Urban legends are described as ‘… An often lurid story or anecdote that is based on hearsay and widely circulated as true.’ By its very definition, an urban legend a.k.a. an urban myth, cannot be true, can it? David Robson penned an op-ed in the BBC in January 2015, titled ‘Chilling and often disturbing real-life stories are still widely shared… Why do these tales continue to endure?’
As it turns out, audiences are fascinated by urban legends. Consider the Slender Man – a treacherous villain that lurks in the shadows. It’s the kind of red meat that audiences love and loathe. Some tales have become deeply entrenched in our cultural zeitgeist. We know many of these stories through Hollywood’s horror maestros, with Candy Man, Slender Man, Mad Man, Bloody Mary, and the Chilling Call Coming from within the House. There are many urban legends that continue to traumatize us, despite reassurances to the contrary.
The Slender Man is one of the iconic modern urban legends. It features a supernatural component with a faceless figure, unusually tall, in black-and-white photos. This creation went viral and had a huge impact on lots of kids all over the world. This villain would kidnap children and they would never be seen again. Much like the Pied Piper of Hamlin, only wicked. We have all seen the Scream movies – they can be unnerving. But when the telephone starts ringing and the hapless victim attempts to lock all the doors and windows, it’s disconcerting to know that the calls are actually coming from inside the house. The latest Scream movie really ramped up the hype around this urban legend by using technology to clone telephones and make calls from inside the house.
So, in a sense, legends may have a basis in reality but it’s our imagination that truly makes them terrifying beyond compare.
Why the Supernatural Element in Urban Legends?
Unprecedented advances in CGI technology and an insatiable appetite for paranormal activity have piqued our curiosity. Let’s face it – we are more interested in superheroes and demonic possession than we are in historical dramas. It’s what audiences are flocking to see on the big screen. It’s a fusion of retro-style base elements such as wooden cottages, candelabras, iron gates, and rural living, combined with innovative software to ramp things up from ordinary to extraordinary.
There’s a part of us that certainly wants to believe in the existence of good and evil in a corporeal way. We want to see these haunting elements, feel the bone-chilling effects of the music, and experience the angst of a terrifying urban legend. If all of this sounds appealing, you may want to play Legacy of the Wild slot. There are wizards, devils, green monsters, and other elements peppered across the reels. Is it another urban legend in the making?
College campuses are notorious for their urban legends. There are haunted universities, hidden tunnels beneath the campus, and all sorts of statues that might come to life under the right conditions. But it’s the dead roommate urban legend that really strikes a chord with freshmen, juniors, and seniors. Pretty much any horror flick features college-age students trying to outrun a crazed killer, hunting them down one by one. The Halloween massacre urban legend needs no introduction. Fortunately, most urban legends don’t come to fruition – they’re just alive in our minds and on the Internet. We’ve all heard the stories, and probably have a tale of our own to tell. Perhaps you’re sitting around a campfire ready to tell a story right now? Entertainment icons such as the infamous Shobu Zukuri can often lead to the development of urban legends.