You’re wondering whether Bloody Mary is real or just an urban legend.  Well she’s real.  Or at least she was. 

This is the real story of Bloody Mary.  You’re probably wondering if she is real or just an urban legend.  Well, the truth is that she’s real.  Or at least she was real.  The legend of Bloody Mary is based on a true story. 

According to the legend, you have to stand in a bathroom, with one candle lit and say the name “Bloody Mary” into the mirror three times in a row.  It is only the bravest of children who would attempt to do this, because the story says this will summon her ghost. 

If you see her ghostly face in the mirror, it could have one of the following terrible consequences:

1.  Your eyes being ripped out and your face horribly scarred. 

2.  Being found dead with claw marks all over your face and body

3.  Disappearing mysteriously from the bathroom and ending up trapped in the mirror with the ghost for eternity. 

You could also be driven insane or drop dead on the spot. 

Bloody Mary Legend

The history of the chanting game is based on mixed up legends and history that, over the years, have become the main basis for the story surrounding the urban legend. 

The most common story told is that Bloody Mary was a witch that lived over 100 years ago who dabbled in the black arts.  She was found out and executed. 

The second story is more modern – a local woman was involved in a fatal car accident, and her face was horribly scarred before she died.  She reappears in the mirror when summoned with that same horrific face. 

There is another suggestion that the name “Mary Worth” was derived from a victim of the Salem Witch trials. 

The fourth story is that Bloody Mary is based on a historical figure – Queen Mary I of England. 

Mary Tudor

It is largely believed that the origins of the names “Mary Worth” and “Bloody Mary” came from a slight mix up of characters from history.  Mary I, Queen of England, or Mary Tudor, who reigned during the Tudor period was also commonly known as “Bloody Mary”. 

She was a Catholic and earned the nickname “Bloody Mary” when she ordered the violent execution of numerous Protestants and burned countless people at the stake for heresy during her 5-year reign.  She also was unable to have children and suffered two phantom pregnancies, this is why it is speculated that the variation involving chanting “I stole your baby” became tangled up with the legend. 

Mary Worth

They say that Mary Worth was a witch who lived in Chicago around the time of the Civil War.  She used to catch runaway slaves and keep them chained up in her barn.  Then, she would use them in her diabolical black magic rituals.  Eventually, the locals took the law into their own hands and burned Mary Worth at the stake.  Her charred remains were supposedly buried in St Patrick’s Cemetery. 

Mary Worthington

They say that, in the 1960s, there was a beautiful girl named Mary Worthington who was very vain.  She loved to look at her reflection in the mirror.  One day she was involved in a terrible car accident and her face was horribly disfigured.  No one could bear to look at her.  She couldn’t even stand to look at herself.  One day, when she accidentally caught a glimpse of her reflection in a mirror, she committed suicide. 

Mary Whales

Mary Whales was a young woman who was run over by a truck and killed while she was waiting on a street corner.  Her face was horribly mangled in the accident.  To summon her, you say “I believe in you, Mary Whales”. 

Another possible origin is the legend of Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian noblewoman who lived from 1560 to 1614.  She was also known as “Countess Dracula” or “The Bloody Countess”.  She is believed to have tortured and killed many young girls because she wanted to bathe in their blood.  She believed it would preserve her youthful beauty.  She killed more than 600 victims in all, using hot pokers, an iron maiden, pins, blades, and freezing water.  Eventually, her crimes were exposed and she was walled up alive in her castle in Slovakia.  Of course her name was not Mary but somehow the stories of this cruel woman have been inserted into the legend. 

Mary Weatherby

Mary Weatherby was a woman who was stabbed to death by her husband.  They say that if you go into a dark room and say her name three times, her mutilated face will appear in the mirror and she will chase you with a bloody knife. 

Mary Lou

Mary Lou was a girl who lived in the USA in the 1950s.  At her senior prom, she was crowned prom queen.  Someone decided to play a trick on her and set off some firecrackers.  Her dress caught fire and Mary Lou was burned alive. 

Mary Johnson

Mary Johnson was a witch who was burned at the stake during the Salem witch trials.  To summon her, everybody sits in a circle and holds hands.  The room must be completely dark.  You repeat together, “Come, Mary Johnson, come!”  A dim light will appear over the head of one person. 

Hell Mary

Hell Mary is a reversed allusion to Hail Mary.  There is one legend that claims if you go into a dark room, look into the mirror and chant “Hell Mary” 7 times, the mirror will run red with blood and you will see the face of satan. 

Svarta Madame

In Sweden, there is a version called “Svarta Madam” (Black Madame).  She appears in the mirror if you say “I don’t believe in you, Svarta Madam” 12 times.  She has black skin, green hair, red teeth and glowing yellow eyes. 

The Queen of Spades (or Dama Pika) is the Russian version of Bloody Mary. 

Veronica is the Spanish version of Bloody Mary. 

The Japanese have their own version, called Kuchisake Onna or The Slit-Mouth Woman. 

The Candyman urban legend was inspired by Bloody Mary. 

How do you play Bloody Mary? 

What you need is one candle, a strong heart and a big bathroom with a large mirror. 

Turn out the lights, place your candle down and light it, stand and look into the mirror, chant slowly “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary”.  And see what happens…

If nothing happens try spinning around three times and then look into the mirror.  You may just catch a glimpse of her terrifying face. 

Try it out if you dare, but don’t blame me if you find yourself trapped in a ghostly netherworld with the ghost of Bloody Mary forever! 

There have also been a number of horror movies and TV shows based on the legend of Bloody Mary:

Supernatural – Bloody Mary

Episode S01E05 of Supernatural featured a young woman named Mary Worthington who lived in Indiana.  When she was 19 years old, someone broke into her apartment and murdered her.  The killer cut out her eyes with a knife and she died in front of a large mirror.  She tried to spell out her killer’s name in blood, but only managed the letters T-R-E. A surgeon named Trevor Sampson was suspected but nothing was ever proven and her murder went unsolved.  Her body was cremated, but her spirit was trapped in the mirror. 

Dead Mary

In this horror movie, a bunch of young people spend the weekend in a remote cabin in the woods.  They decide to play a game called “Dead Mary” in which they summon an evil witch by repeating her name three times in front of a mirror. 

Urban Legends 3: Bloody Mary

This movie features a young woman named Mary Banner who dies on Prom Night when a prank goes wrong and she gets locked in a chest.  Her body was never found and, 35 years later, her ghost returns for revenge.