Movies based on scary urban legends have been popular for a long time. With 2020's Candyman getting people scared of this tale all over again, a lot of people have started thinking about other urban legends that have scared them just as much as the one that movie is based on. Whether it's a recent urban legend that grew on the Internet or one from decades ago that has a basis in mythology and ancient legends, there are a lot of really creepy urban legends.
Because there are so many urban legends from all around the world, it seems like no amount of movies based on them really covers all the good ones. Whether it's a terrifying horror movie, something super dramatic and suspenseful, or even a documentary that exposes the real story behind a certain urban legend, there are a lot of ways that these stories could be turned into films. To see 10 urban legends that need to become movies after Candyman, keep reading!
Polybius
Polybius is an urban legend that started making the rounds in the early 2000s. The game describes a government-founded psychology experiment that took place in Oregon in the early 1980s. According to the legend, the game that would have psychoactive effects on players were put in arcades in the area.
Although some people still believe that Polybius was an actual experiment, there's no proof that the game ever existed. Still, a movie that follows the existence of the game and the experiments that these mysterious government agents were monitoring with the cabinets would be pretty interesting.
The Watcher
When the Broaddus family moved into their New Jersey home in 2014, things seemed perfect. But, when they started receiving eerie messages from an anonymous figure that only identified themselves as "The Watcher," things changed.
According to the person writing these letters, being "The Watcher" of this home had been in their family for generations. The person began to reveal personal information about the family in the letters, leading them to believe that they were truly being watched and listened to all the time. Although some people have written this off as a hoax, it would still make a terrifying movie.
The Bunny Man Bridge
This urban legend is one that started in the 1970s. It's focused around a specific area of road and a bridge in Virginia where legend says that a crazed murderer once stalked. There are a lot of variations on the legend, but they all have the same basic premise: someone from a mental institution or prison escaped one night and attacked people that were near this bridge. Some variations say he was dressed as a bunny while others say that he gutted and skinned them like bunnies, but they're all creepy.
Because this legend has so many variables, there are a lot of ways that a horror movie about it could be done. But, since it's not about a ghost or anything paranormal, the movie would definitely focus on a real person, too.
The Clown Statue
This urban legend is one that dates all the way back to the 60s and, like many other urban legends, has a ton of variations that change depending on who tells it, the area they're living in, and the time period that they claim it took place in.
For the most part, all the variations have the same setup: a babysitter is watching kids at a strange house in the middle of nowhere. She keeps noticing a scary clown statue outside the window and at one point when the parents call in to check on her, she asks them why they have it. Horrified, the parents tell her they don't have a clown statue in their yard and to call the police immediately.
Kuchisake-onna
Kuchisake-onna is a Japanese myth about a woman with a mouth that was cut open by a gruesome slit on each side. She wears a surgical mask and will approach a person and ask if they think she's pretty after removing the mask. If they say no, she attacks them with scissors and if they say yes, it's said that she cuts slits in their mouth to match hers.
This urban legend has been adapted into a variety of anime and manga over the years and there was a movie released in Japan based on the legend in 2007. But, the movie didn't get particularly popular outside of Japan, so this legend is worth the movie industry giving another shot.
The Girl From The Gap
The Girl from the Gap is an urban legend that originated in Japan. According to this myth, there's a mysterious spirit that lives in the dark gaps between counters and appliances. If a person meets her gaze, she'll ask them to play a game of hide and seek with her. So long as the player never sees her again, they're safe. But if they ever meet her eyes again, she'll drag them into the gap and they'll be stuck playing the game with unsuspecting residents for the rest of eternity.
This legend seems pretty random, but given the number of tiny gaps between appliances and pieces of furniture people have in their homes, it would be hard to avoid losing this deadly game with her. And that would make a movie about it pretty creepy.
Charlie No-Face
Charlie No-Face is the name given to a man named Raymond who lived in Pennsylvania in the first half of the 20th century. After becoming terribly disfigured by an accident involving an electrical line as a child, Raymond was left without any facial features and avoided going out in the day. He would go for walks at night, his appearance frightening his neighbors and leading to rumors and urban legends about him.
Because Raymond was said to be a kind and well-meaning person, a horror movie about the Charlie No-Face would be wrong. Instead, a documentary about his life and the way that this urban legend grew and a real person who was just trying to continue on with his life in face of these rumors and a look at the life of the person behind the urban legend would be really interesting.
Robert The Doll
Robert the Doll is an allegedly haunted doll that was owned by Robert Otto in the early 1900s. According to stories, Otto's family would often hear someone talking to him in his room when he was alone with his doll and he often claimed that the doll had moved things around in his room.
The doll is now on display at a Key West museum where rumors about him draw visitors from all over. People claim to see Robert moving in his case and, if they don't ask permission before taking his picture, people claim that they've become injured or faced other tragedies after leaving the museum. There are a ton of movies about haunted dolls out there already, but Robert the Doll is definitely scary enough to warrant one of his own.
The Devil's School
The Devil's School, also known as Annie Lytle Elementary School, opened in Jacksonville, Florida in 1918. Today, the school is completely abandoned and is known as one of the most haunted places in Florida.
It was abandoned in the 1950s and legends about this school's incredibly haunted state started to crop up in the 1970s as more and more people would visit the area for a quick thrill. Several urban legends surrounding this school have been told in order to explain why the school is so haunted. Regardless of these stories, a horror movie about a haunted school would definitely be scary.
Pyramid Lake
Pyramid Lake is a lake located in Nevada. Along with being a beautiful natural destination, this location is also the home of several water-based urban legends.
One of them involves the legend of the "water babies." According to stories, a local indigenous tribe would throw babies born with birth defects into Pyramid Lake. The legend states that today, the cries of the children that were thrown into the lake to keep their tribe strong can still be heard coming from below the murky water.