Wherever tragedies happen, urban legends settle.

Roads around the world are often the site of tragic accidents and death, then becoming the center of terrifying legends. In the city of Wildwood, St. Louis County, Missouri, lies Zombie Road, which stretches through a valley and ends near the Meramec River. Mostly unused since the 1950s, it became a popular hangout for teenagers who liked to party away from adult supervision. Zombie Road was also said to be the hunting ground for the “Zombie Killer”’ who stalked the place looking for young couples.
These days, however, ghost hunters like to stake out the road in the hopes that they will catch a glimpse of the ghost of the wife of a local judge who was hit by a train nearby and died in 1876.

On this list are some more of the creepiest roads around the world and the urban legends that made them famous.

Related: 10 Famous Urban Legends Come To Life

10 Pray or Die

The National Highway 33 or Ranchi-Jamshedpur NH33 in Jharkhand, India, looks like all the other highways in the country: busy. It runs from Arwal to Farakka and links Bihar and Bengal.

There is a temple to be found at each end of the expressway, and it is said that those who travel along the highway must stop and pray at both locations to avoid a fatal accident. Between 2010 and 2013, a total of 245 people died in accidents on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur NH33, leading to rumors that the highway is cursed.

Many drivers have also reported seeing the apparition of a tall lady in a white saree “patrolling” the road.^[1]

9 Eerie Mountain Pass

South Africa has its fair share of haunted roads, with the most infamous being the N9 national route which passes through Uniondale, where you might just find the ghost of Maria Roux attempting to solicit a lift from you.

The well-known Swartberg Pass in the Karoo links the towns of Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn and was built by hundreds of convicts in the late 1800s. Thirty of them died during a snowstorm, and it is said that as you drive past the spot of the tragedy, you will feel the temperature drop by several degrees—even in the middle of summer.

At another spot on the mountain pass, a guard who accidentally shot himself still hangs around in plain sight. And when the wind blows a certain way, the plaintive cries of a family who died in a blizzard can be heard in the distance.^[2]

8 The Street With No Name

In Annandale, New South Wales, Australia, a narrow street that runs parallel with a rail viaduct has earned itself the moniker of “The Street With No Name.”

The bodies of murdered people, reportedly including six children, have been dumped here, which has led to an urban legend that says those who happen to find themselves on this street will likely experience fear, anxiety, and a sense of doom or foreboding. Too many of the murders have not been solved, which just adds to the air of desperation. It is also said that children and animals behave strangely whenever they are in the vicinity and that late-night visitors have heard disembodied footsteps, whispers, and
unexplained noises.

Those who believe in the presence of ghosts, are convinced that the souls of the murdered children cannot rest and are forever stuck in what is also called an “evil street.”^[3]

7 Werewolves of the B1249

A survey in 2020 revealed that one out of seven Brits has seen things of the paranormal variety while driving. It’s not surprising, really, as the UK is known for multiple haunted roads, including the A229 with its “Blue Bell Hill Bride” and the A696 where the spirit of a dead RAF officer lingers.

Until the 15th century, wolves were plentiful in the farmland of the East Riding of Yorkshire, which is believed to be why there are so many werewolf sightings on the B1249 between Driffield and Staxton Hill. A truck driver was traveling along this road in the 1960s when a hairy creature with glowing red eyes tried to smash through his windscreen. The incident was detailed by the author, Charles Christian.^[4]

In 2016, a young woman reported seeing a “dog bigger than her car, but with a human face” while driving along the road.

6 Don’t Look Back

The Karak Highway in Malaysia is dangerous in more than one way. It is prone to fatal accidents and is also the site where a horrifying creature is said to roam. The creature legend hails from a story about a couple whose car broke down on this highway. The husband got out of the vehicle to try and find help, and while he was gone, his wife fell asleep. She awoke to the loud sound of something banging on the roof of the car. Too scared to get out, she stayed put while the sound got louder and louder. Finally, just as she couldn’t take it anymore and was about to flee the vehicle, a police car pulled up. An officer approached her, telling her to exit the car via the driver’s side and walk toward him. As she did so, the officer told her to not look back.

She couldn’t resist, however, and as she peered over her shoulder, she saw a huge creature on top of the car gripping her husband’s head between its claws and banging it against the roof.^[5]

On the Karak Highway, there have also been sightings of a driverless yellow VW Beetle that overtakes other cars but then drives in reverse while staying in front and scaring the pants off motorists.

5 Ghost Road

Scotland is no stranger to spooky and fantastical tales. Not only are there creepy roads, but you will find hell hounds, loch monsters, and spectral beings that haunt traditional bridges and overpasses.

The most haunted road in Scotland is said to be the A75 Kinmount Straight. It is on this road that brothers Derek and Norman Ferguson were driving when they saw a hen flying straight toward their windscreen. Then followed cats, dogs, and other animals. All the animals disappeared on impact with the windscreen.

Truck drivers have had eerie experiences on the A75 as well, with one quitting his job after waking up one night to see an endless stream of apparitions passing by his truck. Motorists have also reported knocking people over who suddenly appear before them in the road, only for them to vanish after the shaken-up driver gets out of the car to help.^[6]

4 Mount Misery and Sweet Hollow

Mount Misery and Sweet Hollow roads run parallel on Long Island. Also known as No Man’s Land, driving down either of these roads might see you running into a group of ghostly teenagers who followed through with a suicide pact years ago.

Motorists have reported seeing the ghost of a child, who’d been killed in a hit and run, sitting on the overpass, as well as a policeman missing half of his head. Some have seen a man holding a basket containing severed heads. Another legend has it that a mental asylum once stood on Mount Misery Road and was burned down by a female patient. She also died in the fire and now wanders the road at night, still wearing her hospital gown.^[7]

3 The Dark Side of Paradise

The half-faced girl of the Old Pali Road and the screaming ghost of Morgan’s Corner in Hawaii are just two of the creepy stories surrounding the roads here.

There is also the woman who died in a car crash on Palani Road in the 1950s after catching her husband with another woman. To this day, there are rumors of her spirit standing in the middle of the road, causing drivers to crash as they try to swerve around her.

While building the H-1 Highway in Oahu, construction workers unearthed the bones of ancient Hawaiians. This discovery came after several of the workers claimed to have seen the ghosts of Hawaiian warriors. This resulted in the highway taking seven years to complete because it became impossible to find people to keep working on the project.^[8]

2 The Spooky Roads of Thailand

Thailand has many haunted roads to choose from should you be in the mood for ghost-hunting. First, there is the spirited Tha Chaom-Nong Chang Road, where headless ghosts and a playful female apparition with a penchant for sticking out her tongue roams.

A two-lane road in Thonburi, Bangkok, called Chak Phra Road, is the site of a creepy legend about a husband who killed his pregnant wife. It is said that her spirit still cannot rest, and she haunts the road, hanging out in front of the Wat Taling Chan temple. Many taxi drivers refuse to use the road at night out of fear that they will encounter her ghost.^[9]

1 Ghosts around every turn

Route 66 was one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway System. It was decertified in 1985, but some segments of it can still be traveled as part of the designated “Historic Route.”

Along with the various tourist attractions that Route 66 has to offer, ghosts lurk around just about every turn in the road. The Missouri part of the route is known for the specters that haunt the Bethlehem Cemetery and the Bloody Hill Ghosts at Wilson Creek. In Oklahoma, apparitions float around in the Tulsa Little Theatre and the Gilcrease Museum.

In Arizona, visitors can take a break from their road trip to do some sightseeing at the Navajo County courthouse, which is haunted by the only man ever hanged there. And in California, there is the haunted Georgian hotel to explore and the cheerfully named Suicide Bridge.^[10]

In the field of motion picture special effects, there are few, if any, names as big as Douglas Trumbull. His groundbreaking work on seminal films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Blade Runner earned him a spot in the pantheon of premier visual effects artists. Trumbull passed away in February 2022 at the age of 79.

While fans everywhere mourn the loss, it’s a good time to look back on the fascinating life of this unique visual artist. Here are 10 cool facts about the life of filmmaker and special effects artist extraordinaire Douglas Trumbull.

Related: 10 Movie Graphics That Looked Cool But Are Now Laughable

10 It Runs in the Family

Douglas Trumbull was born on April 8, 1942, in Los Angeles, California. Growing up near Hollywood surely gave him a leg up for eventually breaking into the industry—as did a family connection. Douglas’s father, Don Trumbull, was an aerospace engineer who also happened to work on the special effects for Star Wars (1977) and one of Hollywood’s earliest hits known for its visual effects: The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Although the senior Trumbull didn’t have another film credit until after Douglas became successful in the industry, he did later work with his son on films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It’s clear that the talents that make one a great visual artist run in the Trumbull family. ^[1]

9 Childhood Electronics and Building

While growing up in California, Trumbull was fascinated with how mechanical and electronic devices work. He even built his own crystal set radios. A crystal set radio is a small device that can not only pick up audio from radio signals but also power itself from the received signals.

This kind of aptitude with mechanics and electricity led him to want to pursue a career in architecture. However, his unique talents would lead him in a direction that would allow him to incorporate his other interests of outer space and science fiction films.^[2]

8 Films for NASA and the Air Force

Before he could pursue architecture, Trumbull’s illustrations of planets and spaceships caught the attention of Graphic Films, a small animation and graphic arts studio. Graphic Films was a contractor for the U.S. government, specifically NASA and the U.S. Air Force.

While employed there, Trumbull would work on documentaries and conceptual films for those agencies. Some of the films were even shot in Cinerama, a very widescreen process requiring three separate projectors to present back on a curved, wraparound movie screen. A precursor to today’s IMAX, Cinerama proved to be an exceptionally good fit for the needs of Graphic Films and NASA in explaining the agency’s future plans for space travel.^[3]

7 Ticket to the 1964 World’s Fair

One of the Cinerama productions Trumbull worked on for Graphic Films ended up playing at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. To the Moon and Beyond played at the Transportation and Travel Pavilion at the fair. The immersive Cinerama presentation promised audiences a realistic idea of space travel, a full five years before NASA put astronauts on the moon.

The film’s poster told audiences to be prepared to “be propelled on the most fantastic, incredible voyage through billions of miles of space…from its utmost outer reaches…back to the Earth itself, and into the center of the minutest atom. All through the magic of Cinerama!”^[4]

6 A Call to Kubrick

Two important visitors to the 1964 World’s Fair had a keen interest in To the Moon and Beyond. Director Stanley Kubrick and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke were beginning pre-production work on what would become the landmark 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Impressed by the realism of To the Moon and Beyond, Kubrick hired Graphic Films as advisors and storyboard artists for his new film project.

Once Kubrick ended his relationship with Graphic Films, Trumbull took a leap of faith and cold-called Kubrick to share his ideas for how Kubrick could realize his vision. This phone call proved to be the pivotal moment in Trumbull’s career, as Kubrick then contacted Trumbull’s boss at Graphic Films and arranged for Trumbull to come to England to work on the film.^[5]

5 A Stargate Is Born

While working on 2001, the production team would eventually figure out how to turn the words on the script into the elaborate special effects the film became legendary for. The famous “Stargate” sequence, when astronaut Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) first makes contact with alien life, was not terribly well defined when it came time to shoot it.

Trumbull recalled that the team had a vague idea about one of Jupiter’s moons that had a tunnel through which another part of the universe could be seen. However, there was no clear plan on how to take the idea from concept to reality. He noted, “It wasn’t my job to create a solution, but I was watching what others were doing, and you could see it just wasn’t working.” After finding inspiration from some “avant-garde animation films he had seen,” Trumbull developed a machine he called a “slit-scan.” The machine “moved colorful artwork behind slits while the camera moved away from the slit.” This is the scene that we see in the film today. Kubrick decided the effects worked the film and told Trumbull to “keep shooting, keep shooting.”^[6]

4 The Birth of Familiar Droids

Trumbull parlayed his success from 2001 into more Hollywood special effects jobs and, just a few years later, a chance to direct his own film, Silent Running. The story follows a botanist (Bruce Dern) in the future who has been tasked with keeping plants and animals alive until Earth is safe to inhabit again. He does this with the help of some small robots (designed by Trumbull, naturally). Viewers who have checked out Silent Running only after seeing Star Wars can’t help but notice that the robots in Silent Running wouldn’t feel out of place as droids in the Star Wars universe.

Norman Reynolds, the art director for the first Star Wars film from 1977, acknowledges this by saying, “I remember watching Silent Running for the robots.” Some of the similarities between the Silent Running robots and droids that have been noted include retractable arms, the ability to interact with computers, and built-in tools. But perhaps the biggest similarity is the beeps and whistles that the robots in both films use to communicate.^[7]

3 Directing the Shots

We mentioned before how, after coming up with how to shoot the 2001 Stargate sequence, he shot much of it himself at the urging of Kubrick. This experience, along with becoming a director in his own right, led other directors who hired Trumbull to allow him to shoot his special effects sequences.

Some of his most notable work was in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. According to the Hollywood Reporter, director Robert Wise had Trumbull shoot the docking sequence aboard the Enterprise and Spock’s spacewalk. It’s probably no coincidence that these are two of the most highly regarded scenes in this Star Trek classic.^[8]

2 A Universal Back to the Future

When Universal Studios wanted to create a Back to the Future ride, they contracted with a company called Berkshire Ridefilm. This is one of several companies that Trumbull started and named after the Berkshire hills area of Massachusetts where he lived. Given his credentials and experience with To the Moon and Beyond and the sense of movement in the 2001 Stargate sequence, he was the ideal candidate to help Universal bring the ride to life. He directed the 4-minute film that’s a part of the ride.

Trumbull took on the job with his characteristic zeal and inventiveness, and he can be seen on YouTube talking about how he conveyed the sense of motion that is so key to the ride to the short film.^[9]

1 Saving the Planet

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as the BP oil spill, started within days of the April 20, 2010 explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. By the time the leak was under control, an estimated 3.19 million barrels of oil had leaked into the Gulf.

Ever the inventor, Trumbull took to social media with a solution concept that garnered a lot of attention at the time as a common-sense way to clean up the Gulf waters. His concept and pitch can still be seen on YouTube. In the end, no governments or BP reached out to Trumbull to follow up on the idea, but one does have to wonder if his ideas were incorporated into cleanup efforts.^[10]

If Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Macbeth, is any indicator, tales of witches always leave a splash in folklore and literature. These sorcerous figures have earned quite the reputation across every corner of the world. And while there is an ample amount of stories regarding women tragically victimized in various witch hunts in Europe and North America, this list will instead tackle a different subset of witches: the hag.

Though it isn’t recommended that one uses this term to describe anyone magically adjacent nowadays, the original usage of hag describes figures who are more solitary, borderline creaturesque in appearance, and often with a penchant for murder and cannibalism. And this list will document ten of these sorts of witches. And unlike figures such as Hecate and Grendel’s Mother, the witches on this list come from more than mere pantheons and poems; these bogeymen were thought to be totally real. Do brush up on your Brothers Grimm before investigating them.

10 Nelly Longarms

Nelly Longarms is first on this list, in as much as she is a superb example of the archetypal witchy hag, or at least the English version. Originating near Durham, England, Nelly is often described as a withered, older woman with long sinewy arms and wild hair. This is likely because many folklorists believe that this sort of figure was originally derived from the worship of the crone or a particular deity associated with guidance, old age, and wisdom in many pre-Christian European pantheons. Over time, however, as these deities became more and more associated with their devilish traits, the more popular Christianity became. Nelly Longarms is no exception.

This hag’s favorite pastime involved luring children to the water and dragging them to a watery grave. Nelly Longarms is a water spirit, and while that is not a prerequisite for this sort of mythological witch, it is a trait shared by many other hags. She is also known for making many odd sounds and magically appearing in village streets and doorways, attempting to lure the curious to their death by drowning.^[1]

9 The Aswang

One of the archetypical hag’s most notorious character traits is her penchant for cannibalism, and what other monster shares this quirk more than the blood-sucking vampire? Originating from the Philippines, the Aswang is a bit of a witch/vampire hybrid, combining the deadliest behaviors of both beings.

The aswang hunts its victims by night, shapeshifting into any animal, from the furtive, silent cat to expert hunters like the wolf. Though, once it finds its victims, it perches on top of their homes until nightfall, using an elongated, prehensile tongue to get a read on the home, much like a snake’s tongue, before burglarizing and cannibalizing. The Filipino legend can also curse its victims, its signature move involving rice, sand, and even bugs pouring out of its victims’ orifices.^[2]

8 Muma Pădurii

Romania is where this next witch calls home. Though she still has a habit of attacking children, she is admittedly a tad bit more benevolent than other hags since she at least helps nurse the animals of the woodlands back to health with her assorted potions. With bulging eyes, withered hands, and a good bit of weight to her, Muma Pădurii also differs from the other hags because she can shapeshift between an old woman and an old man—though those are far from her only forms. She can also change into a beautiful young woman, a nun, and even a tree.

Muma isn’t always cruel, though, only really choosing to enact her revenge on those who’d dare tear down her forest for her home. She even, from time to time, helps children lost in the woods back to their homes and also lacks the cannibal tendencies of other entries on this list. According to Romanian legend, she is also married to the legendary Father of the Forest.^[3]

7 Jenny Greenteeth

Next on this list is the enigmatic Jenny Greenteeth, Nelly Longarm’s more famous and colorful folkloric counterpart. Jenny also differs from Nelly because she’s a bit less picky in her choice of victim, choosing to drown both children and elderly people instead of just children. She also has more than one hiding spot and can sometimes be seen lurking in the branches of willows and other swampland trees.

Originating from the Lancashire area of England, this Hag is described as having green skin, long, disheveled black hair, and razor-sharp teeth. She is also claimed to have made her way over to North America, as superstitious sailors boating near Erie, Pennsylvania, claim to see her swimming Lake Erie.^[4]

6 Soucouyant

This next legend can supposedly be found in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Though the term describes a type of witch more than a single entity, the soucouyant certainly cements itself in the wicked witch canon by possessing the ability to magically transform into a fireball for transport, as well as a wicked thirst for mortal blood. The soucouyant can also be allegedly found as far west as Jamaica and as far north as Louisiana.

Other tricks up this hag’s sleeves involve her shapeshifting ability to steal her victims’ skin if the blood loss results in death. And she can even fit through the tiniest holes, such as a lock or crack in the wall, in order to enter homes. There are ways to make a getaway, however, and it is claimed that if you place a bowl of rice in front of your door, she’ll count every grain before making an authentic pursuit.^[5]

5 Yamauba

While technically, the Yamauba is a Yokai of Japanese legend, it has the exact appearance needed to compare it to the other entries on this list. When trying to blend in, this legend looks like any other woman in her seventies—unless you can spot her horns and fangs after a provocation. She is said to live in huts along the roadside, offering shelter to travelers without it. However, if you see her demonic attributes with your own eyes, she will attempt to devour you on sight.

Unlike other entries on this list, Yamauba describes a number of yokai, as opposed to just one figure. Her origin story claims that this spirit appeared when a woman with less-than-historically appreciated habits wandered into the wilderness and developed more demonic attributes. It is also claimed that some families living in poverty abandoned their daughters to ease their burden and care more properly for the other family members. Then, these unfortunate girls would develop into the yokai after living alone for so long.^[6]

4 Obayifo

This next entry is a particularly illuminating entity from Ashanti folklore of modern-day Ghana. And that choice of vernacular is a play on words because the Obayifo is said to have an uncontrollable glow coming from their armpits and anus. As a vampire-like mythological creature, Obayifo are very common and may inhabit the bodies of ordinary people. This is because, much like the Yamauba, the Obayifo is something you become after dabbling in the Ashanti form of witchcraft known as “Bayi.”

What this particular witch-slash-vampire does is hunt hapless victims for their blood and life energy; they can even possess unsuspecting travelers, completely taking over their bodies. The Obayifo can also travel through the sky by transforming into a glowing ball of light and has a particular appetite for children, as well as the life energy of newly-growing crops. In fact, one core character trait of the Obayifo is that they are always, always hungry, no matter how much they eat.^[7]

3 Black Annis

Described as having pale blue skin, sharp iron claws instead of fingers, and raven black hair, Black Annis is an enduring legendary hag, making her supposed home in the Dane Hills near Leicestershire, England. Much like Hansel and Gretal’s primary antagonist, this witch has the diabolical urge to feast on children and allegedly hunts any who carelessly wander through her domain, leaving their skins to tan on the tree branches above her cave-home. It is thought that Black Annis was a wicked fae and is even sometimes tied to the Celtic deity Anu, though it is tricky to pin down her exact origins.

Black Annis also possesses the ability to roar an intensely loud roar that can supposedly be heard from even five miles away. You can tell she’s prowling your village, looking for babies to snatch from the window, by the incessant grinding of her teeth. In an attempt to drive her from her cave, the folk of Leicestershire led a “hunt” every Christmas, using a dead cat stuffed with aniseed to draw the witch from her cave to the home of the mayor, though no hunt ever successfully produced a blue-toned body.^[8]

2 La Lechuza

While many of the witches on this list can be described with features often associated with old age, La Lechuza takes it a step further and dons a more avian approach. She’s described as a giant, seven-foot-tall owl with a fifteen-foot wingspan and an old crone’s face. This witch’s legend comes from Mexico, long before the Spanish explorers arrived. La Lechuza is an example of a bruja, or a traditional Mexican witch, though her Spanish name does directly translate into “The Owl.”

La Lechuza’s modus operandi involves more of an origin story than other entries on this list, however. It was originally thought that “The Owl” was a woman convicted of practicing evil magic and was put to death via a witch trial. Unlike most witch trials, however, this figure came back as a massive owl, tricking unsuspecting passers-by with mimicry of babies crying or frightened women before swooping down and getting in a bit of vengeful murder herself. And unlike other witches on this list, people claim to witness La Lachuza swooping after them, even into the 21st century.^[9]

1 Baba Yaga

Fans of Ant-Man have been waiting for this reference, and indeed, she is perhaps the most famous of wicked, wizened witches in the world. She is described as an old woman far larger than most people with an equally large nose and is often found working over her stove or lounging about her humble abode. She lives in a mobile hut that walks around on chicken legs, and she rides in the sky on a mortar, pushing herself along with a pestle as an oar. She is the Baba Yaga.

One of the most prolific figures in Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga may have begun her legend as an Earth Mother Goddess in the region. Still, other scholars claim that she is instead related to the deity of the dead, Iagaia Baba. She is first mentioned by name, however, in the mid-18th century. While she often seeks children to stick in her stew, using geese for reconnaissance, she has occasionally played as a benefactor in a handful of stories. And she has, on occasion, impersonated Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother by helping free Vasilissa the Beautiful from a wicked stepmother.^[10]