutterstock
4 / 30 Fotos
Le Loyon
- Locals dubbed him the "Ghost of Maules" or "Le Loyon." However, given the absence of hard evidence that he existed, these accounts were disregarded as mere folklore.
© Shutterstock
5 / 30 Fotos
Le Loyon
- However, in 2013, a passerby captured a photograph of Le Loyon. Shortly thereafter, his cloak and gas mask were discovered in the woods, accompanied by a note stating that he could no longer stand being perceived as a monster. The fate that befell him remains unknown. He was never seen or heard from again.
© Shutterstock
6 / 30 Fotos
Charlie No-Face
- If you're from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it's likely that you're familiar with the legend of Charlie No-Face—a faceless man who roams the streets during the night.
© Shutterstock
7 / 30 Fotos
Charlie No-Face
- The legend says that the man was a utility worker whose face melted due to either an acid attack or an electrical accident, depending on the storyteller.
© Shutterstock
8 / 30 Fotos
Charlie No-Face
- However, the reality is that this man existed. He was named Raymond Robinson and had fallen victim to a childhood incident that left his face completely disfigured. Understandably, he shied away from crowds, choosing instead to take nighttime walks.
© Shutterstock
9 / 30 Fotos
The Night Doctors
- The Night Riders (or Ku Klux Doctors) was the name of a kind of boogeyman in African American folklore. The story goes that physicians in search of subjects for experiments would skulk in the shadows, biding their time for the chance to abduct their victims.
© Getty Images
10 / 30 Fotos
The Night Doctors
- These rumors were disseminated by white individuals aiming to hinder former slaves from relocating to the North. Sadly, the boogeyman has some basis in reality.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
The Night Doctors
- There's evidence that suggests that doctors of the 19th century conducted horrific experiments on African Americans. White farmers spread these stories as a fear-inducing strategy. The tactic was later adopted by the Ku Klux Klan following the Civil War.
© Getty Images
12 / 30 Fotos
The Alice Murders
- A relatively recent legend has been circulating in Japan. It involves a series of alleged murders spanning from 1999 to 2005. In every instance, the perpetrator left the word "Alice" written at the crime scene.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
The Alice Murders
- Following the killing and disfigurement of the victims, the murderer also left behind a playing card. However, these murders didn't happen in Japan.
© Shutterstock
14 / 30 Fotos
The Alice Murders
- In the early 2000s, Spain experienced a reign of terror by a convicted murderer who had a similar M.O. Alfredo Galán shot and killed six individuals, placing a playing card on each victim's body before making his escape.
© Shutterstock
15 / 30 Fotos
The Legend Of Cropsey
- In Staten Island, USA, a creature resembling a boogeyman known as Cropsey was reputed to be an axe-wielding killer. The tale suggested that Cropsey had fled from a mental institution and now haunts the tunnels beneath the former Willowbrook State School. This institution, once dedicated to children with intellectual disabilities, was closed down due to revelations of dreadful torture and maltreatment.
© Getty Images
16 / 30 Fotos
The Legend Of Cropsey
- The tale describes how Cropsey emerges during the night to seize children, luring them back to the abandoned Willowbrook facility where he murders them. This legend is closer to the truth than you might think.
© Shutterstock
17 / 30 Fotos
The Legend Of Cropsey
- A suspected murderer named Andre Rand was found guilty of abducting two children during the 1970s. As it transpires, he happened to be employed as a janitor at Willowbrook during the mid-1960s.
© Shutterstock
18 / 30 Fotos
The Puebla Tunnels
- For centuries, the inhabitants of Puebla, Mexico, shared folktales concerning a mysterious labyrinth of tunnels concealed beneath the city.
© Shutterstock
19 / 30 Fotos
The Puebla Tunnels
- But that network of tunnels simply didn't exist. Or did it?
© Shutterstock
20 / 30 Fotos
The Puebla Tunnels
- In 2015, a team of construction workers stumbled upon a mysterious tunnel. Subsequently, approximately six miles of these baffling tunnels have been unearthed winding beneath the city. They are thought to have been constructed between the 16th and 19th centuries.
© Shutterstock
21 / 30 Fotos
The babysitter and the man upstairs
- The story of the babysitter who receives an unsettling phone call only to find out the call was made from inside the house has been well-known since the mid-20th century.
© Shutterstock
22 / 30 Fotos
The babysitter and the man upstairs
- This story has inspired various films, including 'When a Stranger Calls' (1979) and its subsequent adaptations.
© Shutterstock
23 / 30 Fotos
The babysitter and the man upstairs
- The story finds its origins in an actual crime that occurred in 1950 in Missouri, USA. A 13-year-old named Janett Christman was looking after a three-year-old boy at his home when she was savagely assaulted and killed by an intruder. Her murder remains unresolved.
© Shutterstock
24 / 30 Fotos
The Bunny Man
- The tale of the Bunny Man, which still haunts Virginia, tells the story of a disturbing incident from 1904. A bus carrying patients from a mental institution crashed, resulting in the deaths of all but 10 patients. A search party successfully located them, except for one.
© Public Domain
25 / 30 Fotos
The Bunny Man
- Subsequently, rabbit carcasses started to be discovered suspended from a nearby bridge. Later on, the body of a man was also found hanging in a similar manner. It goes without saying that the Colchester Overpass in Clifton, Virginia, is deemed to be haunted. This legend is believed to have been influenced by two events, with the second one stemming from the 1970s when an individual dressed in a rabbit costume menaced others with an axe.
© Public Domain
26 / 30 Fotos
The Hookman
- This story has numerous variations, but they all share a common beginning: a couple kissing in a car on an isolated road. Suddenly, the radio emits crackling sounds, and a news bulletin disrupts the romantic scene, cautioning listeners about an escaped murderer with a hook for a hand who is on the loose.
© Shutterstock
27 / 30 Fotos
The Hookman
- The subsequent events differ significantly depending on the telling, but the idea is clear. Although this might resemble the plot of a B movie, it actually happened in Texarkana, Texas.
© Shutterstock
28 / 30 Fotos
The Hookman
- In 1946, a series of homicides called the Texarkana Moonlight Murders occurred in the city. The "Phantom Killer" targeted eight individuals, claiming the lives of five of them. They had all been sitting in cars on various "lovers lanes" when they were attacked. The cases remain unsolved. See also: The most sinister urban legends from every US state
© Public Domain
29 / 30 Fotos
These eerie urban legends actually happened
The truth is creepier than fiction
© Shutterstock Getty Images
Urban legends are often just that: legends. However, our imaginations sometimes pale in comparison to reality, and actual events can give rise to unsettling stories that eventually become deeply rooted in popular culture.
Click through the gallery to learn about creepy cases that prove that the truth can be stranger than fiction.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
![The angel number of each zodiac sign](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66daea83cf3d5.jpg)
![Do you have a Sunday reset routine?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66dabb3c56bfa.jpg)
![Natural spies: Animals used in espionage](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d9cea393994.jpg)
![Miracles and a temper? Experts investigate Jesus' childhood](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66dafd980019e.jpg)
![Exploring the tree house hotel where Princess Elizabeth learned she'd be Queen](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66daf9f737929.jpg)
![The top 30 most valuable brands of 2024](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d6f050a2e93.jpg)
![Countries where bosses can't contact employees after hours](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66dae767723a3.jpg)
![The sad reality of femicide around the world](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66dace5c31b08.jpg)
![Who is the top goal scorer of all time?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66dac9cd5b549.jpg)
![The amazing life of Jane Goodall, the world's most famous primatologist](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d9c5a6523fb.jpg)
![Is tennis the world's healthiest sport?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d8347d3b5a8.jpg)
![What was the Neanderthal diet like?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d9c4ba462b7.jpg)
![Hotel red flags to avoid at all costs](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d82c7c746f7.jpg)
![The greatest surfers of all time](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d82a3991191.jpg)
![Fascinating facts you probably didn't know about the Oval Office](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66db0390a5798.jpg)
![How to optimize your break-up](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d9a0f8ccccb.jpg)
![How does tennis scoring actually work?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d82a540f53f.jpg)
![Countries that have banned X, TikTok, and Facebook](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d72124468bd.jpg)
![Outdated workplace trends to say goodbye to](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d8529e0ac2a.jpg)
![American football players who became coaches](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d59a4ede1a9.jpg)
![Experts predict a tsunami in Europe with 100% probability](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d97aef417a7.jpg)
![30 of the hottest NFL players today](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d1dfc957220.jpg)
![How your zodiac sign influences your personality traits](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d84e22a505a.jpg)
![Japan's trick to reverse population collapse](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d719469c392.jpg)
![Unique ways your zodiac sign sabotages romantic relationships](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d84aee582cb.jpg)
![The terrifying history of the dark web](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d84942d0d7a.jpg)
![The F1 drivers with the most pole positions ever](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d71d2095a6e.jpg)
![The fascinating spiritual meaning of your animal dreams, revealed](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d83ec1a1923.jpg)
![Are you an introvert? These are the telltale signs](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d840333af90.jpg)
![The sad reasons why some good relationships don't last](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d84195c34c0.jpg)
![Clear signs you've hit a midlife crisis](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d83d116bd09.jpg)
![Stunning pictures of the world's strangest and rarest weather phenomena](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d83c14b308e.jpg)
![These zodiac signs are the funniest](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d8329f2cd1f.jpg)
![This is why even the best players miss penalties during a shoot-out](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d82c209a643.jpg)
![Which countries have the most bald men?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d838cccf6e9.jpg)
![Decode your pup: strange dog behaviors explained](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66d086ddd77a1.jpg)
MOST READ
- Last Hour
- Last Day
- Last Week