The Urban Legend of Bloody Mary

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Bloody Mary Version 3

The story of Bloody Mary is told in different versions all around the world has been included in nine different movies (three in the past two years) (The Internet Movie Database). This particular version of the popular urban legend of Bloody Mary originates locally from North Potomac, Maryland. The storyteller is a female 19-year-old Caucasian sophomore student, currently studying psychology at the University. The story was collected in the spring on the University campus. After dinner, in a one-on-one environment, she began the story of an urban legend from her childhood.

I remember this from back in second grade. It scared me so much.

It was Friday the 13th. Back in elementary school, we always lined up in classes on the blacktop before school. This morning, a classmate told me about a girl that had been buried alive on Friday the 13th because her stepmother hated her and wanted her dead.

Then she told me, as if it was completely true, that if I went home that night and turned around three times in front of the mirror while chanting, ‘Bloody Mary,’ her ghost would appear in it and if I looked into her eyes I would turn to stone.

[Me:] Do you remember who told you this story or where the story happened?

[Storyteller:] I don’t really remember. I do remember that when I went home that night, I made my mom cover my mirror with a towel before I agreed to go to bed.

[Me:] So you never actually tested it out?

[Storyteller:] No way.

The tale of Bloody Mary seems to be a popular urban legend, according to researched sources, and its variations can be categorized into two groups: a set of simple instructions and those that tell the actual legend of the ghost. Most of the variatio...

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...rite of passage to adulthood by overcoming their fears and anxieties. For those too young and immature to attempt this “dangerous” ritual, such as the storyteller at the age when she was told the urban legend, this urban legend serves as a point in their maturity when their desire to overcome their fears actually overcomes their fears. This urban legend serves as an important marker in the phase of adolescent life and their process towards maturity.

Works Cited

"Bloody Mary." No date. Urban Legends & Superstitions. 8 Apr. 2006 http://urbanlegendsonline.com/mirrors/bloodymary.html.

IMDb Search. 2006. The Internet Movie Database. 9 Apr. 2006 http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=bloody+mary.

Mikkelson, Barbara and David. "Bloody Mary." Urban Legends Reference Pages. 27 Oct. 2005. Snopes.com. 8 Apr. 2006 http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/bloodymary.asp.

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