From one generation to the next, thrill-seeking boys and girls have passed down the legend of Bloody Mary. Perhaps you even took on the hair-raising challenge as an adolescent—chanting “Bloody Mary” in the mirror of a darkened bathroom three times, only to run out screaming before the evil spirit appeared. Some claim the bloodied woman merely appears in the reflective surface, while others purport she’ll claw at your face, haunt you for life, or even kill you.

Long before this malevolent woman came to haunt the living, the original ritual held roots in a young woman’s coming of age. Hundreds of years ago, pubescent girls curious about their destined true love would walk backward up a flight of stairs, then peer into a mirror in darkened room while holding a candle. This was said to reveal the face of their future husband. Sometimes, however, a skull materialized, signifying death before getting the chance to marry.