Haunting Urban Legends

"Spooky retellings of well-known urban legends"--Provided by publisher.

An anthology of the most chilling urban legends of all time collected by the maestro himself. Urban legends are those strange, but seemingly credible tales that always happen to a friend of a friend. For the first time, Professor Jan Harold Brunvand, "who has achieved almost legendary status" (Choice), has collected the creepiest, most terrifying urban legends, many that have spooked you since your childhood and others that you believe really did occur—even if it was one town over to some poor hapless coed who left a party early only to be followed by a man who just got loose from a mental hospital. From the classic hook-man story told around many a campfire to "Saved by a Cell Phone," these spine-tingling urban legends will give you goose bumps, even when you know they can't be true. Still, you'll continue to check the backseat of your car at gas stations and look under your bed at night before praying for sleep.

Modern ghost stories are created from truly creepy myths and rumors. Read this book to discover some urban legends that will make your skin crawl.

Recounts several popular urban legends, from Bigfoot to Bloody Mary.

A compelling investigation into supernatural events and local lore on Vancouver Island. Vancouver Island is known worldwide for its arresting natural beauty, but those who live here know that it is also imbued with a palpable supernatural energy. Researcher Shanon Sinn found his curiosity piqued by stories of mysterious sightings on the island—ghosts, sasquatches, sea serpents—but he was disappointed in the sensational and sometimes disrespectful way they were being retold or revised. Acting on his desire to transform these stories from unsubstantiated gossip to thoroughly researched accounts, Sinn uncovered fascinating details, identified historical inconsistencies, and now retells these encounters as accurately as possible. Investigating 25 spellbinding tales that wind their way from the south end of the island to the north, Sinn explored hauntings in cities, in the forest, and on isolated logging roads. In addition to visiting castles, inns, and cemeteries, he followed the trail of spirits glimpsed on mountaintops, beaches, and water, and visited Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island and the Schooner Restaurant in Tofino to personally scrutinize reports of hauntings. Featuring First Nations stories from each of the three Indigenous groups who call Vancouver Island home—the Coast Salish, the Nuu-chah-nulth, and the Kwakwaka’wakw—the book includes an interview with Hereditary Chief James Swan of Ahousaht.

For most of us, most of the time, the roads we travel are largely forgotten once we get to where we're going. By day, they usually reveal a familiar, real—living—world. But then darkness comes. Haunted Highways brings together more than twenty of the spookiest stories ever of ghosts, hauntings, and supernatural events on or near America's highways and byways. There are the usual suspects—the creepy hitchhiker, the eerie lights along a lonely stretch of road—as well as many you never dared to imagine. Each of the book's twenty-five chapters ratchets up the suspense, from an introduction that sets the scene and draws you in, to a haunting climax. Whether the actor Telly Savalas's haunting encounter with a long-dead good Samaritan on a rural Long Island road, or the Ghost Riders in the Sky who appear over the plains of Texas, these stories will bring delightful fright to readers young and old.

Presents a history and critique of a selection of the famous ghost stories from different countries, organized by such common themes as spectral armies, phantom women in white, haunted houses, screaming skulls, crisis apparitions, and ghostly lights.

You thought you knew... but you have no idea. The Jersey Devil, Wendigo, The Gates of Hell, Bloody Mary, The Lady in White... Primordial pagan religions, the Norse Pantheon, Greek Mythology... Ritual Killings, Alien Invasion, The Occult... We've all heard the stories around the campfire or at the water cooler. We've all shared the legends with hushed whispers or nervous laughter. But do we really know the truth? Do we really know what goes bump in the night? Do we want to? If you are at all interested in ancient tales, spooky legends, the macabre, superstitions, cryptids, or cults then this is the book for you! It is harrowing and hilarious, interesting and irreverent, spooky, and oh so satisfying. Urban Legend, Ghost Stories, and Folklore will bring you the truth about the legends and lore that you've heard of your whole life. Are you ready?