- 5/18/2025
From government experiments to mysterious phenomena, some urban legends have more truth to them than we'd like to believe. Join us as we explore spine-chilling tales that went from campfire stories to confirmed events, revealing how reality can be stranger and more disturbing than fiction.
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00:00But now, 20 years later, we may get the chance to uncover the truth behind our urban legend.
00:06Because Andre Rand is back.
00:10Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the most unsettling legends that ended up being more real than anyone could have imagined.
00:17But according to the Coast Guard, around 120 boats vanish each year without a trace.
00:25The Cave of Forgotten Dreams.
00:27Rock art has served as a perfect window into the past.
00:31Through drawings by Paleolithic humans, we've been able to get a glimpse into what their lives may have been like.
00:36One of the most telling is the Chauvet Cave.
00:39Among the detailed depictions of animals that once roamed the Earth is a series of unique, unidentifiable markings.
00:46Hundreds of images adorn the walls, most of them animals.
00:50They're surprisingly sophisticated.
00:52One shows what appears to be a random smattering of bright red pigment rising towards the ceiling.
00:58While some think it's merely an ancient, abstract style, there's a solid theory that it's actually the oldest known recording of a volcanic eruption.
01:06If true, it would prove that humans lived alongside and survived these extreme natural events.
01:11It's some of the oldest art ever found.
01:14But opening it up to the public could destroy it.
01:17Murderers coming through the medicine cabinet.
01:20Thanks to the 1992 film, the story of Candyman has been terrifying people for decades.
01:25The villain may just seem like a dark yet creative idea, but shockingly, it may have been inspired by a real-life death.
01:32In 1987, a woman named Ruthie McCoy was slain in her apartment by perpetrators who entered through her bathroom cabinet.
01:48Though she had called to report the strange occurrence, officers didn't respond for hours.
01:52And by then, it was too late.
01:54Two men were arrested and charged, but a lack of evidence led to them being dropped.
01:58Knowing about the sordid event, it's hard to watch the movie without noticing its eerie similarities to Ruthie's tragic end.
02:12Charlie No-Face
02:13Sometimes the scariest myths are born from tragic situations.
02:17In Pennsylvania, there were whispers of the Green Man, who was disfigured in his youth and spent his adulthood wandering the streets.
02:24The story was passed around for so long that the actual person behind it, Raymond Robinson, was forgotten.
02:30Robinson actually had been severely injured when he was young, and took nighttime walks so as not to scare anyone.
02:37People would drive for hours attempting to see him, only adding to his legendary status when they failed to do so.
02:43The mystery around him grew so much that his real life ended up being obfuscated.
02:48He's proof of what happens when tragedy meets imagination, and how it can have a permanent effect.
02:53Spontaneous Human Combustion
02:55All the mysteries surrounding Helen Conway's death seem to lead us back to one question.
03:01How did the fire start?
03:03The name alone makes it seem like nothing more than a plot device in a science fiction movie.
03:08For years, spontaneous human combustion seemed to only occur within fictional novels.
03:13However, there have been several supposed cases of it throughout history, creating a scientific conundrum.
03:18Many experts have argued that they're caused by a combination of excessive alcohol combustion and exposure to flame.
03:24While others have theorized that those affected were in ketosis and producing more acetone, making them more flammable.
03:31Those who died from it were found in similar states, with charred remains and melted furniture serving as the only hints.
03:37Though the cause is unknown, the number of victims has made it seem likely that the phenomenon is more real than anyone initially suspected.
03:45This burned from the inside out, and he said, I've never, ever seen anything like this.
03:50Cropsey the Boogeyman
03:52Who could have guessed that a childhood monster would be based in truth?
03:56For years, tales of a grieving man named Cropsey, who kidnapped children to replace his own, were passed around New York City.
04:03Later as teenagers, we assumed Cropsey was just an urban legend.
04:07A cautionary tale used to keep us out of those buildings.
04:10While parts were true, the truth was much darker.
04:13A man named Andre Rand actually was capturing children, and supposedly even adults.
04:18But his intentions were out of malice, rather than grief.
04:21His confirmed exploits occurred primarily from the late 1960s through the 80s, including an instance where he kidnapped a bus full of students.
04:29He said he was just going to take us to the park.
04:32We wound up in Newark Airport.
04:34His crimes only escalated from there, and he was eventually imprisoned after being found guilty of slaying Jennifer Schweiger.
04:40The truth is so vile, that it makes one wish it were nothing more than a dark tale.
04:45There's that gigantic fear of, you know, wondering whether or not the Boogeyman is going to come get their kids.
04:53The Well to Hell
04:54This metal lid opens a new scientific frontier.
04:58Speculation on whether the underworld is real or not has been ongoing for millennia.
05:03It has appeared throughout various religions, with many adamantly believing in it.
05:07In the late 1980s, a modern legend surrounding the Well to Hell cropped up, cementing those beliefs.
05:13As the tale goes, a borehole in Siberia was dug so deep that it reached Hell, and that the screams of the damned could be heard.
05:22The truth is far less intense.
05:24The Kola Superdeep Borehole was dug by the Soviet Union, and reportedly reaches over 40,000 feet beneath the Earth's surface.
05:31And the borehole becomes the deepest hole in the world.
05:35While there are anomalies at its depth, none were caused by supernatural forces, and the sounds that had gone viral were eventually revealed to have been from a movie soundtrack.
05:44It's the deepest artificial point on Earth.
05:47A record that is still held today.
05:49The Dancing Plague of 1518
05:52There are some events that are so bizarre they seem unfathomable.
05:56But sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction.
05:58In 1518, a city was suddenly inflicted with the irresistible urge to dance.
06:04Things got even stranger when the manic dancing began to spread.
06:08Within a week, another 34 people were dancing.
06:11Though the exact numbers are unknown, it's believed that hundreds of people were afflicted with this mysterious disease.
06:16Those impacted would dance non-stop until they supposedly dropped dead.
06:21One report from the time claims 15 were dancing themselves to death every day.
06:27There are countless theories as to how it came to be, from the accidental consumption of psychedelic drugs to mass hysteria.
06:33It sounds like nothing more than a dramatic tale, but historical documents confirming it, and similar instances occurring, have proven that it's more than an old wives' tale.
06:42A mass hysteria triggered when life got too tough.
06:46Bermuda Triangle Disappearances
06:48Even something as seemingly banal as a section of the Atlantic Ocean has been the source of countless urban legends.
06:54Tales of airplanes and boats alike sinking into the depths of the Bermuda Triangle have kept sailors and landlubbers wary.
07:00Thousands of ships and planes have simply vanished without a trace.
07:05No warning, no distress calls, no wreckage.
07:09Tons of theories have been spread about the cause of these disasters, many of which are rooted in supernatural beliefs.
07:15For years, stories of giant sea monsters, cosmic time warps, spinning compasses, and holes in the ocean that swallowed ships have echoed throughout the world.
07:27While some crafts have been lost, the explanations behind them are rooted firmly in reality.
07:31Many of these instances, such as the crashing of Flight 19 and the sinking of the USS Cyclops, were found to have most likely been the result of human error.
07:40So while tragedies have occurred, they've been dramatized by the media into myths that still circulate today.
07:47After 60 years, what happened to Flight 19 is now clear.
07:54And like so many mysteries, there is always a rational explanation.
07:59The Bloody Mary Effect
08:00Even the strangest childhood games can have some basis in reality.
08:05Bloody Mary
08:05According to the rules of the ritual, repeating the name Bloody Mary in front of a mirror will cause her ghost to appear in the reflection.
08:13Some people may see the deformed visage of a face, and while it isn't an actual spirit, there is an explanation behind it.
08:20Troxler's Fading is an optical illusion wherein staring at a fixed point will cause other areas around it to seem distorted.
08:27Bloody Mary
08:29Bloody Mary
08:31Bloody Mary is believed to be one of the most well-known documented examples of this, especially as it's commonly played in a dark room.
08:38So while the ghost itself isn't real, your mind may still try to fill in the gaps, and convince you otherwise.
08:44Bloody Mary
08:45Bloody Mary
08:46Bloody Mary
08:47See? Nothing happened.
08:51Mind control experiments.
09:09No one wants to believe that their government would test its own citizens.
09:13Prior to Project MK Ultra being revealed, believing that those in power were using everyday civilians for mind control experiments would have had you written off as a nut.
09:23In the early days of the Cold War, the CIA ordered the creation of a secret program intended to find ways of mind control.
09:29In the 1970s, however, those fringe conspiracies were confirmed.
09:34Beginning in 1953, the CIA developed several tests with the hopes of using them in future interrogations.
09:39Those being tested on were subjected to extreme stimuli, such as high amounts of psychedelic drugs, hypnosis, and even sensory deprivation.
09:48That was beside my bed constantly. Repeatedly 250,000 and 500,000 times.
09:57The subjects were often from vulnerable communities, and many of the procedures were performed without informed consent.
10:03The discovery of the program's existence completely shattered people's views of the government, making them rethink everything they had once known.
10:10And during those hearings, the CIA finally admitted that this program existed. They admitted that it was probably not the right thing to do.
10:19What myth are you convinced is based in truth? Let us know in the comments below.
10:23Oh dear, what is it? I've spontaneously combusted.
10:25Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
10:40Thank you so much for listening and on.
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