“Bloody Mary…Bloody Mary…Bloody Mary…” With those words, many schoolchildren had their first experience with a ghost. According to folklore, Bloody Mary is a ghost of a woman who murdered her children long ago. If you want to see her, go into a bathroom (usually at school), turn the lights off, stand in front of a mirror, and repeat her name three times.

The ‘game’ of summoning Bloody Mary is particularly associated with teenagers. “Three functions of the ritual are identified: to actively challenge and conquer fears; to allow opportunities to increase peer group status; and to develop a mechanism for coping with the supernatural,” wrote Gail de Vos in “What Happens Next? Contemporary Urban Legends and Popular Culture (opens in new tab)” (Libraries Unlimited, 2012).. Many either stare at their scared reflection in the dark mirror or lose their nerve after saying the second “Bloody Mary” and run from the bathroom. “Numerous students related their experiences, both positive and negative, with great glee while others hid their heads in terror at the very thought of calling her.”

An updated version of the Bloody Mary legend was made into a horror film series “Candyman,” recently remade in 2021, who is similarly summoned by repeating his name three times.